The shuttle picked us up at 9.20am for the trip to the airport. Our plane had propellers. We took off at 11.00am and landed in Seattle at 11.30am. We had an excellent view of the many islands off the Canadian & US coast & also lots of snow capped mountains. The captain told us the temperature was -1 when we landed. It certainly felt like it when got outside. The cab driver told us it was going to drop into the 20s (Fahrenheit) in the evening and it never gets that cold in Seattle. Over the next couple of days it is dropping to 18 & 19 which is -8.
When we got to the hotel our room wasn't ready so we left our bags there & went back out. The Space Needle is only a few blocks away so we headed up there. On the way we stopped at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitors Centre. It was a very interesting place - very interactive. The first section was full of audio stories of people the foundation has helped and those who worked there. The second section was full of significant dates for the foundation & it's founders and the relevant stories. This section also detailed some of the work the foundation has done to better the life's of communities in America as well as overseas. Over $30 billion has been donated so far. There was a theatre showing films of communities the foundation is working with. One showed a woman from Ghana who had watched her baby die hours after birth from pneumonia. The foundation has been working with the women and no baby has died from pneumonia since 2011. The last section was an area where you could detail your own ideas and thoughts about helping with different worldwide issues. You could also take your photo & put it on the wall of supporters so we did. Along the way there were examples of the practical things being sent to the third world countries. There was a chlorine dispenser which dispenses the exact amount of chlorine needed to purify the water containers they use. This is a cheap way to ensure the water they drink is cleaner than what they currently have. There was also a toilet that has recently been tested in the field and will go into production soon. There were very specific requirements that had to go into the design - it could use water to flush, it had to cost no more than 5c per use and it had to be easy to use. It was quite eye opening to see the work the foundation does and see the world health problems they deal with.
Our next stop was the Space Needle. It was a sunny day & relatively clear so we had a good view from the observation deck which is 360ft up. There is 360 degree views of Seattle from the tower which was built in 1962 for the Seattle World Fair. There was a bit of cloud on the horizon and we could just see the top of the huge Mount Rainier sticking up through the clouds. The Space Needle is now the 7th tallest building in the city but by far the most recognisable in Seattle.
The EMP Museum was next door so we went in there. It is a museum of music, sci-fi and pop culture. We saw an exhibit about Nirvana with many of the guitars, drum kits, posters and clothing used by the band. There was also a section dedicated to Jimi Hendrix which we didn't get to as we only had 2hrs until closing. The Guitar Gallery showed the development of the guitar from early 1800s. The displays outlined the changing needs of different artists and how manufacturers kept up with the quest for new sounds.
There was a section dedicated to Fantasy which had props in from Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and even the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz was there. That led into a section on Horror movies where Robyn tested out the scream lab. There were props just as the mask from Scream and the axe from The Shining.
Upstairs was a collection of photographic portraits of famous people from movies, sport & politics. They were all just head shots which the photographer felt highlighted their vulnerability.
My favourite section was the Sound Lab where we could play different instruments - keyboard, guitar or drums. I learnt to play the bass line for Louie Louie! We also went into a jam lab where we could play instruments together. There was a remix lab and a vocal lab. Right at the exit was the Scratching Station where Robyn learnt to become a DJ!
We stayed very local for dinner tonight as it was too cold to be outdoors for too long.
Tomorrow morning we are going on a tour of the Boeing factory.
For some reason the photos won't load in order. Don't know why.