Ride the Ducks Seattle – Many Hats…

How many feet deep is Lake Union? Where can you find a cigarette-burned guitar originally owned by “Layla”’s Eric Clapton? In what part of Seattle did the first pioneers settle? What are the names of the sculptures decorating the Space Needle’s lawn? And where in Seattle can you find the country’s largest butterfly exhibit? You’ll find out all of this, and much more during one of Seattle’s “Ride the Ducks” sea and water tours—and all to the tune of The Bee Gee’s, MC Hammer, Frank Sinatra, and more.

He's wild and crazy!

Thousands of these diesel-run, amphibious land and water cruisers were used in WWII.

The smell of newly-chewed bubble gum was in the air as Captain Clam Chowder boarded our amphibious vessel and introduced himself. “Raise your hand if you had dinner before getting on here,” he said to a less-than-energetic crowd. It was the last tour of the day; the sun was starting to set; the fall air was beginning to turn crisp. As I was seated in the far back, he put me in charge of the safety-donut and fire extinguisher. He also had us all hang our hands outside the open-air “windows,” and then informed us that these were our emergency exits. He mentioned life preservers, put on his trusty hat, and we were off…

Nothing like peace and the American flag to get you excited about a tour!

“Check out the legs on that one!” he said as we passed by the Space Needle. Needless to say, our captain was a funny guy, although as it was the end of the day, we took some warming up. We passed by the Seattle Center, the Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum, and the 9-acre sculpture park near 1^st and Western. Thankfully, Captain Clam Chowder pointed out a large silver, aluminum tree, so I now know where not to stand during a lighting storm. Ba-dum-cha!

A late afternoon drive along Alaskan Way as the sun shines along the water with a breeze in your face is a delight. We passed the Edgewater hotel, made famous by the Beatles claiming they could fish from the windows of their hotel suite. Fisherman’s Wharf was bustling at this time with after-work comradery; we passed the Seattle aquarium, and the ferry  and Canada/Alaska cruise terminals. All the while being inundated with fun-filled Seattle facts. We even started to play an interactive Starbucks game.

As we drove by Qwest field, Chowder started to blast the Monday night football theme music , which made the new stadium seem even more massive. After leaving the “sports district,” we drove through Pioneer Square, where we passed the entrance to Seattle’s underground tour, and where I saw the prettiest Quizno’s sub shop I’ve ever seen. MMmmm,  Sammie’s. An umbrella of maple trees shade these streets, and older brick buildings line them. Meanwhile, I believe in Miracles, plays over the speakers, and MC Hammer is next…

As we passed by the Seattle Art Museum’s “Hammering Man,” and America’s longest-running Farmer’s Market, Pike’s Place, the bus started to get more energetic. Maybe it was the fact that our little land-boat was maneuvering its way around towering glass skyscrapers turned golden from the sun; or was it the moon-walking pedestrian who waved to us? Nah, I think it was because “Ah, ah, ah, ah, Staying Alive” came on.

That’s called a Quacker. Yours for only $2!

After a rock-n-roll , 31 MPH drive along Highway 99, and a glorious view over the Aurora Bridge, it was time to test out our sea legs. The Gilligan’s Island theme song played as we neared the boat launch. It was a quick and easy transition, and as our vessel began to float, Captain Clam Chowder passed back a drain stop, asking the passenger behind him to, “find out where this goes for me?”

So what, the University of Washington’s crew team was moving faster than us, all the better pace for us to soak in the ride, and take pictures!

Captain Clam Chowder’s sequin-covered fish hat.

Gasworks Park skyline at sunset.

St. Mark’s Cathedral, otherwise known as “the box on the hill,” has some of the best acoustics in town. Located southeast of Lake Union.

The green house toward the bottom-right is where Tom Hanks and Jonah lived in “Sleepless In Seattle.”

After watching the sunset fade behind the Seattle skyline we headed back toward home-base. Not without playing a lively, Name-the-Seattle-Connection trivia game first. When we returned we were greeted by more staff who offered us prints of the photos we took before boarding. I didn’t buy one, but definitely good memorabilia for those that did.

What a great night for a tour!

And if you’re wondering: 34, EMP, West Seattle, Black Lightning and Moongate, Pacific Science Center.

Activities and Parkour at Seattle’s Gasworks Park

The first of a Pacific Northwest Fall day can be just as beautiful as the first coming of a refreshing spring. The other day I went jogging. I was wearing long sleeves but all in all it was a very nice day. Yet there came a brisk wind and all of the sudden dried and crumpled orange maple leaves started whirling around the paved street, and helicopter leaves twirled down from the sky. This year Seattle has enjoyed one of its best Indian Summers. Practically all of September was sunny which is saying much. Now at the beginning of October, purples, reds and oranges are starting to mix with our Evergreens, slowly easing us into the spirit of carved pumpkins, spiced cider, and Thanksgiving. I thought before I picked out Halloween candy, now was a good time to visit one of Seattle’s most popular weekend parks.

In 1962, a massive gas plant went out of business on the north end of Lake Union. The city of Seattle purchased the 19-acre plot, and 13 years later Gasworks Park was opened to the public. It was genius. The boiler house had been turned into a picnic shelter, the exhauster-compressor building masterfully became a children’s play barn of painted pipes and machinery, and the remaining components sprouted out from the lawn like giant pieces of urban park-art. Today, Gasworks is one of the most popular parks in Seattle. Thousands of people gather here to celebrate Seattle’s annual 4^th of July celebration, featuring an elaborate fireworks display set off from a barge in the middle of Lake Union. Still thousands more arrive throughout the year for picnics and Frisbee, stunning views, and on windy afternoons to climb the Gasworks kite-flying hill.

These aged remnants of an abandoned gas plant make Gasworks one of the most unique parks in the country.

Surprise, surprise, I had never actually been to Gasworks, making this park all the more spectacular for me. When I first arrived I was drawn to the colorful play barn I’d read so much about.

The painted machinery in the children’s play barn… or spaceship… I mean control center.

In the barn, I also noticed a group of young guys, agile-as-animals, leaping from some of the machinery. I had an inkling as to what they were practicing—I had seen the opening chase scene in Casino Royale, and a news special on this sort of thing in Chicago. So I started talking to them, and asked if I could take some pictures. “He’s who you should video,” they said, pointing to Alexander, of the strong and humble type, who had recently moved to Seattle from Russia.

It’s called Parkour, and it turns out that Gasworks Park is the Seattle groups’ favorite place to hold practice. It also turns out that I had arrived on a special day for them—they were participating in Parkour’s first ever “Global Climate Jam,” and were holding a 2-hour public training session, as were hundreds of other Parkour groups in other vicinities throughout the world. To learn more and see a map of world participants visit: Parkour Generations, and be sure to check out Parkour on YouTube to be amazed.

Tyson (right) was one of the Parkour leaders, and showed off the matching blue and white t-shirts promoting the event.

As I walked down to the lake, I noticed couples picnicking, and others enjoying books on a blanket of grass. Once I reached the pebbly shoreline, there was no one around except a group of geese preening and basking in the sun, and there seemed to be a hundred sailboats out on the lake.

Girl and her purple bike; play barn in the background.

Seattle skyline from the Gasworks Park shoreline.

North Lake Union—kayakers cruise under Magnolia Bridge and enjoy the beautiful houseboats and hillside estates.

The next place I checked out was the famous Gasworks Park kite-flying hill. There was already a crowd gathered at the top, and I could see a colorful butterfly and pterodactyl soaring high overhead.

Families and friends gather at the top of the Gasworks Park kite-flying hill

Who knew pterodactyl started with a “p” ?!

There is also a sun dial lying flat at the top of the hill. And to save you from inner-turmoil in trying to figure out how to read it, there is an instructional plaque in the southwest corner of the platform. The easiest way to start is to find the current date in the innermost oval and look in the direction of your shadow (cast by either the sun or the moon). Aside from a few dates where you have to make adjustments for daylight savings, it’s perfectly accurate!

Imagine watching a fireworks display from here...

The wind was blowing around 15 mph that day, and there were about 7 families who managed to get their kites to ride the breeze while I looked on. This (more than The Kite Runner, even though I loved that book) made me want a colorful kite to fly of my own, and brought back nostalgic memories of flying kites on the beach at Ocean Shores. I think I’m going to go to Gasworks Park Kite Shop in Wallingford. They’ve got kites of all shapes, colors and sizes, and a very friendly and knowledgeable staff, so says Yelp.

Aside from these colorful kites, sea planes flew overhead. Most likely they were toting passengers to and from Vancouver, B.C. or the San Juan Islands, and probably were out for some aerial sightseeing of Seattle and nearby mountains as well. What a beautiful day for it!