The harbor and the Empress Hotel
We had to get to the ferry port
at about 9 am, and it just so happened to be a very short drive from the inn.
We lined up behind other vehicles, and U. S. Customs officers were there along
with someone in a Canadian uniform. My dad chatted with a customs agent and
made a comment about Canadian police being better organized, and the guy in
uniform agreed whole-heartedly and talked about how messed up the system is in
the U. S.
The ferry ride was one and a half
hours to the Port Angeles, Washington. I took many photos and some videos
outside on the deck, though it was chilly out there. The ferry was
significantly smaller than the one we took from the mainland to Victoria.
I drove when we weren’t on
ferries; and it didn’t seem like much driving time. I was shocked at some
point—when my dad said it was 3 pm; this was shortly after we got off the
second ferry, not far from Seattle.
After we'd only spent about ½ hour
on the second ferry, a larger ferry than the second one earlier the same day. The car
deck was open in front, and a collie and a Chihuahua got to be friends at the
front of the open deck; I was looking down at them from outdoors. I spent most
of the ride outdoors, up front, although it was cold and extremely windy. Few
people stayed out for long. I saw seagulls and black ducks with white wings.
We had a late lunch (beginning at
about 3 pm) at a Chinese restaurant just a little beyond the ferry. I had
broccoli and garlic sauce over steamed rice. Yummy broccoli fix.
We arrived in Seattle—driving and parking in the neighborhood was slightly hellish, after all--probably more than anything because I'm simply not familiar with the neighborhood. I ended up grabbing a meter parking place next to the hotel (Seattle has the same kind of “meters” as Portland), and we went into the office and got a room (#156 on the bottom floor). We took stuff out of the car and took it to the room. At the front desk, we also got details on where to take the car and a parking pass for valet parking through a hotel around the corner. I had a horrible time driving around in the immediate neighborhood, with one-way streets and all, but eventually I pulled up in front of the hotel, the MarQueen Hotel, my dad found an employee responsible for valet parking, and I gladly relinquished the car. The Queen Anne Inn, where we were staying, also had a parking garage, but it was full.
We looked at maps in the room
before walking out to the Space Needle, which is about two blocks away, in the
Seattle Center. We passed some interesting buildings, after passing a water
fountain with a rainbow and a bunch of kids running and playing in the water. We
also passed the museum building that actually contains two museums, including
the Science Fiction Museum and the Everyday Music museum. I believe I’ve convinced
my dad to go there tomorrow. I’d also like to visit Twice Sold Tales, the book
store with many “aloof cats,” according to the travel book. It’s open till 9
pm, so we could go there tomorrow after the museums.
The Space Needle looming over a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuli
The Space Needle is overpriced,
but quite an adventure. You can see all the way around, probably the entire
city. You wait in a long line for the elevator, and about twenty people can get
aboard at a time. It moves ten miles an hour and shoots past—during part of the
ride, you can see through a glass wall. Up above, the elevator stops at an
observation deck; wobbly telescopes, 1962-era background music playing the
entire time. Eventually I figured out that above the sheets of glass it’s open
to the outdoors. I took lots of pictures, all the way around.
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