Seattle weekend, 5 and 6 April

I didn't do much on Saturday. Decided to take myself on a walk up the road and down the hill to one of the big shopping centres in the area. I took the bus back, as the way home was up hill. Walking back to my apartment from the bus stop I needed a landmark to make sure I was walking in the correct direction. In Seattle's University District, this is the SAFECO Tower (below). At home in Cape Town, my landmark is Table Mountain. And that got me thinking about some of my conversations with UW librarians. Apparently salaries are not good at UW. I'm told there is something called the "Mount Ranier factor". UCT colleagues, doesn't this ring a bell?

I was a bit more adventurous on Sunday. Got myself out of the apartment by about noon (most things only open at 11:00 anyway) and on the bus going downtown. I spent the afternoon getting a history lesson on Seattle by wandering around Pioneer Square, going on the underground tour and popping in to see theKlondike Gold Rush National Park. For lunch I had fish and chips from Ivans while looking out over the water.