Monochrome Monday in Seattle
It was another gray day in Seattle this weekend. Though the photo below is edited to black and white, it isn’t too off the mark from how things were looking in real life.
Since the start of the year, life has been pretty melancholy and monochrome for me. To shake my doldrums, my husband took me on a downtown Seattle adventure on Saturday. Our first stop was they city’s famous Pike Place Market.
The inclement weather meant Pike Place Market was slightly less crowded than normal. We visited some of our favorite spots (a record store, coin shop and a movie memorabilia shop). After some browsing it was time for lunch at The Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar.
The Athenian is a Seattle institution. The restaurant first opened in 1909 as a bakery/lunch counter. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and every seat has a spectacular view of Puget Sound. (My monochrome photo was taken from our table). The Athenian gained international fame when it was featured in a scene from the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Since 1993 countless tourists have visited just to sit at the same counter as Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner.
After lunch the sun started to shine! It has been a particularly dreary winter in Seattle. Seeing the sun and a hint of blue sky was soul awakening! Plus, it made for a pleasant walk from Pike Place down to the Seattle waterfront.
The Waterfront
Our main destination for the day was The Seattle Aquarium. Something about seeing the fish, otters, marine mammals and seabirds is always so relaxing. Plus, being near the ocean always peps up my spirit.
The aquarium opened in 1977 and today houses six major exhibits. These include:
- Window on Washington Waters
- Life on the Edge
- Pacific Coral Reef
- Birds & Shores
- The Underwater Dome
- Marine Mammals
A $120 million expansion is slated to open in 2023. The new Ocean Pavilion will include a 350,000 gallon shark tank as well as a 20 acre urban park. This will be the centerpiece of Seattle waterfront renewal and is set to showcase Seattle as a worldwide center for ocean health and research.
A current “fan favorite” at the Seattle Aquarium is the Giant Pacific Octopus. Full grown these clever creatures can have a 20 foot arm span! Yet despite their large size the octopus can still squeeze its body through a hole the size of a lemon. These octopus are able to change color and texture depending on their surroundings and mood. They use their tentacles not just to feel, but also to see and taste! Octopus also independently evolved to have eyes like humans (even though we haven’t shared a common ancestor in 600 million years). When viewing the giant pacific octopus, you definitely feel him viewing you back. 🐙
The Seattle Aquarium is home to three handsome harbor seals - Barney, Hogan and Q. In the wild harbor seals live mostly solitary lives in a single area. They are not known to migrate except during breeding season if necessary. Harbor seals can grow up to six feet long and weigh approximately 300lbs. Their thick layer of blubber keeps the creatures warm and helps them float.
One of my favorite parts of the aquarium is the northern sea otter exhibit. Four sea otters currently live at the aquarium. Three were brought in as rescues who could not be rehabilitated and released, one was born at the aquarium. Sea otters are part of the weasel family and live approximately 20 years. Seattle’s three oldest sea otters are each around 20 years old. The youngest otter is five.
Our aquarium visit only lasted 1.5 hours, but it was great to be out and about. I loved seeing the sun and sea life. Lunch beforehand was lovely and quality time with my hubs was great.
Here’s hoping for more of THIS in 2020.
@alliedforces curate
Keep up the great work and join us in The Castle sometime!
The #spreadlovenotwar curation campaign is under the guidance of witnesses @enginewitty and @untersatz.
What an awesome way to spend Saturday @dfinney!!😀
So were they tossing the fish in the air, at Pike Place Market?😳 I would love to see the Seattle Aquarium, maybe the next time someone drags me down to Seattle we might check it out....I had no idea the Aquarium was this impressive!!!
We skipped the fish throwing area, but I am guessing the fish were still be tossed. 😄 The Aquarium is nice. Sounds like it will be much fancier in a couple of years.
I try to avoid the traffic, but sooner or later I end up going down to Seattle. This would be nice to check out!!!
I forgot the date your Mom was scheduled to go in, did this already happen???
PS...I just back tracked to your post.....I realize it's Feb. 25 ...Prayers continuing my friend !!!!!!
Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=dfinney
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=monochrome-monday-in-seattle
Want to have your post on the map too?
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 10/20 - need recharge?)
Thank you @oldmans!
The rain and grey monotone colors of winter or lack of color have been getting to me as well, this outing looks great and must have been a nice break
It was a nice break. Today we have a bit of sun too! Normally I would be getting out of town this time of year. We actually have a tripped booked for Arizona and Nevada in just a couple of weeks. But the timing with mom stuff means things are likely getting cancelled. So.... more gray days ahead. 😕
Sorry to hear your trip didnt work out, lets hope you get more sunny days, we actually had sun today but it was weird as it was a very cold day well very cold for here LOL
Super cool city. Hoping to get back there one of these day’s. 2 days was not enough.
Posted using Partiko iOS
Come back! Ha ha, but you will have to tell me when you’re in town instead of just popping into my work unexpectedly. 😉
Wow!! More than just a #monochromemonday collection!!
looks like you both had a wonderful day!! Beautiful photos with descriptive details... thank you for sharing your journey with us!!
!tip
Thank you for calling all of the stuff to my post! Trendtoken, tipu, alliedforces, untersatz... Who knew there was so much stuff?!! 😍
I hope you are having an awesome day! 🤗
You are most welcome my friend... it's how we will rise above all the other platforms...
It's what I lovingly call...
Building Positive Bridges...
🎁 Hi @dfinney! You have received 0.1 STEEM tip from @wesphilbin!
@wesphilbin wrote lately about: Monochromemonday By @Old-Guy-Photos | Monomad By @Monochromes Feel free to follow @wesphilbin if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide.
!trdo
Congratulations @wesphilbin, you successfuly trended the post shared by @dfinney!
@dfinney will receive 2.78374725 TRDO & @wesphilbin will get 1.85583150 TRDO curation in 3 Days from Post Created Date!
"Call TRDO, Your Comment Worth Something!"
To view or trade TRDO go to steem-engine.com
Join TRDO Discord Channel or Join TRDO Web Site
Thanks for using eSteem!
Your post has been voted as a part of eSteem encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
Dear reader, Install Android, iOS Mobile app or Windows, Mac, Linux Surfer app, if you haven't already!
Learn more: https://esteem.app
Join our discord: https://discord.me/esteem