It was a very early morning for us - alarm went off at 2:30 am. Left the house by 3:40 for our 6:30 flight to Detroit. Had a bit of delay for air traffic around Detroit (give me a break, at 6:30 in the morning), but we arrived on time and hustled to catch our 8:30 flight to Seattle - it was only 35 gates away. Delta managed on time take-off and we were headed west. There was a good selection of movies, old ones were complimentary, newer ones $6.00. Of course any food that was not pretzels or peanuts were $$$. Since we had not eaten and didn't have time in Detroit to pick up some breakfast, I gave in and ordered a continental breakfast. Unfortunately, by the time they reached Earle's side of the plane (we were sitting in aisle seats in the center, hoping that maybe no one would take the middle seat), they had run out of food, so he got 2 more pretzel packages. I foraged for a granola bar in my bag for him.
A pretty smooth flight and we were in Seattle by 10:25 PDT. On to the Doubletree by Hilton that would be our home for the next 3 days. Up to the room and changed clothes and out to explore the city. We have a tour tomorrow that leaves from the Seattle Center, so we wanted to see how long it would take to get there. Seattle treats its pensioners very well and we could ride the Link Light rail for $1.00. Off at the Westlake Center and then the Monorail to the Seattle Center.
First order of business once we arrived at the Seattle Center was to get some food. Stopped in the Armory at Skillet Counter. The Ultimate Grilled Cheese with Bacon Jam filled the bill and provided sustenance for the rest of the day.
One perfunctory shot of the Space Needle, built in 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair. It stands 605 feet tall, but I always pictured it much higher and more dominating of the area.
Back to Westlake Link Station and then a trek down to Pike Place Market and then on to Pier 52. We didn't stop at the market since that's on our itinerary for Friday. We got to the ferrry terminal just in time to get the ferry to Bainbridge Island. The sky was clear and we could get a fairly good glimpse of Mt. Ranier. Supposedly, the mountain is only visible 85 days a year. Guess we were lucky.
So for the "it's a small world" story of the day. On the ferry we sat down next to a young woman. We pulled out our map of Seattle to get some bearings and she asked where we had gotten it. She only had a very large one of the area that was difficult to use to see the highpoints. I detected an accent in her speech and asked what her home country was. She said Uruguay. I had an extra one that I gave her and we started chatting about her travels in this country. She said that she was here on a Fulbright Scholarship and was teaching Spanish in a small college in Pennsylvania. I asked which one, she said a very small one in Chambersburg. I mentioned that I had just been in C-burg and was a grad of Wilson College. She couldn't believe it since that was where she had been teaching. It was like we were long lost friends. Of course we had to document the whole meeting, exchange emails and extended invitations to visit each other. She pulled out a Wilson water bottle to boot! Notice my perfectly coiffed hair - too much wind on the ferry.
We arrived on Bainbridge Island in just about 30 minutes. Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening there. Charming shops, an art museum, and many people on bicycles bustling around. We were still full from lunch, but needed a thirst quencher and so stopped at the Ale House on Winslow. Great chance to catch the end of the Tampa Bay/Black Hawks game, listen to some music and enjoy a Hales Porter.
Back to Seattle on the ferry just as dusk was settling over the city. A great end to the first day that saw us walk over 9 miles. Bed is calling.
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