Seattle - Day 2

Having arrived yesterday without much drama today was to be my first full day in Seattle. The day started extremely early. Still suffering some of the effects jetlag I was up at about 3.30am. That was ok since the hotel’s wireless is pretty much useless during night hours. I gotta assume it is everyone else connecting up. So since I was up I thought I get some emailing out of the way.

After composing a few emails I managed to get back to sleep until about 8.30am. After getting ready for the day I went across the road to a cafe to grab some breakfast. I was still feeling some of the effect of jetlag and need to stock up on some energy for the day so bacon, eggs and black coffee were all one menu.

Having gotten sustenance out of the way I headed off for my first port of call today, the Museum of Flight. Visiting the museum would mean taking a bus since it is out of the centre of town back towards Seatac airport. I had check the night before with the hotel staff and knew that my starting point was going to be under the Nordstrom building on 5th and Pine.

The weather was a little chilly and overcast as I set off down 5th Avenue. I located the ‘bus tunnel’ down two flights of stairs and steeled myself for a trip on public transport. While waiting for the bus I thought that you really need to take your hats off to the yanks, here’s a bus interchange that runs underneath the city.

The bus I needed to takes was the 174. As it pulled up I was a bit anxious about paying the fare which I knew would be $1.50 but had watched other get on previous buses and simply march straight past the driver. As the I entered I asked the driver whether I had to pay now for my trip to the museum and he told me that I simply pay when I get off. Cool. So I’m on my way.

The 174 winds its ways through a tunnel for a few more stops and then emerges onto the streets. In about 20 minutes, after paying my fare, I’m standing on the road across from the museum. As I walk across the set of lights to the entrance I notice that the Boeing workers are picketing the plant on the other side of the road to the museum. This doesn’t bode well for tomorrow when I’m planning to head off to the Boeing factory tour. Damm.

I’m able to walk straight up to the counter, pay my $14 admission fee and enter the museum.

So as you can see from the above the first place you see is the T.A. Wilson great Gallery. The most imposing feature is the SR-71 Blackbird in the middle.

Hanging from the roof you’ll also find the Lockeed F-104C Starfighter

and a Douglas DC-3.

On the ground is a Goodyear F2G-1 Corsair, which interestingly today, I found out why it has distinctive gull wings. It is because the length of the propeller blades is so long that if the wings were straight the blades would touch the ground.

In the pit below the outside walkway you will find a McDondell Douglas F-4 Phantom.

They also have a real life SR-71 Blackbird cockpit which you can climb into. I will tell you that there is probably less space in here than on most economy flights although the SR-71 does travel quick a bit quicker (Mach 3+) so you’d certainly get there quicker.

My nest stop was the William E. Boeing Red Barn. This exhibit is all about the history of the Boeing company.

It provides the history from it’s origins making wooden aircraft up till today.

Next stop the J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing World War II Gallery.

Here you’ll find the history of aviation in World War II, including the Battle of Britian, with Spitfires and Messerschmitts all the way through the Pacific and Soviet campaigns.

Moving upstairs you find the Personal Courage Wing World War I Gallery.

From here I ventured across the road to the airpark. Here there are number of larger aircraft.

One of these is Boeing VC-137B “Air Force One”.

Another is the Concorde

and the first ever 747 ever flown (See the number 1 at the top there?).

I returned to the museum, had a look in the gift shop and then headed back to the bus stop for my return trip to Seattle.

On the way I snapped another picture of an F-14 Tomcat.

This time on the bus I had to pay before I got on, which is simply a matter to insert the money into a note and coin machine near the driver who kindly give you a ticket in exchange. I did notice that most people seemed to have some sort of swipe card they used as they entered, pretty smart.

In a short time I was back at my starting destination. Truth be told I probably should have gotten off earlier since I was now heading for the Underground Tour which down on Pioneer Square on 1st and James.

The Underground Tour seems to run pretty much on the hour and by the time I had talked from 5th and Pike to Pioneer Square I had just missed the 4pm tour. No great loss, I bought a ticket for the 5pm tour and headed off for a walk around the area.

With some more time to kill I decided that I need to complete something else on my ‘to-do’ list here, have coffee at Starbucks. Strangely, there experience was almost identical to everywhere else in the world I’ve ever had Starbucks.

It is interesting to learn that the area around Pioneer Square has actually been raised by 1 level to overcome its proximity to the water table. The Underground tour takes you through may of these “forgotten” original street levels.

This used to be a hardware store.

It’s dark and dingy, just as the rats like it (although I didn’t see any).

You’ll find amoungst other things, an old bank vault.

The tour ends with you back at Pioneer Square.

I found the tour very interesting and guide excellent. It is a real insight into the history of the city and well worth your time if you are in that area of town. The tour takes between 60-90 minutes and costs $15.

So, with that I headed back to my hotel, grabbing soem dinner on the way. Tomorrow morning I hope to go and pre-register for my conference and then head of to on my Boeing factory tour, which may or may not be altered due to the strike. I certainly hope not.