Downtown Seattle is full of steep inclines and great views of the water and harbor. The area and flora is so beautiful- no wonder Chief Seattle loved this part of the Earth and mourned losing it to the white man.
The Renaissance Hotel was a great home base for the weekend. Carl was able to eat fish as much as he wanted on the trip- halibut, salmon, Dungeness crab, Pacific crab cakes, mussels and shrimp.
View from the Renaissance Hotel 28th Floor Lounge of the harbor and downtown with local beer and Washington State white wine One of the highlights of the sights for us was the 1962 World's Fair Space Needle where we ate dinner the first night. I kept expecting George Jetson to make an appearance any minute. (cue the theme music)
The weather was perfect with great visibility so we could see Mt. Rainer with a low cloud ringing the base of the mountain. This mountain doesn't look real in the distance, but more like a photo shop image. 
We enjoyed walking around the Pioneer Square area and briefly stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush Museum before our Underground Seattle Tour. Seattle has an interesting history and some great architectural examples. 
Our next stop was the Pike Market and the Seattle Piers. There is so much going on down close to the water. There were extra visitors in the area because the city had a huge parade scheduled for later in the day on 4th street downtown. We saw a float of wild Clowns rolling around the waterfront and a green bus full of Pirates who hassled people on the streets. The most interesting parade we saw was by the "Gray Panthers" with a Dixieland Band and placards on saving Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.We ate lunch at Beecher Cheese Shop which is famous for their handcrafted cheese and macaroni and cheese dish. We watched the cheese makers work on the cheeses through a glass window while we ate some great cheese sandwichs. The flower, fish and vegetable vendors were lively and so colorful. We stopped at a second story umbrella Bolivian Restaurant called Copacabana for some sangria and a little local beer so we could watch the street action from up high. That is when the Pirates made their entrance into the market place. ARGGGGGGGGGG!
The evening cruise on the Argosy Line out to Blake Island allowed us to see Seattle from the water- such a different perspective! The night was clear and beautiful for the 45 minute ride out to Tillicum Village on Blake Island. This concession specializes in fresh salmon bake dinners with a native American floor show. The meal starts out on the lawn of the longhouse with clams in broth and then moves indoors. The food was simple and very good. The dancers in their masks carved from wood were the perfect touch. The cruise back to Seattle was so pleasant and the Space Needle at night was spectacular! 
the charcoal fires they cook the salmon on at Tillicum Village 
Space Needle view from the boat back to Seattle from Blake Island
Mt. Rainer makes an appearance to say goodbye as we fly out of Seattle
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