Friday morning I awoke pre-dawn to go for a run. Not sure where I was I basically stuck to the same road until it dead ended and then followed the other road a bit before turning back. I had looked at a map the night before and was trying to get to a water view. After running downhill nearly 2 miles, I finally succeeded and ran near the waterfront until turning around. Unfortunately the rest of the run required me to make my way back up the long hill.
Either way I arrived back at the condo, cleaned up, awoke Susan and grabbed a quick bite before our morning activity...the Future of Flight tour at the Boeing plant. This 90 minute bus/walking tour was pretty neat, especially for someone who works with jet engines. We got to visit the largest building in the world and see the assembly lines/stations of the 747, 777, and the brand new 787 (dreamliner). We also got to see the huge modified cargo jet that carries completed 787 components to Everett from around the world. The tour was well done with a knowledgeable guide and a nice visitors center and museum to checkout after the guided portion.
[no photos allowed during the tour 
Post tour, Susan was feeling a little unwell and we had planned to spend some time taking it easy so went back to the condo for a rest before heading back into Seattle for the afternoon.
It was a stereotypical Seattle day with off and on steady rain and overcast weather when we made our way into town around lunch, but that didn't keep the shoppers away from the city. As soon as we got off the interstate downtown it was evident our experience today would be much more eventful than yesterday. Pedestrians were all over the place in the shopping districts. Our first priority was lunch though, so we headed away from the crowd and made our way to the Pike Street Fish Fry. This hole in the wall popped up on our radar a week ago when we noticed a Yahoo! article lauding their fries as some of the best in the US. That was enough to draw us food enthusiasts in, so we each ordered the cod basket with different dipping sauce selections (curry ketchup for Susan, chili mayo for myself). The fries were good, the dipping sauces unique, but the fish was excellent with a crispy breading and super-juicy interior. It was a good lunch stop.
Our lunch stop
After lunch it was back to the crowds and the Pike Place market, which was open today. We first visited the crafts booths at the north end, then worked our way south toward the fish and food vendors. We were able to see a couple large salmon thrown about, so considered it a successful venture. Then we crossed the road and I put on my Starbucks Fanboy outfit to visit the original location of the coffee shop. It was also the first time I ordered a reserve coffee brewed with the fancy clover machine...I was in caffeinated heaven.
Lots and lots of seafood 
Jeff at the original Starbucks
Following this foray into coffee bliss, we walked toward the Westlake Center (a multi-story shopping mall) with a couple shop stops on the way, then caught the monorail up to the Seattle Center. The Seattle Center is where the space needle rests, but also has some museums and art exhibits nearby. We weren't drawn to any specific attraction enough to pay the entry fee, so instead just wandered through the area before returning to Westlake Center where we were just in time to see the lighting of the Seattle Christmas tree. There were some musical performances for about a half hour before the tree lighting then a short fireworks show. Not a bad (free) way to kick off the Christmas season.
Seattle Tree & Space Needle 
The huge crowd at the tree lighting celebration
We concluded the night by heading back toward Everett and grabbing dinner at the Diamond Knot Brewing Company in Mukilteo.
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