Seattle WA

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Seattle WA

We spent a month in Oregon but now we are off to Seattle Washington

 After a quick one night stop along I-5 in southern Washington we set up camp in Manchester State Park in Port Orchard which is on the water across the Puget Sound from Seattle.


We had a pizza dinner by the waterfront downtown and had to turn in early


We were up before the sun the next day to catch the first ferry to Seattle


The ferry system here in Washington State  is fantastic. The state operates 22 ferries on the Puget Sound with the largest able to carry 202 cars and 2500 passengers.


The ferry we were on can carry 124 cars and 1200 passengers. 



The ferry ride was an interesting opportunity to observe people. Many of the walk on passengers appeared ready to climb Mt. Rainer with their large backpack, multiple bottles and headphones.
The ferry is like a small, temporary city as some passengers slept on benches, others worked. read, chatted with neighbors or took advantage of the hour long trip to get their steps in for the day 
walking laps around the outside deck.
The ladies room served as a temporary salon with passengers applying make-up and curling and putting the finishing touches on their hair.
Not a bad way to commute as you can be as productive as you want(or not). 



When they arrive at the ferry terminal in Seattle, they are all ready for the day and 
walk the several blocks, take the local bus, or ride their bikes to the office



We headed off the ferry into the city not knowing where we were going but knowing we wanted to get to the Pike Market for a little breakfast.


I couldn't convince Debbie that a three pound Texas donut is a little breakfast


In Seattle the Pike Public Market is a huge complex, a labyrinth of hallways, alley ways and interconnected buildings where you can find the freshest meats, seafood, baked goods and more.


Back at the turn of the last century fishermen and farmers would bring the goods to Seattle by horse drawn wagon, small boats and ferries from the surrounding islands in Puget Sound. Wholesalers would buy up their product cheaply and mark them up excessively, gouging the public.
After a public outcry, in the summer of 1907 Seattle City Council  decided to create a public market place where farmers and consumers could meet directly to buy and sell, thereby 
taking the wholesalers out of the equation. 
The market opened on August 17,1907 and the first farmer sold out of produce within minutes. Within a week, 70 wagons were gathering daily to sell at the Pike Place.



Today there are hundreds of local farmers, bakers, cheese makers, artists and vendors to choose from.



Gotta love the fish mongers yelling back and forth and throwing fish across the market...


While walking the back alley ways at the market, Debbie got into a sticky situation.  Believe or not this is a tourist attraction.  Very odd.  "Alley Gum Wall".

 
Ewww!!

After spending most of the morning grazing through the market we went to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation



It is amazing to see all the good that has come from this foundation.
There are big projects like water treatment plants but there are also
thousands and thousands of small projects.



In 2018, Bill and Melinda Gates were named the most generous philanthropists in the US. The philanthropists have donated more than $36 billion to charitable causes, including $4.8 billion in 2016. Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the couple has focused on global health, education, and poverty.



If you are ever in Seattle this is a free tour showing all the good being done around the world and encourages others to get involved in their community.

Of course, you have to see the Seattle Space Needle...



And now you have the Seattle Spheres at Amazon's corporate headquarters.



They call The Spheres an alternate work space where employees can think and
work differently surrounded by plants



They have 4 of these nest like areas for meetings....


After a day in the big city these country mice were ready for another ferry ride
back home to Port Orchard






















































































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