Thursday in Seattle

First call this morning was the Barnes and Noble bookstore

The Plymouth Congregational Church, 1965, is dwarfed by its newer neighbours

Seattle Public Library, 2004, by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.  Apparently a very popular building with the people of the city,and in the top twenty of America's top (modern) buildings

The main entrance

A slightly bonkers carpet design

Not the most restful space in which to read

An alternative to the Space Needle (see yesterday) for a high level view of the city is the Columbia Centre's Sky View.  It's on the 74th floor of this office building, which is twice the height of the Needle, costs only 9 dollars to get in, and with only a couple of dozen people there today had no queues.

I liked the smiley

I didn't like hat these guys were doing

You can just see them in the very top of this photo

One stadium hosts the Seattle Seahawks and the Sounders FC.  The other is home to the Seattle Mariners baseball them. 

Recycled Cycles, in Fremont, from whom I've bought a secondhand bike.

This afternoon I put my feet up in the back seat of his trolley bus and took a guided tour of the north of the city

And that was so strenuous that I needed a beer at 5pm.  This small bar has 18 guest beers on tap

And the day was rounded off at adjacent The 5 Point Cafe.  More beer, burger, bacon, chips, and John Updike 

The journey begins

Those two small cases are home for next five weeks.  I am flying to Seattle for a few days, and then driving slowly down the west coast, calling in at Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and many other places on the way. I'll finish up in San Diego, from where I'll fly home.

Heathrow Terminal 5, designed by Richard Rogers

Pret a Manger and Itsu at T5. Designed by Alex Webb when at Agile

If you accept that on every holiday you'll have at least one disappointing meal, then it's good I got it out of the way on the first day.  British Airways served dinner at 17.15, "honey chicken on a vegetable risotto".  My view was a sliver of chicken on rice pudding.  I've spared you a photo

I made up for it with a lovely cold beer and chicken noodles in Whole Foods, Seattle.

My first full day in Seattle, and after very little sleep, was surprisingly busy.  Up and out by 8am, and straight to downtown.  Some images from Day One

Beer with mango. No, I didn't try it (it was only 9am)

Here's one for my Scottish friends ( look closely)

Puget Sound

They make old spaghetti here

In the Olympic Sculpture Park, work by Alexander Calder

Richard Serra

And a stainless steel tree ( with real blackbird ). I couldn't find the name of the artist.

Next was the Experience Music Project, designed by Frank Gehry, commissioned and funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.  I don't like it.

I was more impressed and interested by the visitor centre at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Dale Chihuly is an artist who works exclusively in glass, and has been based in Seattle for many years. (Search elsewhere on this blog for a piece about his exhibition in London a year or so ago).  

The newly constructed Chihuly Gardens and Glass House was my next stop

The Space Needle.  Well worth the ticket price for the views on a gloriously sunny day.  There is the obligatory revolving restaurant, and also a reasonable snack bar for those (me) on a budget

About 160 miles in that direction is the border with Canada

Service is resumed

After a break of some months, this blog will leap back into life next week, with photographs and postings from about 5,000 miles away.  Stay tuned.....