A Run Through the International Fountain

Randy, Diane and Sara were finally able to convince me to untie the box openers from their hands, and loosen their sweatbands so we could go downtown to see a few sites. We did the standard monorail loop from the Space Needle to my work and back, picture taking all along the way. We didn't let the rain stop us from doing a few laps around, and through, the International Fountain, which is a few hundred yards away from the Space Needle. The whole area around the Needle is known as the Seattle Center, and was established as the grounds for the 1962 World's Fair. Now it's pretty much a huge park with a lot of big ol' pavilions, some wacko arches, a needle, and a Science Fiction / Music museum (much more on that later). Oh and how could I forget to mention that the Seattle Center is also home of the Key Arena, the run down remnants of the once proud Supersonics.

We sure like the International Fountain, it's one of those things you can sit and look at for hours as the water goes every which way, and the music of the month plays. Of course, you have to eventually stop staring because your kid is in the water, and you have to devote the remainder of your daily brain juice allotment to think up a way to keep your car dry during the ride home (Hint: use a $25 Space Needle souvenir T-shirt). Sometimes its not just the kids that run through the fountain, how could you not?




Not only is the International Fountain the city's most awesome water feature (aside from the Puget Sound), it's flow has been deemed holy water due to having been the site of a clue box in the final leg of The Amazing Race Season 3. It was from this hallowed ground that Flo employed her genius tactic of intense whining to sneak her way into first place. Zach better have snatched that $500,000 away from her as soon as they got the check. Yoink!