My daughter, who lives in a Seattle suburb, surprised me one morning with a ticket to a Harbor Cruise that, she said, would show me another view of the city. Of course, who was I to say no to another chance to feed my insatiable craving for tourist attractions and, at the same time, create treasured delightful moments with my family?
So, with her and my two grandsons in tow, we hopped on an Argosy Cruise vessel named Goodtime III which, true to its name, gave us a very interesting and leisurely two-hour tour of Seattle’s waterfront fringes, while comfortably settled in our top-deck seats on the boat’s bow.
I learned a lot from the live narration on board, as our guide described in detail every nook and cranny of Seattle’s harbor. We started out in Lake Union which is a freshwater lake located entirely within Seattle’s city limits. Just as we started the cruise, we were shown the many houseboats along the eastern and western sides of the lake, one of which was the one used by Tom Hanks in the movie Sleepless in Seattle.
Lake Union is primarily used as a drydock for fishing vessels. In fact, as we sailed, we saw on the waterfront a fleet of large commercial vessels being prepared for their fishing expeditions to the northern Pacific, like those ones we see on cable TV braving humongous waves caused by stormy weather.
What I also found very interesting was when we passed through the Ballard Locks which has a complex system of transporting the cruise vessel from the freshwater of Lake Union to the saltwater of Puget Sound, a body of water a little bit at a lower level than that of the lake. It works the same way as the Panama Canal, when ships sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean or vice versa.
A “sound” is a small body of water connected to an ocean. Puget Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, partially enclosed but with a free connection to the open sea. Major cities of Washington state, like Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia (the capital), and Everett, are on Puget Sound. The natural resources and scenic vistas of the Puget Sound area have helped shape the prominence of Washington state.
While cruising along the sound, we saw a large Norwegian Cruise Lines ship on its way to Alaska, and our narrator said that dozens of these mega cruise vessels can be seen daily on their way to and from the Northern Pacific.
What got me excited when we sailed along Shilshole Bay was when our narrator told us to look around for Orcas as they would show themselves when a vessel passed by. Orcas are killer whales that actually belong to the dolphin family. I was ready with my camera in case any of these black-and-white sea creatures would show itself. Unfortunately, none surfaced.
A beautiful view we saw was that of the majestic and perennially snow-capped Mount Rainier which is actually a large active volcano. Located about 95 kilometers south of Seattle, it is the highest mountain in the state of Washington. However, I found out that its beguiling look hides the danger it poses to the state as it is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Its large amount of glacial ice could result in massive lahars when it erupts in the future. Nevertheless, this natural attraction is a sight to behold.
On our way back to the Seattle Pier, we passed by the iconic Edgewater Hotel along Elliott Bay. Its claim to fame is that it was the only hotel willing to accommodate he Beatles during their 1964 visit to the city. No other hotel wanted the mop-haired quad because it would mean having to deal with thousands of screaming fans.
Since the Edgewater is on the waterfront, only one side of the hotel was facing land. Hoping to keep the fans at bay, the hotel installed at its frontage a tall barbed wire fence, and for safety, placed the singing quad in a suite facing the bay. However, a horde of clever fans was still able to swim along the bay just to watch their idols peek out of their suite’s window, especially when they fished, as shown in this iconic photo that caused massive hysteria among the Seattle fans afloat on the bay!
Of course, the best sight from Elliott Bay is the city’s main attraction and landmark, the Space Needle. This towering 605-foot observation tower was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, and can withstand a 320 kilometer/hour hurricane or a 9-magnitude earthquake. I’ve been up the Space Needle before and I enjoyed being on the world’s first and only revolving glass floor. As I looked down 600 feet below, I could feel my knees wobbling and my spine tingling. Good thing I was able to endure such an overwhelming thrill as I was still much younger then.
It was a beautiful day as, just like what my daughter told me, I enjoyed seeing another pleasurable and delightful angle of Seattle. I’ve always liked cruises. So far, I have already taken close to a dozen to different parts of the world. “Dance with the water, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free!”
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
What does being born in September tell you about your parents? They celebrated the New Year with a real bang!
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