Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kicking Up My Heels in Downtown Seattle

IMG_6441

If I had to pick just five cities to explore for the rest of my life, Seattle would definitely be on it. Even considering all of the chances that I’ve had to walk around this place, I was still excited to visit the beautiful city today from Bremerton.

Here is a ferry arriving from Seattle…what a great view from my room!

IMG_6439

Since there was a fun festival going on tomorrow, it was my hope to head over to Seattle on Friday and just enjoy a nice day in Bremerton today. However, after a quick check of the weather online, I knew immediately that today was the day to head over to explore on foot.

Last time that I took the ferry over to Seattle in inclement weather, I got the weirdest looks from people for not possessing an umbrella. I had a feeling that I would enjoy a sunshiny day a teensy bit more, so it was all decided. Today was it!

IMG_6442

So I headed to the ferry station to catch my ride. The ferry is free in this direction, so I got in line with all of the others and waited to board the boat.

IMG_6443

In case you’re wondering, there are tons of seats on board. Lots of people live in Bremerton and commute daily to Seattle using the ferries. And maybe I was just imagining it, but these seats look newly-renovated since the last trip over the “pond.”

I picked a window seat, of course, so I could maximize the beautiful views as we sailed on our hour-long journey through the Puget Sound to downtown Seattle.

Butterflies even fluttered in my stomach as I thought about the fun day ahead! Man, I’m lucky!

IMG_6446

Since I hadn’t eaten yet, I grabbed a quick bite at Subway for the trip over. I must have been hungry, because I usually avoid Subway at all costs. In the case of today, it provided a light lunch until I could find a neat place to eat later on in the day.

IMG_6447

And we’re off! So long, Bremerton bridge to Manette! I will see you tonight!

IMG_6448

Adios, downtown Bremerton the the Naval Shipyard! Look at those gorgeous mountains in the distance!

IMG_6449

As we putted along, we passed a tugboat doing it’s job on a crane boat. These are official names for everything, by the way, so I hope that you’re taking notes. I’m practically a sailor now.

IMG_6451

There are two viewing decks towards the front of the ferry. I went out to take a few pictures, but it was still pretty early and, thus, chilly. Add about forty knots of wind from the speed of the boat as we glided along, and this Arizona girl didn’t stay outside for long.

But it was pretty.

IMG_6453

We passed gorgeous homes along the way, and I found myself imagining what it would be like to own one of these beach-front properties in the Pacific northwest.

Can you imagine living so close to so much action, yet having a private oasis from it all, too? Well, I imagined it…

IMG_6455

There are two ferries that travel between Seattle and Bremerton, each making the trip about every hour and twenty minutes. Today, I was lucky to be riding on the Walla Walla. Everything is named using the local Native American languages.

And it’s just fun to say. Go ahead, try it a few times! Walla Walla!

IMG_6457

From the nippy observation deck, I can see below to the open area where cars, bikes, and motorcycles are also making the trip over to Seattle. Everything is chocked to prevent something coming off the brakes and making a run for it into the ocean.

And about half-way through our journey, we passed the other Bremerton ferry, the Kitsap, on its way to drop people off at the same dock from which we just left. They run these ferries like clockwork!

IMG_6463

Oh boy. Here was my first glance of the downtown Seattle area. I can hardly wait to get ashore and explore!

That rhymed, for those keeping track.

IMG_6470

And another ferry heading out! I love the shot of it in front of all those beautiful buildings!

Can you believe this gorgeous weather present for my day of running around town?!

IMG_6471

You’re on the list today, Space Needle. I will definitely see you up-close-and-personal this afternoon!

IMG_6472

This is the part of the ferry ride where I pick out which giant skyscraper I would like to live. This one? No, I like that one better. How about this one over there?

Honestly, I would take any of them if I could just live here for a few years.

IMG_6475

This is CenturyLink Field, which is home to the NFL team, the Seahawks. I love that that everything is so close to the main downtown action.

Not that I would ever want to do it, but if I wanted to see an Arizona Cardinals football game, our commute would be over an hour to arrive at their stadium on the west side of The Valley.

IMG_6476

I don’t know about you, but I just want to get on that Ferris Wheel right now. And I hate Ferris Wheels.

Seattle just does weird things to me, you know?

IMG_6477

We were soon arriving at the dock to disembark.

IMG_6478

This is a guide to help the ships get to the proper location for the unloading dock. See how it has all of those big wooden pads to help cushion the boat into the right spot?

Again, technical ship terms here, folks.

I love this view towards the rear of the ferry. You can see that the reverse motors are being used to slow us down and align us properly.

IMG_6482

And then, when the ship is docked within range, this fancy little hydraulic stair comes down to the deck of the boat. This is what me and dozens of other ferry riders will use to cross from the boat to the dry land of Seattle.

IMG_6484

As you can see from this ferry worker, it is a pretty laid-back procedure.

IMG_6487

Once I was off the ferry and walking past the terminal, I turned around to grab a shot of the awaiting cars heading back to Bremerton. Wait until you see how many cars ride back with me later today!

But for now, I am just giddy at the chance to spend an entire day in one of my favorite places. How better to start things off than with a beautiful American flag using downtown Seattle as a backdrop?

Man, I love my job.

5 comments:

  1. Could I just clone myself and live in your pocket once in a while, Micah?

    I love Seattle. If I had been with you I would have insisted on eating at that really good seafood restaurant on the pier. LeeAnn, help me out here...I can't recall the name at the moment. I will in about 10 minutes after I post this....lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:16 PM

    Just and FYI the Seatle NFL team is the Seahawks not the Mariners, that is there baseball team.........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good catch, Stranger! You can probably tell that I'm a huge football fan, huh? :)

      Thanks for the help. It is fixed now...

      Delete
  3. I spent .75 days in Seattle once. It is a fantastic city! We should do a long girls-only weekend up there someday! Love you sisther

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good idea, Charloe.

    Man, I need to be rich.....

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete

Make my day. I love comments!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...