Pacific Northwest Tour, PART VI – Seattle

**Rex_Tremende** · 29th October 07, 04:33 PM

Someone at the lodge suggested that we take the ferry from Bremerton, …

…where we enjoyed this sculpture garden behind the naval museum while we waited, …

(These submarine-sail-like fountains belched water like this about once a minute.)

…in order to take in one of the best views of Seattle.

(I just want to say that despite all the wind on the outside decks of the ferries, the UK blew around quite a bit, but stayed down enough to maintain my modesty. The danger actually was in ascending and descending the stairs between the upper and lower passenger decks. It was a wind tunnel, and my kilt blew up to somewhere around my armpits before I knew it. I don’t actually know (or care) whether anyone got a show – but I think they did not, since the stairway was a narrow and confined space to begin with.)

Pioneer Square is the new home of the Utilikilt retail store (which is not in the frame).

Pike Place Market is very colorful.

**ccga3359** · 29th October 07, 04:36 PM

I'm curious, did you see many Utilikilts in Seattle?

**Rex_Tremende** · 29th October 07, 04:36 PM

What would a trip to Seattle be without visiting the iconic Space Needle?

Mt. Rainier is out on this day in this view taken from the leeward side of the observatory.

(I could not manage both the camera and my modesty on the windward side. Since this was, after all, an observatory, and there were many adults and children observing, thank goodness Ken was there to alert me, because I wasn’t paying attention and hadn’t noticed!)

The Space Needle is on the grounds of the 1962 World’s Fair, where this 1955 fountain still spurts and steams while contemporaneous jazz chamber music suffuses the atmosphere with optimism.

The monorail took us back to the center of downtown.

Later, fellow X-Marker Morrison shows us this glittering view of Seattle.

While Seattle began celebrating Halloween, a very patient Pharaoh (as royalty is not what it used to be, he must resort to wait tables) shows us that kilts are nothing new.

**Riverkilt** · 29th October 07, 05:19 PM

No rain??

Only one pic of dark clouds??

Are you SURE you were in Seattle??

If you were, you got REAL lucky....

Is Bill Cosby's monologue about Seattle still around. "You look like a prune." "Thank you."

Ron

**Rex_Tremende** · 29th October 07, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

I'm curious, did you see many Utilikilts in Seattle?

Since we did a lot of our Seattle touring during work hours Thursday and Friday, no, but after hours, I saw a handful. Not tons.

Regards,
Rex.

**The Wizard of BC** · 29th October 07, 08:11 PM

Rex, I must register a complaint here.

You visited Orcas Island and were only a mile from my cousins house and you didn't even stop in to say hi.

And while on Orcas you were one more ferry ride from Victoria and didn't stop in the shop so I could admire your mustache.

I think I'll have to delete you from my will.

**ccga3359** · 29th October 07, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by The Wizard of BC

Rex, I must register a complaint here.

You visited Orcas Island and were only a mile from my cousins house and you didn't even stop in to say hi.

And while on Orcas you were one more ferry ride from Victoria and didn't stop in the shop so I could admire your mustache.

I think I'll have to delete you from my will.

Cool I'm one step closer to being included in Steve's will, only 189,356 to go.

**cessna152towser** · 30th October 07, 09:56 AM

Excellent pics, thanks for taking us along on your tour.

**GMan** · 30th October 07, 11:49 AM

Love the Pharoh and Morrison pics, just goes to show that Kilts are great at meeting friends, old and new.

**Rex_Tremende** · 31st October 07, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by Rex_Tremende

Pioneer Square is the new home of the Utilikilt retail store (which is not in the frame).

A couple of storefronts down from the UK retail store, you can sign up for an amusing and interesting tour of "Underground Seattle." I was not aware that a good portion of the original city is buried, one storey deep, under land that was scraped off the hills above and redistributed at sea level. In some 33 blocks of the city, there remains limited access to original sidewalks and store fronts. $14 or so (depending on the time of year) gets you 90 minutes of history and comedy, and access to three of those blocks.

So, I had just collected my paper bracelet ticket, and asked a guide for assistance getting it secured around my wrist, when a middle-aged, middle-America (Texan, actually) couple comes up behind me. The wife (I presumed they were married) asks the guide some question about where to go next or some-such. The guide asks me, "Is this woman bothering you?"

The wife answers, "Not yet," and takes a step or two more into the waiting area.

The husband sidles up very close - alarmingly close - to me and in some sort of a lounge-lizard voice purrs into my ear, "I'd love to know what you're wearing under your kilt!"

Astonished, I look at his wife. I turn to him and smile. "Only my dates get to know the answer," I say brightly. "Are you asking me out??"

"Um, no," he dumures, nods in the direction of the puzzled looking woman on the other side of me, and adds, "I'm kind of busy tonight." They both bustle on.

Match. Set. Point!

Regards,
Rex.