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Swimmers and Steamers at Lake Union

·Lake Union·#photography#travel#summer#seattle#lake union
The Space Needle and a modern building stand against a blue sky, with green trees and people in the foreground.

Half of Seattle seemed to be in the water. Swimmers off the seawall in front of MOHAI, paddleboards drifting under the blue footbridge, kayaks working the channel by the park — a hot July afternoon and Lake Union absorbing all of it. From the south end the Space Needle still clears the apartment blocks, which is about the only reminder downtown exists once you're facing the lake.

The Center for Wooden Boats had a kids' sailing class going out from the dock, three little dinghies with striped sails raised before they'd even cast off, and beyond them white sails scattered clear across to the shipyards on the far shore. A Kenmore Air floatplane sat tied up near the restaurant with geese grazing the lawn in front of it.

Behind the museum at the Historic Ships Wharf, next to the old Carroll's jewelers clock, the Virginia V — built 1921–22, the last Mosquito Fleet steamer still operating, a National Historic Landmark that just sits there at the dock while people swim past its bow.

A river scene with people on paddleboards and swimming, a bridge, and a city skyline of modern buildings.City skyline visible behind a tree-lined bank and a body of water with two people on small boats.A seaplane docked on a lake, with geese and a person on grass in the foreground and colorful buildings on a hill behind.The Museum of History & Industry building stands beside blue water with people on its shore.Children in colorful sailboats are docked, while other boats sail on the water with a city skyline in the background.Multiple sailboats on blue water, with a city and shipyard on hills in the background.A wooden boathouse with boats on calm water, surrounded by foliage, with modern glass buildings in the background.Boathouses and docked boats on a lake, with a hillside town of houses and trees in the background.A vintage street clock, Carroll's Diamonds-Watches, stands in front of a white boat, Virginia V, under a blue sky.A street signpost titled "Sister Cities of Seattle" shows directional arrows for various international cities and their distances.

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