We were picked up at the hotel at 930 by Terry from Shutter Tours. We were first and Terry welcomed us onboard. The three of us chit-chatted on the way to pick up the other tour guests. Terry is a photographer and he asked me about my equipment and degree of skill. I admitted that I was a complete novice, but when he said 85% of photography is having an eye for it, I didn't hesitate to claim that I had a natural eye for photography and that I was just working on the last 15%. It seemed important to establish that I was a know-it-all masshole from Boston early to maintain the stereotype. I didn't want anybody on west coast thinking we'd lost our edge and gotten soft.
Terry is a good guy and knows a ton about photography and Seattle, so I don't think he held it against me. His personal stories sounded more exciting than Seattle history because he casually dropped lines like "when I was in Thailand photographing bats". I was grateful for all the photography tips throughout the day.
Driving through downtown Seattle Terry pointed out the Escala building, Christian Grey's residence in Fifty Shades of Grey, and I was the only person on the bus to admit reading it. What I thought was most interesting was that E.L. James wrote the book without ever having visited Seattle. She used Google Maps to find locations for her story. Yes, the lack of authenticity does bother me, but it's still one of the three most influential books I've ever read.
Driving through downtown Seattle Terry pointed out the Escala building, Christian Grey's residence in Fifty Shades of Grey, and I was the only person on the bus to admit reading it. What I thought was most interesting was that E.L. James wrote the book without ever having visited Seattle. She used Google Maps to find locations for her story. Yes, the lack of authenticity does bother me, but it's still one of the three most influential books I've ever read.
Crossing Lake Washington we could see Mt. Rainier and the sight of it blew me away. It looked fake, like it was a set piece for Game of Thrones that might have Jon Snow standing on top. Mt. Rainier, the jewel of the Cascade mountain range, is only about 50 miles southeast of Seattle and 14,411 feet high. Seattle is at sea level (0 feet) and 50 miles away Mt. Rainier peaks at over 14,000 feet - that is astonishing geography.
Our first stop was Snoqualmie Falls, which is nestled into in the foothills of the Cascades about forty minutes outside the city. Snoqualmie Falls, at 268 feet, is higher than Niagara Falls (173 feet).
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| Strong, mighty, relentless, majestic, glistening...oh and there's a little waterfall too. |
As we drove back I learned tons of things abut Seattle. It is the largest city in America named after a single Native American, Chief Seattle. And here's a short list of companies headquartered in Seattle:
Boeing
Costco
Starbucks
Amazon
Microsoft
We drove past Kurt Cobain's bench and last residence, Jimi Hendrix and Kenny G's neighborhoods, and a studio where Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains recorded. The next stop was at the Fremont Bridge.
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| Troll Children |
Next we headed for the Ballard Locks. The locks serve multiple purposes, but, as Terry talked, what I found most interesting was the life of Pacific salmon. Salmon are born in fresh water and migrate to the ocean. When the time is right they return to their birthplace to spawn. Salmon are guided by an incredible memory, they can remember drops of waters from everywhere they've ever been. When they return to fresh water they never eat again, despite their sometimes months-long upstream battle ahead, and their bodies begin to mutate. Then, upon reaching their birthplace, they lay their eggs, and with burdens lifted they can rest easy because after spawning, salmon die. The circle is complete, and the ultimate sacrifice is paid so that life may continue. It has always been my favorite fish, but today I understood on a new level because I felt the struggle and nobility of the Pacific Salmon. I was moved by a connection with a fish. The purpose of life is to keep it going and our duty is to find a way to help.
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| Getting lifted |
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| A beautiful little fool |
The last stop was Queen Anne Hill for a stunning view of Seattle and Puget Sound.
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| Kerry Park |
For dinner I went across the street to Daniel's Broiler, which overlooks Lake Union, so I sat outside on the deck and contemplated boat life while enjoying more of Seattle's awesome food. I had oysters, scallops wrapped in bacon, and key lime pie. My mother satisfied her craving for salmon and had the best mango sorbet I've ever tasted for dessert.
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| Key lime pie |
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| Night settles over Lake Union |
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