December 30, 2015 - Hometown Tourist

The holiday break is the perfect time to play home town tourist.  Often the only occasion to go to the observation deck for people that live in Seattle is if they are entertaining someone from out of town.   From the observation deck of the Space Needle, 520' above the city, you can see plenty of things.  On a clear day you can see....

...maintenance staff replacing the colored gels on the exterior lights of the Needle....

...downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier...

...the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) on the shores of Lake Union....

...plenty of construction cranes...

...10,778 foot Mount Baker, ten miles from the Canadian border...

...ferries pulling into Bainbridge Island 10 miles across Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains...

...the Olympic Sculpture Park...

...a view of Kerry Park, site of the iconic view of the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline...

...the broadcast towers, the former Queen Anne High School and in the distance, Whidbey Island...

...and of course, other folks playing tourists!

December 20, 2015 - Pike Place Holiday

On the final Sunday before Christmas downtown Seattle was busy with holiday shoppers.  With the shops at Pike Place Market closed up for the evening, the lack of the usual hustle and bustle of crowds made for a peaceful viewing of the festive lights.  High above the market in lights, on a construction crane being used in the expansion of the market, a red nosed version of Rachel the Pig, the mascot of market, oversees it all.

December 19, 2015 - Admiral View Two

Looking across Elliott Bay, the Seattle skyline, including the Great Wheel, Pike Place Market, the Alaskan Way viaduct, ferries, the Space Needle and a USCG HH-65 Dolphin based in Port Angeles were visible this morning from the Admiral Way viewpoint in West Seattle.

A service technician was visiting the  viewpoint's lone telescope.  The frequency of his visits depends on the time of the year.  During the winter months when fewer eyeballs are using the 50 cent view he'll visit every few weeks or so to ensure it is working and to collect the quarters.

December 19. 2015 - Constructing Skyline

From Capitol Hill's Melrose Avenue, looking between the REI flagship store and PEMCO's soon to be vacated headquarters, the ubiquitous decorated constructions cranes of Seattle displace the Space Needle as the iconic feature of the skyline.  The lighting on the numerous tower cranes throughout Seattle are brightly lit and include purple W's, Christmas trees and, in the case of the crane above Pike Place Market, a pig!

December 14, 2015 - Waxing Crescent Trace

A waxing crescent moon and the tree atop the Space Needle briefly made for a fun pair on this clear winter night as it traced its way across the Seattle sky.