Journeys›Photograph

Riding the Ferries Around Seattle in Early October

·Elliott Bay·#travel#seattle#cityscape#puget-sound#ferry#washington
Skyline of Seattle with the Space Needle prominent, a bay with boats, and buildings under a cloudy sky.

A few days in Seattle back in early October, 2002. The city had that typical Pacific Northwest feel under an overcast sky, with the Space Needle and the marinas of Lake Union below. A lot of my time seemed to be spent just getting around, which often meant being on the water.

One evening, waiting at the ferry terminal, the sun finally broke through the heavy clouds right as it was setting. It cast a brilliant, almost harsh, reflection across Elliott Bay, silhouetting the boats moving in the distance. I watched the light shift as our ferry slowly approached the dock.

The ride itself gave a completely different view of the city. From the water, you could see the entire downtown skyline rising up behind the piers. It was a mix of glassy towers, older brick buildings, and the industrial structures along the waterfront. We passed other ferries making their crossings, smaller boats, and even a massive cruise ship docked for the night. It was a constant, steady movement of people and vessels.

A bright sun illuminates a cloudy sky and reflects on water with a distant ship and a dark wooden pier.A bright sunburst through dark clouds illuminates water, silhouetting a pier, distant island, ferry, and a flying bird.A bright sun reflects on water with distant ships and coastline, viewed from dark foreground structures.Two large ferries traverse a body of water under a cloudy, bright sky, with a blurred rope in the foreground.A city skyline with multiple skyscrapers overlooks a harbor with a docked boat and waterfront buildings.A cityscape of tall buildings from a body of water, with a yellow and green building on a pier and boats.A waterfront city skyline with many tall buildings and a large white ferry boat on the water.A large cruise ship sails on water in front of a city skyline with the Space Needle and tall antennas.

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