SEATTLE RICH IN MARITIME MARVELS.Byline: Richard Irwin San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. Tribune The crane gingerly grasped the heavy shipping container, slowly lifting it from the tractor trailer sitting patiently along the dock. As the container cleared the truck, the huge crane slid toward the waiting ship. Soon the container was safely deposited on the sprawling deck. Sounds like a busy day in Long Beach or San Pedro, but in this case, the crane was actually a large working scale model. Just one of the many fun exhibits at the new Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center, which opened July 1 on the Seattle waterfront. The unique, state-of-the-art facility features many interactive displays focusing on the working waterfront. In addition to the crane, visitors can guide a simulated freighter through Puget Sound Puget Sound (py  `jĕt), arm of the Pacific Ocean, NW Wash., connected with the Pacific by Juan de Fuca Strait, entered through the Admiralty Inlet and extending in two arms c. or
experience the dangerous North Pacific from the bridge of a fishing
vessel.
Children can climb aboard the Kid Skiff, a small-scale fishing vessel built just for them. Teens and adults can climb 20 feet up into a computer simulator In computer science, a simulator is a software program to model a real-life situation on a computer so that it can be studied to see how the system behaves. By changing variables, performance predictions may be made about the behaviour of the system. of a dock crane. For a little exercise, try a virtual kayak kayak (kī`ăk), Eskimo canoe, originally made of sealskin stretched over a framework of whalebone or driftwood. It is completely covered except for the opening in which the paddler sits. ride through Skagit Bay. Computers monitor the paddles, allowing visitors to decide their speed and direction. ``Odyssey will tell the stories of the working men and women throughout the Northwest who pilot the ships, load our exports and fish the North Pacific seas,'' said Ralph Johnston, executive director. The $14 million interpretive center is not only lots of fun, it's very educational. Visitors can't help but learn through the entertaining exhibits. Large floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the harbor, providing a close-up view of one of the nation's busiest ports. As a gateway to the Pacific Rim Pacific Rim, term used to describe the nations bordering the Pacific Ocean and the island countries situated in it. In the post–World War II era, the Pacific Rim has become an increasingly important and interconnected economic region. , Seattle is one of the most trade-dependent cities in the country, with one in four jobs related to trade. Did you know that Washington has the largest ferry system in the country? And that Puget Sound is also home to the North Pacific fishing fleet? The 30,000 square-foot museum celebrates this maritime heritage. It's the latest addition to Seattle's $84 million Bell Street Pier complex. When finished, the complex on Pier 66 will include a conference center, cruise ship terminal and a fish-processing plant. The complex features Anthony`s Pier 66 and Bell Street Diner. Grab a table outside and enjoy the fresh seafood. Other Pier 66 businesses include the Bell Street Deli, Bell Street Fish Market and Polare, an outdoor clothing retailer. Throughout the summer, ships will dock at the pier offering public tours. One recent weekend, the Navy was offering tours of a guided-missile destroyer. The wooden deck of nearby Piers 62/63 becomes a popular concert venue in the summer with top artists entertaining. The Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center complements the Seattle Aquarium The Seattle Aquarium is a public aquarium located on Pier 59 on Seattle, USA's Elliot Bay waterfront. Run by the city, it opened on May 20, 1977. After the closure of Ivar's Aquarium in 1956, the city was at a loss for its major attraction. , located just down the waterfront on Pier 59. The aquarium serves as a window on the wildlife found in Puget Sound. More than 380 species of fish, birds and marine mammals marine mammals mammals inhabiting the sea; generally taken to include the cetaceans (whales, porpoise, dolphin), the sirenians (sea-cows, including manatees and dugong) and the pinnipeds (the carnivores of the group, seals, sealions, walruses). are displayed in the aquarium's winding maze. One of the highlights is the underwater dome. Surrounded by 400,000 gallons of cold saltwater and sealife, visitors feel like they're walking under Puget Sound - which is home to the largest octopus in the world, the giant Pacific octopus. Everyone will be entertained by the antics of the fur seals and sea otters. The Seattle facility was the first aquarium in the world to raise sea otters from conception to adulthood. Families also will learn about the Pacific salmon, the Northwest's favorite fish. The aquarium features its own salmon ladder salmon ladder Noun a series of steps designed to enable salmon to move upstream to their breeding grounds and hatchery hatchery a commercial establishment dedicated to the hatching of bird eggs to provide day old chicks and poults to the poultry industry. hatchery liquid the contents of unfertilized eggs. Used in petfood manufacture. . After these indoor activities, everyone will want to get out on the bay. Argosy Cruises at Pier 55 offers many options. The hourlong cruise gives visitors a firsthand look at one of the world's largest shipping terminals and Elliott Bay Elliott Bay is the body of water on which Seattle, Washington is located. A line drawn from Alki Point in the south to West Point in the north serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound. . A two-hour tour visits the historic houseboat areas of Lake Union and Portage Bay Portage Bay is an arm of Seattle, Washington's Lake Union and is part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Its western limit can be said to be the Ship Canal Bridge, which carries Interstate 5 over the water; North Passage Point Park and South Passage Point Park sit on opposite , while a 2-1/2-hour cruise goes through the Hiram Chittenden Locks into Lake Union and the Lake Washington Ship Canal The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through Seattle, Washington connecting Lake Washington to Puget Sound, is a system consisting of, from east to west, Union Bay, the Montlake Cut, Portage Bay, Lake Union, the Fremont Cut, Salmon Bay, the Hiram M. . This month and next, the cruise line A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the offers a summer music series. Every Wednesday, passengers are entertained during a 90-minute sunset cruise. Afterward, tourists can explore the many stores and attractions on the waterfront. Some of the stores such as YeOlde Curiosity Shop For the novel by Charles Dickens, see . Curiosity Shop was an American children's television show produced by ABC-TV in 1971. It featured three inquisitive children (two boys and a girl) who each week visited a shop populated with various puppets and gadgets, are a real hoot. Where else would you find a real human mummy on display next to souvenir T-shirts? This May marked the 18th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The Omnidome Film Experience at Pier 59 lets visitors travel to the area via a 70-millimeter film projected on a domed screen. Tourists have many dining options, ranging from a unique McDonald's restaurant with a harbor view to Ivar's Acres of Clams and Steamer's Seafood Cafe. A good choice for dinner is Elliott's Oyster House and Seafood Restaurant, which boasts the widest variety of oysters in Seattle. The waterfront is a very busy place in the summer, holding many festivals. A monthlong maritime celebration, SEAFAIR, with many events, ends Aug. 8-9 with a big air show featuring the Blue Angels. The fleet arrives Aug. 5-9 for tours of the different naval ships. An unlimited hydroplane hydroplane, small, high-powered racing boat designed to skim along the surface of the water. Its hull is so shaped that at high speeds the bow is tilted up out of the water, reducing the effect of frictional drag. Hydroplanes are commonly powered by outboard motors. race will be held Aug. 7-9. So, grab the kids and fly or drive to Seattle for a look at its new waterfront this summer. They'll learn a lot about this unique maritime area A maritime theater of operations can be divided for the purposes of decentralization of command into maritime areas and sub-areas, e.g., Atlantic theater, which is divided into maritime area and subarea commands. . IF YOU GO Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center: 2205 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, (206) 374-4000. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Adults, $6.50; seniors and students 5-12, $4; children under 5, free. Seattle Aquarium: 1483 Alaskan Way, Pier 59, (206) 386-4320. Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Adults, $7.75; seniors, $7; students 6-18, $5.15; children 3-5, $1.95; children under 2, free. Dining: Anthony's Pier 66 & Bell Street Diner, 2201 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, (206) 448-6688. Elliott's Oyster House & Seafood Restaurant, 1201 Alaskan Way, Pier 56, (206) 623-4340. Lodging: Claremont Hotel, 2000 Fourth Ave., (800) 448-8601. Newly renovated boutique hotel Boutique hotel is a term originating in North America to describe intimate, usually luxurious or quirky hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized level accommodation and services / facilities. , $129 a night; children under 17 stay free. Kitchen suite $169 a night. Hotel Edgewater, 2411 Alaskan Way, Pier 67, (800) 624-0670. Seattle's only waterfront hotel, $139-$175 a night for a city view, $165-225 a night with a view of the harbor. Information: For more information, call the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (206) 461-5840. Ask for a calendar of events and coupon book good for many discounts, such as two-for-one admission to Omnidome Film Experience and $20 off the nightly rate at the Claremont Hotel. - Richard Irwin CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Jeffrey Radcliff, 8, of Mukilteo, Wash., plays with plastic fish at the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center in Seattle. Barry Sweet/Associated Press Box: IF YOU GO (See Text) |
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