For those of you that know me you might know that I am not much of a city person, but boy did I sure enjoy Seattle! This image was captured at the end of a full day of "playing tourist" in the Emerald City. I took a sightseeing cruise around the harbor and Elliott Bay, then on foot I explored a bit of downtown and the shops along the piers. It really is a neat city. After exploring downtown and the shops, I drove out to Kerry Park just before sunset and got my camera and tripod ready to capture the scene shown in the image above. There were a few other photographers there and I started talking to the guy closest to me. It turns out he was also Native American, from the Skokomish Nation, not far from Seattle. He admitted to being new to photography, having only gotten into it about 6 months ago. We had some great conversation and he shared with me ideas for other shooting locations in the area.
After shooting the city from Kerry Park I drove to one of the other locations that the Skokomish man had suggested to me. While shooting the city from a bridge, a very nice Chinese man who was out for a walk stopped to visit for a bit. He and I also had a great conversation. It turns out he used to be married to a Cree Indian woman (she passed away a few years ago), and he was familiar with many tribes throughout the country. After visiting for about 15 minutes, he bid me well and continued on his walk.
Above: The Space Needle. Featuring an observation deck and a rotating restaurant, The Space Needle is 605 feet high and is a major landmark for the city of Seattle. It was built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. A trip to the top only takes 43 seconds on elevators that travel at a speed of 10 mph.
Above: I like to call this image "The Rat Race". Its a 30 second exposure of traffic flowing through downtown Seattle at rush hour.
Above: One of the Washington State Ferries leaving downtown Seattle.
Above: Our tour boat, the "Lady Mary", operated by Argosy Cruises.
Above: The U.S. flag on the stern of our tour boat made a nice foreground for the Seattle skyline.
Above: The M.V. "Wenatchee"
The "Wenatchee" is a Jumbo Mark II Class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. It is 460 feet long and 90 feet wide with a carrying capacity of 2500 passengers and 202 vehicles.
Above: The Coast Guard icebreaker "Polar Sea" (boat with red hull) and the Coast Guard Cutter "Mellon". From the U.S. Coast Guard website:
The "Polar Sea" is based in Seattle but has operated around the globe, including both poles. With a reinforced hull and up to 75,000 horsepower, she can break up to 21 feet of ice.
The "Mellon" is a High Endurance Cutter based in Seattle. The Mellon conducts Alaskan fishery patrols, enforcing international and domestic fishing requirements. She was also designed to perform search and rescue, defense and environmental protection missions.
Above and below: Container ships being loaded with cargo
Above: "Crowley" company tugboats
Above: A new ferry being built at the shipyards
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