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| Tuesday, August 8th, 2006 - Got into a huge traffic jam most of the way up Interstate 5. Finally got to Seattle around 5:30pm. Checked into the Westin Hotel. Our reservation is screwed up - only for 2 nights and they are booked solid for the third. Will resolve in the morning with the hotel manager. |
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Immediately headed for Safeco Field to see the Seattle Mariners play the Tampa Bay Devilrays. We took the bus There was a full house to see what turned out to be a terrific game. We weren't really expecting much, but hoped for the best. Safeco Field is a top notch facility. |
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We were luck enough to get seats directly behind home plate (39 rows back.) It turned out to be a combination pitchers dual and game of errors with TB commiting 3 that were scored. Many more bone head plays by both teams kept the score tied at 1-1 into the 10th when Sexon (Seattle) hit a walk off grand slam home run. We skipped the Ichiroll in favor of dogs, peanuts and beer. The scoreboard showed that both the Yankees and Red Sox lost. Took the bus back to the hotel. |
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| Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 - Woke up and checked on the hotel situation for the third night. Spoke to manager. He was very unhelpful. Terrible treatment for a chain like the Westin. We headed to the original Starbucks in Pikes Place Market for our usual breakfast. Mobed. So we had our usual breakfast at another coffee emporium that was less crowded. We then decided to do the touristy thing and headed for the Space Needle. Fantastic views of the city and its environs. Well worth the trip. The Space Needle is privately owned. Built in 1962 for the World's Fair. |
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That night we went to the piers for dinner. Had a heck of a time finding a parking space but of course we eventually did. Decided to try Elliott's. We just loved the food. Jane had two appetizers for dinner; a dungeness crab and an oyster stew. Hal had a dunginess crab salad that was very "fancy" and very delicious. Then Hal had a "fisherman's platter" with all of the fried seafood he loves so much. Beer was the drink of choice. We had some desert as well. |
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Thursday, August 11, 2006 - Thanks to the screwup with Weston we had to find another hotel. We made a reservation at the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue a few blocks from the Weston.
Mark had raved about the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. So we headed for the piers once again and took the Seattle - Bainbridge Ferry. The ferry is huge. Even bigger than the Staten Island ferry. Has two decks for cars and trucks. Huge passenger cabins with a cafeteria and wifi. It was a bleak day, with views of Seattle disappearing in the fog.
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We arrived at the Bloedel Reserve without a reservation but they were able to accomodate us. The only permit 20 people per hour to enter the preserve so that you can feel the peacefulness of the place. It is designed so that as you progress through the reserve you become more attuned to nature. You start out on a wood chip path that leads through a field. |
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Eventually you come to a wonderful chateau that was once the summer home of the Bloedel's. There is also a Japanese Garden complete with Tea House. |
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| We took the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds and had a snack on board. We then headed back to the Red Lion to check in and to park the car. We took a walk a few blocks (uphill) to see the Seattle Library. We checked for Spalding's World Tour in the card catalog and it was listed - but we couldn't find the actual book in the stacks. Didn't really try very hard. |
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That night we had plans to meet with our friends Judy and Ed Lipton's daughter Maggie Elkind and her family. Maggie picked us up at our hotel and drove us out to see her house. It is in a quite neighborehood and has the most spectacular views of Lake Washington and Bellevue Washington in the distance. Then Maggie, Keith, Isaac and Jeremy went with us to a Vietnamese restaurant that they liked. A lovely meal, and even better company. |
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| Friday, August 11, 2006 - We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. We then checked out of the hotel and headed north to Vancouver. |
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