Greetings from the Piers

Because it's a holiday weekend, Paul only had to work half a day on Friday, so in the late morning we drove downtown, parked at Pike Place's garage, and walked to the Seattle Great Wheel, which we'd never ridden before in more than a decade of regular visits and three years of living in the area. It was a spectacular clear day, so we had beautiful views of the volcanoes and the Olympic range. Then we walked into Miner's Landing to eat tomato bisque and cheese sandwiches at the Alaskan Sourdough Bakery, plus to look at all the tourist sights in the building. 

After lunch, we walked to the Seattle Aquarium, where we visited all the animals -- lots of fish; a very active octopus; touch tanks of local shellfish; seals and otters; puffins, oystercatchers, and shore birds; sharks and rays; and lots of amazing things. We walked back to the garage through Pike Place, stopping to drink local cider, eat local cherries, and look at lots of crafts, blown glass, food and flower stalls, the Alabaster Owl, and the line at the Original Starbucks. When we got home, we ate pasta for dinner and are now caught up on The Pitt and Fallout! Our day as tourists: