Seattle is an great city, vibrant, friendly, and stunningly beautiful. It is amazingly under represented in popular culture and it has been a real adventure discovering the many things that make this a unique American city.
For instance, I’m sitting in my Westlake Ave N apartment on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon near the edge of downtown Seattle. Looking out the windows at South Lake Union I’m watching an unbelievable mixture of watercraft and amphibious airplanes crisscross in every direction on what is a relatively small body of water. Its so beautiful I’m tempted to call it a ballet except for the sheer madness and obvious danger of it all. I see million dollar yachts, a two masted schooner, a paddle wheeler, a pirate ship (I’m not kidding), a ridiculous cartoon-ish looking tug boat-like thing loaded with 40 or so camera snapping tourists, dozens and dozens of kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, ski boats, 10-person electric site-seeing boats piloted by the hapless site-seers themselves, motor yachts and sail boats of every size, and a single motorized floating hot-tub that is so low in the water it looks as if the alcohol swilling occupants are all sharing one very large life preserver.
The participants in this circus are all are motoring, drifting, sailing, puttering or anchored in the same strip of water that at any given moment 5 or 6 large float planes are using as their runway, landing and taking off in the midst of all the chaos. On approach and departure these lumbering aircraft literally dodge 400 foot tall building-covered hills, construction cranes and soaring skyscrapers.
Here is the remarkable thing, everyone, and I mean everyone seems to be having the time of their lives.
On reflection, I think I will just go with the happy thoughts and call it a marvelous ballet.