May the Fourth be with you.

gmjambear was up all night again so he needed to sleep. I decided it was too nice of a day to hang out at the house, so I drove up to Eastgate Park & Ride in Bellevue and caught the bus into downtown Seattle.

Got out at Pike Street and headed for the market. Went up to badrobot68's shop and said hi to Nick, then walked down to the other end of the market to pick up some totem shirts: bear T-shirts for myself, Gary, and my dad; and a Pike Place Market emblem with fish sweatshirt for Mom. I'll be sending the latter to her this week as I will be away for Mothers' Day weekend.

From the Market I took the elevator down the 10 stories or so to the waterfront. Walking south I found that Ivar's Acres of Clams was having a Sunday brunch so I stopped in and ate. The prawns and shellfish (mixed clams and mussels) were quite tasty as were the salmon (poached and lox) and cod. The desserts were also rather impressive. I could see seagulls outside the windows begging for breadcrumbs and the occasional French fry.

After a fine meal I headed down to the Elliott Bay Water Taxi at the Argosy dock. A couple of nice-looking gentlemen, one in a wheelchair, boarded first. I started to try to strike up a conversation, but they weren't interested so I didn't pursue.

When we arrived in West Seattle I boarded the shuttle van to Alki Beach. It didn't take long for the van to reach standing room only. An elderly Asian couple boarded and another gentleman and I gave them our seats. On arrival at the beach I headed to a likely spot, removed my socks and shoes and headed into the water, just deep enough to get my feet wet. I got some pictures from that vantage point with my phone.

On the way back I noticed three biker looking dudes in leather jackets walking into the Alki Bakery, and suddenly realized the one in the middle was my friend Tony from the Chorus and the Bearatones. I will have to chat with him at rehearsal tomorrow evening.

On the boat on its return trip, I noticed a young man who rather resembles a cute cubbish chorus member from Rochester, but he had a wife and kids in tow. When we reached the dock I ended up waiting for the free Waterfront Streetcar shuttle-bus line with some folks who were looking for a bus tour on the cheap, and that line certainly fills the bill. I pointed out a few of the local sights along the way, until I got out at the International District stop to head back to Bellevue and my car. They seemed to appreciate it.

On returning to the park and ride in Bellevue I took pictures from three corners of the roof parking deck, which offer panoramic views of downtown Seattle, downtown Bellevue, and the Cascades respectively. Then I headed home, picking up dinner along the way.