Lake Union Park

Sunday afternoon's walk was to Lake Union Park, to visit the Museum of History and Industry, MOHAI. The park by the lake is very pleasant, with fountains for children to run and play in, gravel beds, a pond with toy sailing boats, and the most purple flowerbeds I have ever seen!

The museum covered the history of Seattle up to the present day, bringing to life what I'd read in 'Skid Road'. My favorite was the exhibit on Prohibition. I had not appreciated what had to happen for the 18th Amendment to be passed, namely income taxes to replace lost tax revenue on liquor, and women's suffrage as the women's votes were needed to pass prohibition in 1919. It was also a very interesting lesson on political coalitions as all kinds if interest groups (nationalists, progressives, religious groups) saw it as a way to achieve their objectives. There was a wonderful reproduction of a speakeasy - did you know that prohibition drove the invention of nightclubs and cocktails - the flavora were to hide the taste of moonshine gin. I also didn't know how rare it was for a constitutional amendment to be repealed, and again this was driven by a shortfall in tax revenue after the Great Depression in 1933.

The lakefront was a hive of activity and I toured several historic boats - a tug, a light oat and a luxury houseboat on which you can stay the night, that are moored and open to the public on Sunday's. There is also the Center for Wooden Boats, a nonprofit that offers free rides on Sunday's in their extensive collection of small sailing and rowing boats. Seaplanes from Kenmore Air flew in and launched like dragonflies, taxiing across the surface of the water back to their terminus on the lakeshore.

I walked home through the hip neighborhood where Amazon.com and the Fred Hutchison Cancer Institute are based. It was full of urban parks with modern sculpture ( including a functional ping pong table!) and upscale coffee bars and restaurants. Too hip for me!