Category: Seattle

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Friday/ it’s almost time ⚽

Happy Friday.
It is almost time for the World Cup.
The June 11 opener game will be Mexico 🇲🇽 vs. South Africa 🇿🇦 in Mexico City.

Seattle will host 6 games in total, and the first two are—
June 15: Belgium 🇧🇪 vs. Egypt 🇪🇬 (12:00 p.m. PT)
June 19: USA 🇺🇸 vs. Australia 🇦🇺 (12:00 p.m. PT)

The dome of the Space Needle has been painted in the white and black hexagons of a soccer ball. Fun fact:  A standard, classic soccer ball has 20 hexagons.

Pictures from the Seattle Times, courtesy of the Space Needle.

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Tuesday 🌆

The daylight hours are still stretching longer, and we have reached the first 9:00 p.m. sunset of the year here in Seattle.
There were soft pastel colors in the sky tonight, as the daylight dwindled.
I am standing on the corner of East Thomas St and 13th Avenue East and using a 4x telephoto lens.
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Sunday/ on the way to Lake Union ⛵

I took the No 8 bus to Westlake Avenue and walked up along Lake Union, hoping to still catch Mark Zuckerberg’s megayacht there.
Alas, she was gone.
Someone there told me she was out in the open waters of Elliott Bay.

Checking out the Boeing 747 fuselage ‘public art’ installed between the apartment towers of 1200 Stewart Street. (I’m still on the No 8 bus).
A new eight-story banner installation designed by Seattle artist Ernesto Ybarra on the east façade of the 9th & Thomas building in South Lake Union. It is called ‘The Hostess’, and celebrates Seattle’s role as a host city for the World Cup soccer matches this summer.
Once upon a time many years ago, I brought my 1996 Toyota Camry to this building at 400 Westlake Ave for new tires.
The Firestone Auto Supply & Service Store building was constructed in 1929 with concrete and terra cotta details in the art deco style.
The façade was kept when a new 15-story commercial tower was built on the property.
Nearby is the 2021 artwork by Patti Warashina called ‘Dreamer’.
It was sculpted with aluminum and painted in geometric patterns.
This corner of South Lake Union’s waters is for rowers and kayakers. That’s the MOHAI building in the background (Museum of History and Industry).
The Marina Mart building is still there. Constructed in the early 1940s, it has deep ties to Seattle’s maritime heritage. It has transitioned from an industrial maritime site into a major dining and recreation hub.
With Memorial Day behind us, sailing season is now officially open.
There was a light breeze around and lots of sunshine🌞.
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Thursday/ sunset 🌇

Sunset is now at 8.55 pm here in the city.
It was summery today, with the high at 81°F (27°F ).

Clouds are moving in for a cooldown and a little rain tomorrow, though.
One can see Mark Zuckerberg’s megayacht on south Lake Union from the Melrose Avenue & East Harrison St overlook at Interstate 5, where I was.

Built in the Netherlands by Dutch luxury shipbuilder Feadship, the yacht is 387 ft (118 m) long and goes by the decidedly unromantic name (in my opinion) of Launchpad.

Looking out towards Queen Anne Hill.
Look for Climate Pledge Arena in the center, and the twin peaks in the Olympic Mountains called The Brothers (they are not the tallest peaks; the peak of Mt Olympus is).
Low at the right is Saint Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral, a Russian cathedral.
There she is: the megayacht called ‘Launchpad’.
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Thurday/ the Olympics, noir 🌄

Here is an hour before sunset (now 8.47 pm), with the sun behind the clouds at the top right.
I am looking out towards the Olympic mountains from 13th Avenue E and East Mercer St.

iPhone 16 Pro telephoto lens with Noir filter applied.
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Sunday ☀️

It was mostly sunny today here in the city, with a high of 63°F (17°C).

The flower du jour here from Seattle’s Capitol Hill is a rock rose (the shrub’s genus is Cistus), with its crinkled ’tissue paper’ petals and bright yellow stamens in the center.
Rock rose flowers are short-lived, and once out of the bud, most last only a day or two!

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Thursday/ blustery winds 🍃

No! It’s cold! Go back and put your thicker jacket on, I thought, as I headed out the door tonight for a quick walk.
The high today was 61 °F (16 °C), and it was only 53 °F (12 °C) in the early evening hours.

Looking west from E Thomas Street and 14th Avenue E at 7.41 pm tonight.
Shot with iPhone 16 Pro 5x telefoto lens, with ‘Dramatic’ filter added.
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Monday/ books galore 📚

Barnes & Noble is back in downtown Seattle with a new two-level, 18,000-square-foot store at 520 Pike Street. (The store in Pacific Place closed down during the pandemic in Jan. 2020).
I like their selection of books.

From there, I walked to the Seattle Public Library, taking a few pictures on the way. I usually don’t have to wait too long for a Tesla to appear in view, and then I take the picture 😁.

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Friday/ sunglass weather 😎

Happy Friday.
It was a beautiful and mild spring day here in the city (63°F/ 17°C) with sunshine this afternoon.

I wore my sunglasses as I walked over to Chuck’s Hop Shop in Central District to join my amigos for a beer.

Check out the cute stamp booklet below, with stamps featuring an illustration by the Japanese artist Jyunichi Komi.

These stamps are prefecture stamps, issued for Fukui Prefecture, Japan*.
Sabae City in Fukui Prefecture is famous for being the eyewear capital of Japan. It produces 90% of the nation’s eyeglass frames.

*Japan has 47 prefectures (political subdivisions).
Starting in 1989, the national postal ministry has issued stamps to promote  each of the prefectures.
These stamps are valid throughout Japan.
Prefecture stamps can be recognized by the different font that is used for the Japan Post 日本郵便 inscription on it.

Unfolded cover of stamp booklet with lettering that says ‘Prefecture Issue — Megane (Glasses), Fukui Prefecture’.
1991 Prefecture Issues, Japan
Issued Oct. 1, 1991
Perf. 13 | Issued in sheets and booklets | Photolithography | No watermark
Z112 ZA112 62y Multicolored | Stylized girl wearing large orange glasses
[Sources: 2021 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol. 4A, Google Gemini AI]
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Thursday/ sea lions, bailing 🦭

Here’s a sea lion ‘action picture’ from photographer Ken Lambert, taken for the Seattle Times.

There are sea lions as well as seals in Puget Sound.
Sea lions and seals differ primarily in that sea lions have visible ear flaps, large flippers for “walking” on land, and bark loudly, while true seals have ear holes, short flippers, and move by belly-sliding. Sea lions are generally larger, more social, and agile on land; seals are more solitary and streamlined for swimming. – Google AI Overview
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Monday/ irises 🪻

I found these beautiful bearded irises on Martin Luther King Way in Seattle’s Central District.

From Google AI Overview:
Bearded irises, native to the Mediterranean, have a rich history spanning over 3,000 years, from being cherished by Egyptian pharaohs and Greek mythology to becoming a cornerstone of modern gardening.
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Sunday/ three departures 🚢

The newly built Star Princess made its maiden port of call in Seattle this weekend.  She was constructed in 2025 by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, with a capacity for 4,300 passengers and a gross tonnage of 175,500. The Star Princess is the second Sphere-class vessel for Princess Cruises, a sister ship to the Sun Princess.

The Star Princess was at Pier 91 with MS Noordam on the opposite side of the pier, and was scheduled to depart this afternoon at 3 pm.
Instead, it was MS Noordam that sounded her horn three times, and departed shortly after 3 pm.

I waited until after 4 pm for Star Princess to depart, and then gave up.
(I saw later online that she had departed at 5.25 pm).
I walked up to the Magnolia Bridge to take another picture or two, and right then the Norwegian Encore came by in the distance.
She had been at Pier 66.

Port of Seattle’s Pier 91 this afternoon at 3 pm.
From left to right: the Star Princess, the Arctic Fjord (a state-of-the-art, 325.8-foot/ 99-meter U.S.-built factory trawler designed for harvesting and processing Alaska pollock in the Bering Sea) and the MS Noordam.
A closer look at the Star Princess. The dome at the top is a multi-level, glass-enclosed top-deck venue. The structure directly in front of the dome is a relaxing, forward-facing outdoor area known as the Sea View. The bridge is located at the very front of the ship, situated on Deck 15 (the Sun Deck).
The MS Noordam, bound for Juneau, Alaska.
The MS Noordam had sounded her horn three times, backed away from the pier, and turned north. In the foreground in Elliot Bay Marina.
So now all of Star Princess is visible from my vantage point at Elliott Bay Marina.
I am not 100% sure, but I believe this tugboat is using its water cannon to produce a ‘water salute’ to the Star Princess prior to her departure.
Look at the Mountain looming in the distance, magnified by my telefoto lens.
By about 4.20 pm at Elliott Bay Marina, I gave up to see Star Princess depart. Her mooring lines were still in place. I walked up the Magnolia Bridge to get this view of Pier 91 for a final picture or two.  
The vessel to the left of Star Princess is Seaspan Baker, a bunkering tanker. These are specialized vessels designed to supply fuel (bunker) directly to other ships for propulsion and energy.
While I was on the Magnolia Bridge, the Norwegian Encore came by.
She had been at Pier 66 and had a scheduled 4 pm departure. She was a little late departing as well (this picture taken at 4.35 pm).
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Saturday/ summery weather 🌞

We had 72 °F (22 °C) here in the city today, and we might see the year’s first 80 °F (27 °C) by Monday.

I look for the newest car registration numbers when I am out and about, and I spotted a Washington State plate with CWZ on today.
That means there might be CXA plates out there already.
My dad’s Chev truck in South Africa had a plate with CXX 360 T on. Utterly trivial and insignificant — or is it?
Why would I be able to recall that, decades later?

Here is Saturday’s sunlight, rapidly running out.
It is 8.06 pm and I am looking down along East Thomas St, still able to see the Needle through the newly grown leaves on the trees. 
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Friday/ first of May ⚾

Happy Friday.
Is that a 12 flag on the Space Needle? I wondered today.
No, it’s actually a flag with 51 on.

A “51” flag was raised today May 1 (5/1) to celebrate the retirement of Mariners legend Randy Johnson’s jersey number.
The “Big Unit” himself hoisted the flag to honor his 51 number.
Johnson played for the Seattle Mariners from May 25, 1989, to July 31, 1998.

It is 6.20 pm and I am looking out to the Space Needle from the stairs off E Harrison St where it runs into Melrose Ave E. 
We had blue skies for most of the day, but clouds moved in late afternoon.
The clouds will probably obscure the first of May’s two full moons: one tonight, and one more on May 31!
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Saturday/ bon voyage 🛳️

It was a beautiful spring day here in the city (62°F / 17°C).
The Norwegian Bliss set sail for Sitka, Alaska shortly after 4 pm this afternoon, from Pier 66 here at the Seattle Waterfront.

Norwegian Bliss will spend two days at sea to get to Sitka on Baranof Island.
Then she will make her way back to Seattle along the Alaska Inside Passage (a network of sheltered waterways, fjords, and lush islands stretching from Washington State through the British Columbia coast to the Alaska panhandle).
[Map generated from cruise itinerary with Nano Banana 2 by Google AI. The map is close but not 100% accurate. Icy Strait Point (5) is to the west of Juneau.]
Is the mountain out? Yes. The view to the south from the top of Pike Place Market along Alaskan Way this afternoon.
I walked as far as I could on Pier 62 for this picture. Norwegian Bliss is at Pier 66.
There is a game of chess and several cornhole games in progress on Pier 62.
The staircases are part of the pedestrian overpass to Pike Place Market and downtown.
The expanded Seattle Aquarium is housed in the structure with the darkened wood shell on the right.
I made my way to the cruise terminal building by Pier 66 and took the elevator up to the viewing deck on the fifth floor.
The departure time of 4.00 pm has come and gone 5 minutes ago. The mooring lines have all been taken care of, though, and it can only be minutes to departure.
There she goes, pulling away from the pier.
There was no tugboat, and Norwegian Bliss did not sound her horn.
Bon voyage!