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Swifty folds into a compact package, great for bus travel. |
Yesterday was a fine day for roaming around Seattle on my
SwiftyONE. Swifty and I rode the bus from Issaquah to downtown Seattle. I had lunch plans to meet up with my friend Dave in Ballard but I had plenty of time to poke around along the way.
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This is art. |
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The southern most edge of Lake Union. |
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Still a bit foggy this morning. |
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If you like getting up close to funky old watercraft, Seattle is your kind of city. |
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There are so many great vessels at the Center for Wooden Boats. |
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This dinosaurs are right next to the Burke-Gilman Trail in Fremont. |
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I love big, funky murals. |
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I can't fit this one into a single picture. |
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This is on the side of a tavern in Ballard. |
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The Man loves putting up signs at the Ballard Locks. |
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This sign is 15 feet away from the last sign. |
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Illiterate geese are notorious scofflaws. |
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You're still in Seattle but the Feds have jurisdiction here. |
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At least they thank you for not messing with the Man. |
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The no biking rule makes total sense. The walkways are narrow and often crowded and slippery. |
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Now that the fog has burned off, Seattle is really shining. |
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Swifty in the foreground, an idling coal train in the background. |
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Working my way back toward Elliott Bay. |
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My dad back in Minnesota (where it's currently about 70 degrees colder than it is here) is amazed that I can cope with the depressing weather in Seattle. |
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Actually, these blue skies are not the norm for January. |
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But when you do get a great day, it's best to take advantage of it. |
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Chief Seattle in the foreground with the monorail track soaring above him. |
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Seattle recently reworked Bell to be more pedestrian, bike and scooter friendly. |
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I don't think these were designed as scooter racks, but they work fine for that purpose. |
Over the years I've become convinced that the best way to know a city is to explore it under your own power. Walking, running, cycling or scootering all reveal the things that are too easily passed by if a motor is urging you forward. With muscle power, as Hemingway noted "you learn the contours of a country best." Places reveal themselves in time and travelling at a human pace is a way of using that time to discover the humanity we've built into our communities.