Seattle

Arrived in Seattle.  Very nice place.  People are very friendly.

Out for dinner with Sean whom I know from Perforce.  Met a couple of his friends in a nice brewhouse a short walk from the hotel.  Finally went to bed about 10pm, which for me was technically about 5am as I hadn't really slept on the plane at all.

Up and out at 8am to make the most of the day before forecast rain in the afternoon. Went up the Space needle, walked down to the Olympic Park Sculptures, down past the various piers, up into the heart of the old town (Pioneer Square), up another taller tower (Columbia Center Sky View Observatory), and then on to Pikes market to meet up with Sean again for a wander about, some nice ice cream and chowder.

Finally, met the group for this GAdventures: Parks of the American North West tour.  They seem like a lovely bunch of people.

Seattle raised its ground level after a big fire and many sewerage problems. The underground is the old first floor of the buildings that became basement before work was complete. The sidewalk areas of the old ground floor were not filled in, and became additional storage. They are now open to tourists and have a variety of old stuff in them, including original Thomas Crappers!