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Seattle:
Gateway to Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula, Western
Washington and Alaska
by
Jerry W. Bird
 I
have
always admired the
Boeing
Aircraft
Company,
whose home base is in the Seattle area, and have
hopes of including a tour of this marvelous
world-class complex as well as the spectacular
Museum
of Flight at
Boeing Field in our 2003 Air and Marine Travel Show
series. Most of our delegates from North America
and overseas, being members of the aviation and
travel industry, will applaud the decision. My
personal connection with the City of Seattle goes
back decades - my father Don Bird was born here and
my maternal grandfather Ernie Somerton grew up in
nearby Edmonds, before moving north to Vancouver.
When it comes to fond memories of Seattle, Tacoma
and Western Washington,
 I'll
never forget the wintry day driving west from
Calgary, Alberta, when my son Ron (then 12) and I
were having visions of Ivar's famous clam chowder,
which I described to him in glowing detail. The
visions began appearing like a mirage, while our
car was still plowing its way through the snowbound
Cascade
Mountains
east of Everett, Washington. The deep tummy rumbles
grew more intense each few miles as we neared the
city. Finally seated at Ivar's famous dining room
on Seattle's Elliott Bay waterfront, our waiter
asked, “Do you wantdthe small, large or
colossal bowl of chowder? Being almost as famished
as street urchins in the musical comedy "Oliver,"
we both chimed in at once, "The colossal bowl of
course. " You should have seen Ron's eyes bug out
when the order was finally placed before us --
Ivar's soup bowls
were not
unlike those white porcelain wash basins that were
once the standard in rural Canadian hotel
rooms.
 And
each colossal bowl was brimful of fat, saucy clams,
swimming in a steamy, succulent broth. I get hunger
pangs and warm feelings all over again just
thinking about it. Ivar's Restaurant is like a
village museum; all of the walls and hallways, even
the washrooms, are lined with photos of early days
on the bustling Seattle waterfront. Many dated back
to the days of the Klondike Gold Rush, when Seattle
jockeyed with the other coastal cities for top
position as supplier to the gold fields. Some
scenes took me back to my childhood in Dawson City,
which was a living museum at the time.
One could easily
spend an hour or more wall watching. I love that
whole Elliott Bay area, with its shops, attractions
and entertainment, ferry terminal and the famous
Pike Street Market perched on top of the hill. By
the way, outside Ivar's is an old fashioned
streetcar that will take you along the harbor
front.
 Second
Home
Seattle has been our second home in the last two
decades, and was our family's original family home.
My dad, Don Bird, was born in Kirkland, a Seattle
suburb on Lake Washington. He later went north to
join the Royal Canadian Mounties, met my mom in the
Yukon, and the rest is history. Yet while I lived
in Northwest Washington State for 6 years, it was
never in the Emerald City. Perhaps that's why I'm
still intimidated by the freeway system. Last
spring, when we drove in downtown Seattle on
business, one of us took a wrong turn and ended up
in the far northern outskirts, by the University,
having had no opportunity to turn around. It was
almost two hours later, thanks to some help from
some kind citizens who kept their eyes peeled, that
we were reunited. Guess which one of us had all the
money, plus bank and credit cards? The day was a
panic anyway, as I had to get my US passport
renewed for a trip to Africa that same week.
Seattle's wacky traffic zoo is always a challenge,
but great fun if you're in a nutty mood.
More
Northwestern USA Gateways: Anchorage/
Moses
Lake/
Portland/
Spokane
  Getting
there from Canada. As an aviation aficionado
and ex RCAF, I enjoy any opportunity to visit
Boeing Field. A quick, convenient way from either
Vancouver or Victoria is by
Helijet
Airways. As an
avid desktop publisher since the first day of the
Apple Macintosh Revolution, the name Microsoft
looms large. This means a lot of Canadians will
spend their time in and around Seattle in the years
to come, as Silicon Valley North threatens to outdo
the original. From Vancouver to the Seattle
(Sea-Tac) Airport by car, allow at least three
hours. The bus service is excellent and leaves from
the Sandman Inn on West Georgia Street.
Another leaf from
Bird's book of great Seattle memories is the
"Spirit of Washington", a superb dinner train that
rattles and rolls from suburban Renton, across a
large trestle bridge, then along Lake Washington to
the winery at Woodinville. Every dining coach is a
classic, conversation piece and no two are even the
least bit identical. Ask the Seattle CVB folks for
more details at 206-431-4444. I honed my writing
skills in Seattle, working with Neil Strother on
his newspaper Seattle Northwest Prime Times, which
has since been sold. Neil is now a top editor in
the Internet Media field; we will link you to some
of his articles first chance we get.
Living in the
Vancouver, BC area as a child, and since Expo '86
as an adult, Seattle' has always been a magnet,
with Pike Street Market, a bustling waterfront,
lush flower gardens, and a water wonderland
embracing Mercer Island, Bellevue and my dad's home
town of Kirkland. Our favorite supermarket by far
is Larry's near Sea-Tac airport; stop a while and
stock up for the picnic of your lifetime, or just
feast your eyes. Our top department store,
especially for clothing, is Nordstroms, a Seattle
original. Add to those choices, some favorite bed
and breakfast, hotels and dining spots, and the
combination makes Seattle a place you don't mind
being sleepless in.
We've vowed to see
a Mariners or Seahawks game in their new stadium
before long. The population of Seattle and the
greater Puget Sound area is 3,000,000 and bursting
at the seams. Yet thanks the natural boundaries of
hills and water, most neighborhoods, such as
Kirkland, have a small town feeling, friendly and
laid back. While umbrellas are common, Seattle's
rainfall is often exaggerated, even by its
citizens. We're told the annual rainfall here is 36
inches, less than New York and other cities with no
special reputation for rain. During the rainy
winter season it seldom pours buckets. In this
moderate climate, Seattle's rain usually arrives in
the form of passing showers or a gentle
mist.
Washington
State Airport Profiles (to come): Boeing
Field/King County International, Paine Field/
Snohomish Country, Arlington Municipal, Bellingham
International, Bremerton National, Renton
Municipal, Snohomish Airport (Harvey
Field)
Free Online Map
of Seattle Airport from MapQuest:
http://www.mapquest.com/cgi-bin/ia_find
Helijet
Airlines or Amtrak?
Fly
the Super City Triangle to Seattle via Vancouver
and Victoria or take the
Train.
Much more to come, including transportation by
rail(Amtrak and Washington State Transportation are
urging an extra scheduled train to Vancouver to
improve service). Also ferry and cruise ship routes
and contacts.
Washington
Aerospace Alliance
Seattle
Tower, Suite 1600, 1218 Third Ave
Seattle,WA 98101. Email:kmiller@apcoassoc.com
Tel: (206) 443-5712. Fax: (206) 224-4344
Website: www@waa.net
With over 150 members, the WAA is the largest
aerospace association in the world, recognized for
the quality and capabilities of it's membership.
The mission of the Washington Aerospace Alliance
(WAA) is to promote collaboration among Washington
aerospace suppliers to reduce manufacturing costs,
improve productivity, develop new products,
increase sales and organize strategic marketing
initiatives on behalf of the industry in areas
beyond the reach of individual member
companies.
Everett,
Wa and Snohomish County:
'Tis
the season for salmon fishing, now through
December. The
latest copy of Snohomish County's Story line tells
of River Meadows Park for pink salmon, South Fork
of Stillaguamish River, Jordan Creek near
Arlington. Also pink and chum near Darrington, pink
and coho at Borlin Park, and several other choice
spots. Get more details from sandy@snohomish.org,
or www.snomomish.org
Sandy Ward,
Executive Director
Snohomish County Tourism Bureau
1-800-425-328-5802
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