We decided to follow my guidebook suggestions to the letter so we start off with coffee at Zeitgeist near King St. then proceed to Pioneer Square, Occidental Park and Pike Place Market. The monorail has been shut down for quite some time, so we walk to the Space Needle and although visibility is not perfect, we go atop and enjoy a breathtaking view of the city, Puget Sound, Elliot bay and the islands. We can barely distinguish Mt. Rainier in the distance. A free talk by one of the tourguides crowns the visit with a lot of trivia, she also points out to us the general direction where Mr. Gates has built his abode: a 66,000 sqft mansion with 33 garages for his car collection, among other things. This is Microsoft and Starbuck's turf.
By the way: there is something to say about coffee and Washington state. They certainly know how to make a real espresso here, and I am not talking Starbuck's. Independent coffehouses abound in the city and outside, little drive-in espresso stands are everywhere, just as common as the Mc Donald's. What's with the rest of the country?
We catch an evening bus back to camp, pretty tired from all the walking, a bit cold and ready to go under the covers.
Zeitgeist (S Jackson St).
A fish stand at the market.
The colors of veggies.
The colors of grape.
Around Pike Place Market.
The Seattle Space Needle. Built in the '60s it still looks pretty futuristic.
Elliot bay from atop the Space Needle.
That's the harbor with the houseboats (Sleepless in Seattle).
Seattle.
Closeup.
A helicopter on top of Channel 4 newsstation headquarters.
Puget Sound.
Still Puget Sound.
The sunset at our campground on Puget Sound.