Or - Wassup!?!
An old friend, Linda Walker, is visiting Seattle with her Mother. It's a Birthday Trip for her Mom. She gave us a call and suggested we get together for breakfast today. They're staying downtown near the Space Needle.
Great idea!!
First she suggested we meet at 0800. Hahaha, I agreed, reluctantly, mentioning that I just might not be all sweetness and light at that unholy hour of the morning and then, demonstrating wisdom and insight, she then suggested we get together at 0900. Imminently better and so Carol and I were out the door early this morning and on our way down to the Emerald City.
Walking to the link along Renton Ave. S. The Fall weather is coming in. It was foggy and cool this morning and there is the promise of rain this weekend. Hoozah!! Finally!! I am ready to see summer in the rearview mirror.
And it was a foggy and gloomy morning.
Love it!!
Looking north up MLK towards the Othello Station.
It didn't look any better looking in the other direction. Hahaha, loving this Fall weather.
After a quick trip to the Westlake Center we made our way over to the...
Monorail!!
A Seattle Icon!!
I already told you about the Monorail, built in 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair. And today, we would be riding on it. I think this may have been my third ride on the Monorail...I know it was Carol's first on the Seattle Monorail.
I mean, who hasn't ridden the Monorail at Disneyland?
Oh, and you're welcome.
Here's some more pictures of the building of the Monorail way back in the Olden Days...when I was 14 years old.
Funny, it doesn't seem all that long ago.
Hahahaha, you're in Seahawk Country!!
Everybody up here is "IN"!! Even the Monorail!!
Ohhhh, I'm all a-twitter!!
We were able to get right up in the front next to the driver.
Woo-Woo!!
Seattle Monorail Selfie!!
And we had a great seat for the ride. While we were riding, I asked the driver if this were the original Monorail car and he said it was but that they'd put in some new features. Among them is the tinted windows.
Back in the Olden Days, you had to tough it out, evidently, without the tinted windows.
Hahaha, you can tell it's the Olden Days because all the Guys are in suits and all the Gals are in dresses.
And it's in Black & White, too.
Hahahaha...Ahhhhh, those nutty Olden Days.
Foggy, overcast and dreary Seattle days. Love 'em!!
We're nearing the end of the one-mile trip
They never stop building, digging, remodeling and messing up the streets here. Here's what's left of Broad Street as it went down to Lake Union.
Don't ask. I don't know what they're putting in there.
Coming into the station at the Seattle Center by the EMP Museum.
The EMP Museum, formerly known as Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (Whew!! That's a mouthful!!), is a nonprofit museum dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000.
The design has always been, questionable. Seattle Weekly said the design was like "the often quoted comparison to a smashed electric guitar." The designer Frank Gehry, said while coming up with the final design they "...started collecting pictures of Stratocasters, bringing in guitar bodies, drawing on those shapes in developing our ideas.
Jonathan Raban, a Seattle critic said, "Gehry has created some wonderful buildings...but his Seattle effort is not one of them." A New York Times architecture critic described the building as "something that crawled out of the sea, rolled over and died. Forbes magazine called it one of the world's 10 ugliest buildings. Other names for it include the "Blob" or "The Hemmorrhoids."
It's now the home of the world's largest collection of Jimi Hendrix memorabilia.
It's still ugly.
Past the EMP we entered the station at the Seattle Center.
This guy has a great job!! Carol remarked to him that it must be just like working at Disneyland and he said, Yeah, it is. Except I don't have to put up with all the screaming kids!!
Seriously, what a great job, eh!?!
Gooooo, Seahawks!!
Off the Monorail and down the exit you come out to this!!
The Space Needle!!
A sure-fire money maker for everyone!!
The base of the Space Needle where they have a large store selling Space Needle products of every description and size. It makes some serious money, it does!!
The totem was placed here in honor of John T. Williams who was shot to death in 2010 by a SPD Officer while crossing a street holding a knife and a block of wood. His brother, Rick Williams, and others carved the totem pole to honor him and Native American and First Nations traditions.
Another Seattle Icon, the Ride the Ducks Duck. One of the popular tourists stops is riding the Ducks around Seattle.
They always have fun on these tours. Whenever I see one tooling around, I always yell and wave and they always yell and wave back.
Hahaha, great fun!!
We finally made it over to the hotel where Linda and her mother are staying.
It was a lot of fun seeing her and enjoying old times.
Reunion Selfies!!
We missed with this shot but...
We made up for it.
Linda's Mom was still sleeping and so she didn't join us. Probably for the best as we would have bored the socks right off her!!
Hahaha, it was a lot of fun.
We closed the restaurant and finally let Linda go. She was planning on visiting the Seattle Center and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. The museum showcases the studio glass of Dale Chihuly and opened in 2012.
I've never been in and I don't have plans to go in anytime soon so I'll show you this shot I took around the Space Needle. You'll see some other shots of the exhibit as we continue on this tour.
Here's the EMP again. I sure don't see any guitars in there. I do agree with the observation about the thing that crawled up onto the beach to die.
What is this thing, Vern?
Damned if I know, Eunice.
And the entrance. Seriously, what were they smoking when they designed this!!
You can see the monorail rails on the right side going through the EMP Museum.
And, the Space Needle
An observation tower, it's a Pacific Northwest landmark and a symbol of Seattle. Built in 1962 for the World's Fair, it drew over 2.3 million visitors then when nearly 20,000 people a day used its elevators.
It was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. It's 605 feet high and is built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph. That's comforting. And it is suppose to be able to withstand earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. Oh, it also has 25 lightning rods. Whew!!
It has an observation deck at 520 feet and a gift shop with a rotating restaurant at 500 feet. I've not heard many good things about the restaurant. However, you get a great view of downtown Seattle and the Cascade Mountains, Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, Elliott Bay and the islands in the Sound from it.
The Needle as it was being constructed. They literally built the Needle in one year, working around the clock to get it done.
You can see the Space Race had an influence on the design as it resembles a 'hovering disc' like a flying saucer.
Some of the memorabilia from the 1962 World's Fair.
In 2007 the Needle hosted its 45 Millionth visitor.
And they keep on a-coming!!
I saw this in one of the local gift shops.
Along with some Native American Postcards.
And refrigerador magnets. Man, those have taken off in the past five years.
We wandered in and out of the gift shops and then made our way towards the Chihuly Glass Exhibit and the front of the Needle.
And, of course, they had flowers everywhere. And, of course, I took pictures of most everyone of them!!
I really tried to, at least!!
And another, symmetrical, shot of the Needle.
I imagine I'm the first one to ever get this shot, right!?!
We could see parts of the Chihuly Exhibit.
And the flowers...and there were plenty of those.
And yet another flower!!
Some of Chihuly's flowers.
The seasons are changing and the trees are changing with it.
Seattle Center Selfie!!
Chihuly Glass Museum Exhibit
Selfie!!
You can see this part of the exhibit from the walks around the Needle.
Honestly, the glass doesn't hold a candle to Mother Nature.
Yet Another
Seattle Center Selfie!!
As we were leaving, we saw this...
Alexander Liberman's, Olympic Iliad, is a monumental agglomeration of steel cylinders cut at varying angles and lengths and painted with an industrial red.
Don't ask.
I don't know.
More and more I think Modern Art isn't so much the work but if you can sell it to someone. Can you convince someone it is art.
I seriously wonder at some of the things that are passed off as Art.
And one last (Yes, this is really the last shot of the ACTUAL Space Needle for this particular blog) shot of the Space Needle as we were leaving.
Can you tell the skies were a bit overcast this morning?
Hahaha, getting back to normal!!
The EMP.
Wha....!?!
Fisher Plaza, home of KOMO TV.
Linda mentioned that she and her Mother had eaten dinner at the 5 Point Cafe. You remember them? They made the news recently for not letting Tom Morello of the band, Rage Against the Machine who was in town for a benefit for the 15Now crowd called the 5 Point Cafe anti-worker because they didn't let him into their filled business even AFTER he said, Do you know who I am!?!
Funny that he was willing to go into this anti-worker place before he found out that, yes, they did know who he was and that still didn't matter cuz the place was still full.
Consistent as hell, ain't he!!
Well, here's the 5 Point Cafe...
Anyway, Linda remarked on the signs the Cafe displayed and so when I saw it as we were walking back to the Link, I naturally took a closer look at the signs they had.
Like this one...
And this doozy...
Always good advice...
This one looks semi-normal...
I thought these were all outlawed!!
5 Point Cafe
Reflected Window Selfie!!
I. Can't. Stop. Myself.
It is a great city. Look at the streets!! Look at the trees!!
Hahaha, this proves that I don't always have to be in a reflected window shot!!
Hahaha, I didn't say it was the last shot of the Space Needle, just the last shot of the actual Space Needle.
OK, I fudged a bit but it is a nice shot, isn't it?
Haha, who am I kidding!?! Of course it is!!
A detail of one of the many beautiful apartment buildings from the 20s and 30s.
One of the basement windows on the sidewalk level. Hence the bars around the window.
Hahaha, yet another!!
I just checked and there are NO more shots of the Needle, reflected or otherwise.
Honest!!
Bushnell Binoculars Store
Reflected Window Selfie!!
Reflected Window Selfies!!
Hahaha, OK, there are so many of these that I'm not gonna bother putting up the obligatory (Seahawk) Colored Banner proclaiming them. They'll just appear and you'll have to deal with them.
Like this one.
Don't ask.
I don't know. I honestly don't know.
But we saw these Coleus and they are sooooo Kick-Butt that it makes up for all the Reflected Window Selfies in this blog!!
Right!?!
They have plenty of these old apartment buildings throughout the city. Great architecture.
Another...
And another...
Hahaha, love this. It was scribbled on the wall next to the lawyer's office.
Someone has had a bad experience!!
The intersection of 4th Ave and Lenora. Ralph's is on the left with fruit above the entrance. They have the craziest signs in Seattle.
Like this one. For a restaurant. That serves seafood.
More...
And another...
Can you find us?
And the last one...coming down the stairs.
Don't ask.
I just don't know.
It was around 1230 and still they had low-hanging clouds.
Look at the forecast for the next five days!!
Hoozah!!
As we passed the flatiron building I got this shot.
It is the Times Square Building, formerly the Times Building. It's a registered landmark building. It was completed in 1916 and housed editorial operations of the Seattle Times newspaper, which operated there until 1930. It is entirely surrounded by streets: 4th Street, Olive way, Stewart Street and 5th Avenue. The building has a Beaux-Arts design and is five stories high.
Here it is during construction in 1916
And here's a picture of the building in 1923.
Can you tell I have a soft spot for flatiron buildings?
But all good things have to come to an end and so this blog has to come to its end as well.
What better way to end than with a shot of a Metro Bus coming out of the underground tunnel at the Westlake Terminal for the Link and the buses.
It was a great day. I had a blast seeing Linda again and we all had a good time eating breakfast and laughing...a lot.
The weather is finally getting back to where it should be and I'm feeling better with the cooler weather.
I am able to get out, get around and, obviously, take a LOT of pictures, too. And I have someone to share it all with.
Man, I tell you, life is real good!!
Hooah!!
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