Seattle stopover

With bad weather predicted, we decided to stay put in Seattle for another day. One interesting architectural feature of the city is that many houses and commercial buildings have cantilevered sections. Windows, balconies or porches jut out without support from below.

The Pike Street Markets were our first stop.

There was a fantastic variety of skilled people displaying their wares. We enjoyed some of the fruit which was sweet and fresh. The range and size of the sea food was remarkable. There were things we did not normally see back home - giant Alaskan crab, steamer clams, huge salmon, Dungeness crab, enormous scallops....

The Seattle Space Needle was our next stop. This was built 48 years ago for the Seattle World Fair in 1962. Exterior elevators either give you vertigo or help you appreciate the magnificent structures as you go up.

The harbour could be seen with its ferries and shipping moving in and out quickly. The city itself reminds us of Sydney, but with Melbourne's weather - quite changeable.

The Space Needle itself was another example of cantilevered structure. You stand on an open viewing platform that floats out in front of you, buffeted by the winds and rain. We watched a cloud come in blocking our view. By the time we finished our coffee our view was back.

The Space Needle is connected to the city by the Seattle Monorail, so we left our motorcycle and enjoyed an elevated view of the city, then walking a few blocks to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). At its entrance is a super sized steel cut-out of a blacksmith with a working mechanical arm.

It makes an impressive landmark. The collection was mainly contemporary art but it does have some impressive pieces that are over 2000 years old, and a good collection of renaissance paintings, and an impressive collection of porcelain. We stopped in the gallery restaurant for beers and nibbles before heading back to our motel. For the first time in days the sun came out - albeit briefly.

On the way back we picked up more Alaskan crab legs for dinner because we enjoyed them so much last night, and we may not get the chance to have them again on this trip - they seem to be a west coast speciality.