lucktraveler57 2.0

 We left Pike's Market and made our way to Pioneer Square stopping in several shops along the way. We decided on a walking tour of the historic downtown center which included underground views of the retaining walls and the tunnels that lurk beneath the city streets.  The tunnels were once ground level until the early residents realized that the area routinely flooded, hence the need for the retaining walls. Some of the underground areas were subsequently used for storage, or, during prohibition, speakeasies and liquor smuggling. We also learned that the term "skid row" originated in Seattle, which the guide mentioned was a source of great civic pride.  Once the tour ended the Seahawks game had begun, they won by the way and the sidewalks were left to the ranting lunatics and homeless that besiege all cities  of any size in the U.S. It is an issue of individual human dignity that deserves to be addressed more urgently and with more compassion than it  currently ...

After breakfast our first morning we walked towards the waterfront to Pike's Market, again enjoying the historic architecture which created a beautifully textured urban landscape. Pike's Market is on Seattle's list of must see tourist sites, the sort of place locals probably never visit.  We strolled and browsed through stall after stall of offerings among swarms of people killing time before the Seahawks game that afternoon. Team gear abounded. The market is an eclectic mix of clothing, jewelry, gourmet foods, dried flowers and fresh fish. One of things it is famous for is the seafood vendors tossing the fish through the air to one another, something we were fortunate enough to witness.  As you go through the aisles you are treated to an olfactory medley of flowers, fried foods, fish and roasted nuts. Neon signs suspended from the ceiling contribute to the delightful sensual riot of color, aromas and people, accompanied by musicians that perform throughout the several leve...

 We landed 25 minutes early, however, an inefficient luggage delivery system ate up that time and more. After something of an ordeal we were finally in a cab on our way into the city.  Colorful graffiti adorned the retaining walls along the highway. I found myself thinking about the danger to life and limb the urban artists had subjected themselves to.  We checked in and caught the elevator up to our room on the 23rd floor. We had paid a premium for a city view room. The bathroom was sumptuous, the room more than commodious and the skyline views, from the floor to ceiling wall to wall windows, expansive.  Due to a forgotten prescription our first stop needed to be a Walgreens. There was one a short walk away. This afforded us our first view of the city.  I had not expected the abundance of historic architecture. Due to the city's rapid growth in the later years of the 19th century Seattle boasts the largest collection of Romanesque Revival architecture in the Un...

 But first, Seattle, a city neither I nor my husband had been to before. We would be spending 2 full days there as well as the afternoon our flight landed. We planned a quick tourist trip. Pioneer Square, Pikes's Market, the Chihuly Garden and of course, the Space Needle, the last remnant of the 1962 World's Fair.  The train from Seattle to Kelso, about 40 minutes from Cathlemet, will take 2 hours. We looked forward to seeing a lush, green landscape through the train's windows. Only time would tell if it would live up to our expectations. 

 My brother, niece et.al live in an incorporated area outside Cathlemet, a town of 500 people. We were there 2 summers before for my niece's wedding. This tiny town is the seat of one of the smallest counties in the state, population around 4400 and the only incorporated town in that county. I live in a city of 3 million, give or take a couple hundred thousand,  the experience of visiting Cathlemet is something of a culture shock for us.  There is a short main street anchored on one end by two large, lovely victorian homes. There is a small hotel dating from the 1920's, where we stayed on our previous visit, a Mexican restaurant and a vacant 2 story building which originally contained a bar on it its lower floor and, as some town lore goes, a brothel on it's second. There is the miniscule art deco styled courthouse, a bar  and grill and a few businesses, including a small grocery store. It sits on the Columbia river. A historical marker indicates that Lewis and Clark...

 It was chaos at the airport. It looked like a mass evacuation one might see on the eve of a revolution. Remarkably everything went smoothly and we were checked in and through security with a minimum of effort and trouble.  As the morning wore on the crowds lessened. A group of sailors, newbies, still in their Crackerjack uniforms, were seated behind us in the waiting area at the gate. I'm fairly sure I own underwear older than they.  We were on our way to Washington state to share Thanksgiving with my brother, sister in law, niece, her husband and our new 17 month old grand nephew. It was our first opportunity to see the little guy. We were excited, which explained the bag full of gifts packed in our luggage. Uncles have the privilege of spoiling nieces and nephews, with gay uncles this privilege increases tenfold. There was also an expensive bourbon and an equally expensive bottle of wine for Thanksgiving dinner. The wine had been a gift to us several years ago, we were...