Belated Pix from the Space Needle

The Space Needle is a Seattle icon and has a revolving restaurant that is a major tourist destination for its views of the city's landmark and waterways. Audrey and Peter took me there to celebrate my birthday.

The waterway traffic includes ferries to outlying islands as well as ships bringing goods to and from all over.

The stadium (rear) is home to the Seattle Seahawks.

Downtown buildings have great views.

The joke about the large black building is that it is the box the Space Needle came in.

This was a twilight shot, but in better light the mountain ranges around Seattle can be seen in the background.

The Northwest cities are relatively new and still evolving.

This is South Union, where Paul Allen envisions major development. The new South Lake Union Trolley has an unfortunate acronym.

Gas Works Park is one of my favorite sites on the shores of Lake Union.

Here's a top-down view of Paul Allen's Experience Music Project, designed by Frank Gehry.

The green space in the center is Gas Works Park, a favorite site for kite flying and enjoying the view of Lake Union, which was featured in "Sleepless in Seattle."

Besides ocean-going vessels, Seattle has a lot of houseboats and pleasure craft.

I recommend a visit to Seattle if you get the chance. It was my vacation in the early 1990s that led my daughter and son-in-law, Audrey and Peter, to take their own out there. They fell in love with the city and instead of living on Second Place in Plainfield as before, they have lived in the Emerald City now for 15 years.

--Bernice Paglia