Tourism Seattle thanks you

Or, rather, thanks me. No, wait, they thank Bonnie and her boyfriend, 'cause they paid. Yeah, that's the ticket.

After a massive breakfast at the delicious (and busy) Patty's Egg Nest we headed to the Park & Ride and caught the bus down to Pioneer Square. Got there around 11 something, bought tickets for the 1:00 underground tour, then killed the intervening hour and a half or so by wandering up the waterfront and through the market. Took the required shot of them with the Pike Place Market sign, watched the guys who throw fish (but since no one was ordering any fish we didn't get to see them throwing any fish), then walked down first to the tour.

The tour was interesting, and full of Seattle history that I didn't really know. I mean, I knew the names Denny, Yestler and Maynard, and I'd heard of the fire, but I don't think I'd ever had a Seattle history class. And it was kind of cool to wander through the old sidewalks / current basements. But the guide wasn't all he could have been. He knew his stuff, certainly. He had all the factoids and whatnot clearly committed to memory. But his delivery was lacking. As one of the other tourists said to his wife/girlfriend, "just because you say a line like it's a laugh line doesn't mean it's actually funny."

After that we headed to the Aquarium, which I hadn't visited since they did the big remodel. The new entrance is really sweet, the "window on the Sound" exhibit is stunning (and if I had a gabillion dollars I'd build one in my house), and best of all we got to see the octopus move through her tube from tank A to tank B. Dang, that's one big fish.

After all that walking we were whooped (well, I was anyway...can't speak for the others, who are in far better shape than I am), so it was back to the bus tunnel, hop the 41 (and stand up some more), then home to a delicious chili dinner and the even more delicious ass whooping the Browns laid on the Giants.

All in all a fine way to spend Columbus Day!