I went to Seattle for a quick visit to see Brian and Amber. We ate at our favorite Mexican spot
Fogon, and then headed over to the
Raygun Lounge for some games. Unfortunately the lounge was closing early for a private party (which we weren't invited to), so we had to cut our evening short.
Downtown Seattle is under massive construction right now, because they're in the middle of tearing down the Alaskan Way viaduct, a 70-year old elevated freeway that ran along the waterfront. You certainly have a prettier view of Elliott Bay and Bainbridge Island now with the viaduct gone, but I wonder how this is going to affect Seattle's already nerve-wracking traffic.
They replaced the viaduct with a toll tunnel, but there are no exits into the downtown area in the entire 2-mile long stretch. This is great if you're trying to just drive through Seattle, but not an option if you're trying to go some place along the waterfront like Pike Place Market. They've widened and updated the waterfront street Alaskan Way, but just like Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, it's a pedestrian nightmare at intersections. As a former civil engineer, I always wonder if the engineers who designed this really thought things through. Luckily I don't drive in Seattle, but take the train from the airport.
Like I usually do when I'm in the northwest, I took a side trip down to Portland. The weather and scenery were absolutely gorgeous. I felt like I was in Vermont with all the colorful trees. After visiting with my Vernier friends, I spent the afternoon hiking the trails at the zoo. Oh, and I told my boss that I'm retiring from consulting. I'm probably not giving up my robots, but I'm definitely giving up convention halls.
