SEATTLE, Washington

I lived in Seattle for three months when I was in 5th Grade. I have a
few spotty memories: the eden-like backyard with a stream running
through it; hopscotch on my elementary school playground; standing at
the base of Mt. Ranier; riding on the back of a neighbor's motorcycle;
my attic bedroom. That's about it. So now I've visited as an adult and
when I say, "I lived in Seattle once," to someone I meet from there,
I'll have some reference to the city itself.

We breezed in for 36-hours en route to Vancouver to pick up our last
leg of the Alaska trip - a cruise of the Inside Passage visiting ports
in Southeast Alaska. I've wanted to visit the Experience Music Project
since it opened in 2000, so we decided to drop in while on the West
Coast. Unexpected bonus: Kylee happened to be in town for a wedding!
We met for breakfast in the Capitol Hill section for oatmeal at
Coastal Kitchen. The return downtown proved not so simple as we
followed our nose to the Space Needle but ran into several major
roadways that required rerouting to pedestrian-unfriendly over- and
under-passes.

Finally, the main event: the Experience Music Project - a draw for the
Frank Gehry building and the music - a delightful way to spend an
afternoon. Next, on to Pike's Market where all the tourists hang out.
It's a fun spot - for about 15 minutes if you're not into shopping -
with random views of the seemingly (and unfortunately) inaccessible
waterfront, before an early supper at Steelhead Diner for exquisite
seafood that made our jaunt to the lower-48 well worth the detour.
While in town we caught a Seattle Storm play-off game at the Key Arena
that turned out to be the "most exciting" play-off game in the Storm's
history, with a five-point come-from-behind finish in the last 17
seconds. We then boarded the Seattle monorail for an easy return to
our hotel.

I'm writing this from the Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver on a
foggy morning on the Washington Coast. North (back) to Alaska!