One of my favorite things to do in a city is to pick a direction and just start walking. One morning we set out on Seattle’s 50th Street headed west, with the locks and fish ladder between Lake Union and Puget Sound our loose destination. We found lots of great stuff along the way as we transitioned from neighborhoods filled with cute bungalows to warehouses with famous occupants to the hipster hood to the water and a device that helps salmon navigate modern waterways back to their spawning grounds…
People have amazing gardens — walking down the sidewalk is like strolling through a botanical garden.The ultimate garden.In contrast: the Chihuly Studio.50th and 14th.The BMW 2002. Paul wanted one of these.Looks like it’s about lunchtime.But first…more coffee. In Seattle, small coffee seems to come in 8oz rather than 12oz cups. I like it.
Oops! No pictures! We stumbled on the Seafood Fest and Farmer’s Market in Ballard. Music, fruits and veggies, interesting people, fried food…I was so excited that I didn’t take a single picture.
After raspberries from the market and hot dogs from the Seafood Fest, it was time for some real lunch.A jazz band playing in the park.The lock personnel are really strapped in.All kinds of boats pass through the lock…big boats, little boats, expensive boats, cheap boats…carpet-drying boats…A tour boat in the lock. We’re all taking pictures of each other.“Sorry fish, it’s 9pm, there’ll be no more using the fish ladder tonight.”A step of the fish ladder from above.A sign directing fish to the fish ladder.Watching fish rest between jumps as they move up the ladder.A power plant with shadow puppets in the windows.The warehouse district has lax overnight parking restrictions, so some sections of street are like mini-RV parks. We didn’t try it out.There are lots of hills in Seattle. Here’s a staircase for your convenience.Home sweet home! 6 hours and 8 or 9 miles later…
