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We awake to the not so gentle sound of a wailing siren as a fire engine approaches the intersection of the street below our wall of glass. Ahhh yes, the sounds of the city. It is 5:45am, so we are all pleased to have gotten a fair amount of sleep. We snuggle further into our luxurious Heavenly Beds and try to doze a bit more. But we are too excited to waste time sleeping. After all, this is the Real First Day of our vacation. Yesterday was Travel Day and, even though we did a lot of sightseeing, it really doesn’t count yet as vacation time. First order of business is to get some caffeine into our groggy bodies. We haven’t stayed in a Westin Hotel before so we were a bit non-plused when we examined the amenities of our room yesterday & discovered no coffee pot. There was a nice little machine, some packets of Starbucks coffee, some teabags and the requisite sugars & creamers & such but no pot. Mr. B called the desk to request a receptacle for the nice little pot (and a few more Heavenly Towels for our Heavenly Bath since there were 3 of us, thank you very much.) He hung up & looked at me with a sheepish expression. “They said it is an individual cup coffee maker.” Well, I’ll be danged. It sure enough is. You simply place the provided paper cup under the loading bay area in which you place the self contained one cup portion of Starbucks coffee, trek off to your Heavenly Bath to fill another of aforementioned paper cups with water, then carefully pour said water into the top of the nice little machine and press the switch that is labeled ON/OFF and sit patiently while one perfectly brewed cup of coffee trickles into the cup below. Okey dokey, then. One down, two more to go. Being good children we offer the first cup to our Dear Mom. She accepts like a true matriarch should, promptly adulterates the beverage with copious amounts of sugar & liquid creamer and I proceed to initiate the next brewing cycle, repeating all the steps easily now that I have had a practice run. Dear Mr. Barn is getting restless.
Now I am going to be honest with you and I am politely asking you to refrain from throwing stones & running screaming from the room. Mr. B & I are smokers. Yes, I know, so don’t go there, please. We are well versed in the etiquette required to indulge in our nasty habit. We are from California where smoking is outlawed everywhere except in one’s own backyard between the hours of 11pm & 5am provided you are at least 500 feet from any other building & as long as you have ascertained that there are no children or animals within a one acre radius and that all the doors & windows of your own house are sealed shut and you must have given at least 16 hour notice to the State Air Quality Board and filed the proper permits within your county and have obtained a waiver from the local Board of Supervisors. Unless of course you are smoking marijuana. That falls under a different set of regulations. So anywho… we do follow the general protocol of smokers the world over. Cup of coffee=morning cigarette. Mr. Barn decides not to wait for the third cup to brew & opts to visit the lobby coffee shop to spend $4 on his morning shot of caffeine, go outside & stroll the required 25ft. from the doorway & pull up a cement retaining wall to sit & enjoy his cup of Starbucks. When he opens the door to the hall there is a copy of USA Today for our reading pleasure. I think getting a morning paper on vacation is a nice perk even if it is a crappy paper like USA Today, the People Magazine version of newspapers. At least it has a crossword puzzle. So I set another cup on our nifty little coffee brewer and jump in our Heavenly Shower with the duel head shower massage while DM reads the paper. Ready to face the public, second cup of coffee in hand, I go off to join hubby and give Dear Mom some alone time to get herself ready for the day ahead. We return to our room shortly, collect our water bottles, credit cards, & Dear Mom and head out to our E-ticket ride on the Monorail. We are all old hands at monorail riding since we’ve been to Disneyland a zillion times but this monorail is special. We are all of an age to remember the 1962 World’s Fair and it was a really big deal. So we are gonna ride the monorail like good tourists should. We walk about ½ block to the station & buy one-way tickets (senior discount =$1.00.) I’m not sure why we didn’t buy round-trip tickets. I guess we thought we might walk back.
We climb aboard & are whisked through downtown to the site of the 1962 World’s Fair which is now a huge park called Seattle Center. The exhibition halls are all now used as museums, arenas for various sporting events, theater performances & special art exhibits. There is a good size midway area and very large food court with lots of dining options but at 9am they are pretty deserted & not much is open. We wander into a large elevated sitting area with a great view out to the International Fountain.
There is some current controversy over a proposal to tear out the fountain & replace it with a skateboard park. That would be a shame, since it is a favorite place for children to play on a warm day and it is kind of pretty to sit & watch in a sort of nostalgic Back to the Future kind of way. It’s a throw back to the days when the Jetson’s had a machine in their kitchen that produced fully cooked meals at the push of a button. Today we call them microwave ovens & all we ever do with ours is reheat coffee & make popcorn. But they were sort of a fantastic, futuristic thing back in 1962.
Strolling the lovely grounds of Seattle Center, we are greeted by a gentleman dressed in a uniform. He is very pleasant, asking where we are from & if we need any help finding anything. He is a cross between a docent & a security guard. We chat for quite awhile, learning lots of little stuff about the world’s fair & Seattle. The nice man tells us to hang around for the water show at the fountain and also informs us that the Blue Angels are scheduled for some practice today for the big upcoming festival happening this weekend. We watch the fountain, enjoying the music and the groups of children playing in the water. The Blue Angels do make several passes but Mr. Barn is never in quite the right spot to get a good picture. All you can see are tiny dots in a washed out sky with big glaring sun reflections blotting out half the frame. I’ve hit the delete button on those photos.
We are getting hungry. Most sources have advised us to skip the food at the Space Needle and we’ve already decided we’re going to skip the overpriced view from the top so we head for the Pacific Science Center to feast on a fine lunch of so-so hamburgers & chips. Nothing to write home about. We do enjoy the Dinosaur Fossil exhibit but we skip the IMAX Harry Potter movie. Not that we aren’t H.P. fans. We have read the books & seen the regular non-Imax movies, but the price tag is a little much for this one. We exit the Science Center to discover that the park has filled up with people. It is a very warm summer afternoon & folks have come out in droves to enjoy a rainless day in Seattle. We wander back to the monorail for our swift journey back downtown.
Before we left our hotel this morning, I had asked the concierge once more for help using the city bus system. This time I was prepared with pen & paper. So with instructions in hand we set off once more toward the Public Market intending to catch the #21, #22, or #56 bus on First & Pike to carry us to Pioneer Square. The buses within the tourist section of the city are free and very easy to use once you get your bearings. Within minutes #56 arrives & we hop on. We rate it a C-ticket ride in Disney terms. Our intended destination is the Klondike National Park. On our first attempt we overshoot. About facing when we reach the train station and doing a fine imitation of lost tourists, we retrace our steps while clutching our map, pointing & shouting at each other trying to shift the blame, finally spotting a very tiny sign pointing the way. This little FREE museum is a hidden gem and was one of the highlights of our trip. We arrived just in time to catch the short well-done film & had spent about 30 minutes exploring the interactive exhibits when a pleasant voice announced over the loudspeaker that those interested in the FREE walking tour of Pioneer Square should meet by the large map in the main lobby. Whoa Nellie! We are all over a FREE walking tour. Mr. National Park Ranger gathers our group of about 15 people & announces that we have got to hustle. Apparently our FREE walking tour includes a FREE trip up to the observation tower in the Smith Building. No time for photo ops or narration. We are on a tight schedule & must arrive before 3pm since the building will close at 3:30 for a private event. We all hustle. It usually costs $7.50 to go up to the observation deck on this famous building so we have scored a hit with our FREE walking tour and FREE Smith building visit.
The Smith Building
This place is all private businesses & the building owner’s 2-story penthouse condo on the top. You can learn its history here Historical information about the Smith Tower. In order to get to the observation deck, nine people at a time ride an elevator escorted by a uniformed operator. Does anyone else remember when all elevators were like this?
The view on the deck is absolutely amazing.
That's Mt. Hood in the hazzy distance. And those dots in the sky? Well......
As we were standing there guess what zoomed right by us?
Yessree Bob. The Blue Angels putting on a show just for us. All part of our FREE tour.
We fully intended to pay the fee for this jaunt so this was a real treat. I recommend it to anyone visiting Seattle.
We mosey on with our FREE walking tour listening to Mr. Ranger’s insider take on the area. His presentation is very informative and downright fun. Arriving back at our starting point we realize we have frittered away the afternoon. We have to get back to our hotel to get ready for dinner reservations at 6:30 and it is after 5. That wouldn’t normally be a problem but we are not very confident about our bus catching skills. First order of business is to find the correct bus stop. We use some deductive skills acquired during our California public school educations and head for a spot roughly equivalent to the opposite of our earlier dropping off point. There are other folks with tourist maps milling about. None of us know with certainty which bus to take. We are beginning to feel a bit apprehensive. I consult my notes. Mmmm…#21 or maybe #22. It can’t be #56 since that one goes in the opposite direction. Are we going to have to walk? Are we going to miss our dinner?
Now I am going to be honest with you and I am politely asking you to refrain from throwing stones & running screaming from the room. Mr. B & I are smokers. Yes, I know, so don’t go there, please. We are well versed in the etiquette required to indulge in our nasty habit. We are from California where smoking is outlawed everywhere except in one’s own backyard between the hours of 11pm & 5am provided you are at least 500 feet from any other building & as long as you have ascertained that there are no children or animals within a one acre radius and that all the doors & windows of your own house are sealed shut and you must have given at least 16 hour notice to the State Air Quality Board and filed the proper permits within your county and have obtained a waiver from the local Board of Supervisors. Unless of course you are smoking marijuana. That falls under a different set of regulations. So anywho… we do follow the general protocol of smokers the world over. Cup of coffee=morning cigarette. Mr. Barn decides not to wait for the third cup to brew & opts to visit the lobby coffee shop to spend $4 on his morning shot of caffeine, go outside & stroll the required 25ft. from the doorway & pull up a cement retaining wall to sit & enjoy his cup of Starbucks. When he opens the door to the hall there is a copy of USA Today for our reading pleasure. I think getting a morning paper on vacation is a nice perk even if it is a crappy paper like USA Today, the People Magazine version of newspapers. At least it has a crossword puzzle. So I set another cup on our nifty little coffee brewer and jump in our Heavenly Shower with the duel head shower massage while DM reads the paper. Ready to face the public, second cup of coffee in hand, I go off to join hubby and give Dear Mom some alone time to get herself ready for the day ahead. We return to our room shortly, collect our water bottles, credit cards, & Dear Mom and head out to our E-ticket ride on the Monorail. We are all old hands at monorail riding since we’ve been to Disneyland a zillion times but this monorail is special. We are all of an age to remember the 1962 World’s Fair and it was a really big deal. So we are gonna ride the monorail like good tourists should. We walk about ½ block to the station & buy one-way tickets (senior discount =$1.00.) I’m not sure why we didn’t buy round-trip tickets. I guess we thought we might walk back.
We climb aboard & are whisked through downtown to the site of the 1962 World’s Fair which is now a huge park called Seattle Center. The exhibition halls are all now used as museums, arenas for various sporting events, theater performances & special art exhibits. There is a good size midway area and very large food court with lots of dining options but at 9am they are pretty deserted & not much is open. We wander into a large elevated sitting area with a great view out to the International Fountain.
There is some current controversy over a proposal to tear out the fountain & replace it with a skateboard park. That would be a shame, since it is a favorite place for children to play on a warm day and it is kind of pretty to sit & watch in a sort of nostalgic Back to the Future kind of way. It’s a throw back to the days when the Jetson’s had a machine in their kitchen that produced fully cooked meals at the push of a button. Today we call them microwave ovens & all we ever do with ours is reheat coffee & make popcorn. But they were sort of a fantastic, futuristic thing back in 1962.
Strolling the lovely grounds of Seattle Center, we are greeted by a gentleman dressed in a uniform. He is very pleasant, asking where we are from & if we need any help finding anything. He is a cross between a docent & a security guard. We chat for quite awhile, learning lots of little stuff about the world’s fair & Seattle. The nice man tells us to hang around for the water show at the fountain and also informs us that the Blue Angels are scheduled for some practice today for the big upcoming festival happening this weekend. We watch the fountain, enjoying the music and the groups of children playing in the water. The Blue Angels do make several passes but Mr. Barn is never in quite the right spot to get a good picture. All you can see are tiny dots in a washed out sky with big glaring sun reflections blotting out half the frame. I’ve hit the delete button on those photos.
We are getting hungry. Most sources have advised us to skip the food at the Space Needle and we’ve already decided we’re going to skip the overpriced view from the top so we head for the Pacific Science Center to feast on a fine lunch of so-so hamburgers & chips. Nothing to write home about. We do enjoy the Dinosaur Fossil exhibit but we skip the IMAX Harry Potter movie. Not that we aren’t H.P. fans. We have read the books & seen the regular non-Imax movies, but the price tag is a little much for this one. We exit the Science Center to discover that the park has filled up with people. It is a very warm summer afternoon & folks have come out in droves to enjoy a rainless day in Seattle. We wander back to the monorail for our swift journey back downtown.
Before we left our hotel this morning, I had asked the concierge once more for help using the city bus system. This time I was prepared with pen & paper. So with instructions in hand we set off once more toward the Public Market intending to catch the #21, #22, or #56 bus on First & Pike to carry us to Pioneer Square. The buses within the tourist section of the city are free and very easy to use once you get your bearings. Within minutes #56 arrives & we hop on. We rate it a C-ticket ride in Disney terms. Our intended destination is the Klondike National Park. On our first attempt we overshoot. About facing when we reach the train station and doing a fine imitation of lost tourists, we retrace our steps while clutching our map, pointing & shouting at each other trying to shift the blame, finally spotting a very tiny sign pointing the way. This little FREE museum is a hidden gem and was one of the highlights of our trip. We arrived just in time to catch the short well-done film & had spent about 30 minutes exploring the interactive exhibits when a pleasant voice announced over the loudspeaker that those interested in the FREE walking tour of Pioneer Square should meet by the large map in the main lobby. Whoa Nellie! We are all over a FREE walking tour. Mr. National Park Ranger gathers our group of about 15 people & announces that we have got to hustle. Apparently our FREE walking tour includes a FREE trip up to the observation tower in the Smith Building. No time for photo ops or narration. We are on a tight schedule & must arrive before 3pm since the building will close at 3:30 for a private event. We all hustle. It usually costs $7.50 to go up to the observation deck on this famous building so we have scored a hit with our FREE walking tour and FREE Smith building visit.
The Smith Building
This place is all private businesses & the building owner’s 2-story penthouse condo on the top. You can learn its history here Historical information about the Smith Tower. In order to get to the observation deck, nine people at a time ride an elevator escorted by a uniformed operator. Does anyone else remember when all elevators were like this?
The view on the deck is absolutely amazing.
That's Mt. Hood in the hazzy distance. And those dots in the sky? Well......
As we were standing there guess what zoomed right by us?
Yessree Bob. The Blue Angels putting on a show just for us. All part of our FREE tour.
We fully intended to pay the fee for this jaunt so this was a real treat. I recommend it to anyone visiting Seattle.
We mosey on with our FREE walking tour listening to Mr. Ranger’s insider take on the area. His presentation is very informative and downright fun. Arriving back at our starting point we realize we have frittered away the afternoon. We have to get back to our hotel to get ready for dinner reservations at 6:30 and it is after 5. That wouldn’t normally be a problem but we are not very confident about our bus catching skills. First order of business is to find the correct bus stop. We use some deductive skills acquired during our California public school educations and head for a spot roughly equivalent to the opposite of our earlier dropping off point. There are other folks with tourist maps milling about. None of us know with certainty which bus to take. We are beginning to feel a bit apprehensive. I consult my notes. Mmmm…#21 or maybe #22. It can’t be #56 since that one goes in the opposite direction. Are we going to have to walk? Are we going to miss our dinner?
at your latest installment. I, too, am from California and your explanation of our smoking laws is spot on! 
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