ride The Duck in Seattle

I can do this for my birthday at the end of the month. I’m taking a couple days off and should have the time if only the weather will hold. Many years there is rain on my birthday and that wouldn’t be as much fun as doing this in sunny weather. We’ll see what happens.

On Valentine’s Day after Walter and I visited the Sci-Fi Museum we crossed the street to wait for our bus back home. The bus stop is right in front of the place where people get on the Ducks. We got to watch as people got settled and started their tour of Seattle.

I sneaked this photo of a Duck heading down out in front of the SFM/EMP building. We’re definitely doing this this year.

I didn’t like that it was so noisy, but i loved the wind in my hair while we were drivig through seattle and i loved the view from the sea (is it?)

Ήμουν στο Σιάτλ αλλά θα μπορούσα μόνο να κατορθώσω να δω το διάσημο πύργο.

I live on the Duck’s route and can’t begin to describe how much I loathe these things. Try listening to bad MoTown blaring over cheap speakers and the same tired, rehearsed jokes from the drivers all day long.

If you want to try something fun I suggest this!

http://stoptheduck.com/

These people tag the Ducks with stickers and occasionally throw water balloons at them. It’s all in good fun.

There couldn’t have been a better crew of people to go with. I enjoyed myself thoroughly! Thanks Erik for the Quacker. It made the experience that much better…..

Six years ago I had a boss who was obsessed with the concept of riding the duck. He would take about it all the time but never got around to actually going. And so for many years now, I’ve had the urge to ride the duck as well but never acted on it. I kept waiting for an excuse like a visiting relative to take on this most touristy of rides, but they always seem to prefer to spend more time at my sister’s house rather the city.

Today’s adventure exceeded my expectations. There really isn’t anything better than getting together with a bunch of friends for the most ridiculous of reasons.

We started the day with brunch at Cafe Campagne in the Market. Unfortunately there were too many of us to be seated at the same table and so the split us into two groups placed at the complete opposite ends of the restaurant. Sadly I wasn’t seated with the cool kids. No wait, of course I was with the cool group.

After eating we walked down to the Seattle Center (with a stop at Starbucks along the way) to start the tour. There was some confusion at the ticket counter. I had purchased tickets for the the original group of people who adopted this goal and Erik had followed up buying tickets for those who decided later on to join us. Even with tickets already purchased, some felt compelled to buy additional tickets for themselves. After sorting all of this out, Erik purchased duck whistles for all of us and we proceeded across the street to board the duck.

I was surprised to find that the duck was almost completely full. Who would have thought the ride would be so popular on such a cold, grey day. We sat ourselves down in the back, the troublemaker’s section as Daniel would call it. While the proper tourists sat attentively in the front, observing the sites as we drove by, we locals in the back were making all sorts of noise.

My years of trumpet playing had finally paid off as I was able to transform the duck whistle from a simple chirp and give it all sorts of variations in texture and pitch. I think I was able to make it even more annoyingly irritating than usual. Fun times.

The land tour through the city wasn’t all that interesting as we mostly just rode up and down the streets where I live and used to work. Because of the cold, the duck had dirty plastic windows installed which not only limited the view but made it difficult to quack at passers by on the street.

Once we hit the water, however, the tour became much more interesting. I’m not sure if I’ve been on a boat in Lake Union before, but if I have it must have been quite a long time ago. It is a rather calming experience to float along the water and enjoy the scenic views of the city in the distance. We passed along the shore to observe a number of house boats and the fancy ships docked in the marina.

Before too long the tour was over and we returned back to the Seattle Center. We will need to think up another wacky reason to do something like this again.

Bobbles took some excellent shots of the event.

Yes, we did “Ride The Ducks”. Not sure why it’s plural ducks but that’s what it is and so we did it. People who attended, in order of walking into Cafe Campagne for duck fuel in the form of bloody marys and savvy bitches: Me, Sami, Daniel, Alyssa, Bob, Todd, Karen, Maggie, Josh, Twozdai, and Lia (who joined us after breakfast).

Duly stuffed, we acquired a quick shot of espresso and walked briskly over to 5th and Boren—we were fully primed for optimal Ducks riding. The day was unexpectedly beautiful. Everyone was really really ridiculously good looking. Flasks were in hand, caps unscrewed in anticipation.

The Ducks filled up. It was full of people! We had to pack ourselves in tightly, two to a seat, in order to fit everyone in! What to do in a ducktastrophe? Cling to a sponge and shoot yourself through the plastic windows. And we hit the road.

The jokes were delightfully bad, and I kept laughing at Todd’s canned laughter. Quacking helped. The whiskey helped. Waving and drunkenly quacking at strangers who looked at the roving duck-mobile in horror helped. It is a subtle form of entertainment perhaps not for those with weak hearts but weaving through Pioneer Square, downtown, over the 99, into Fremont, and across to Wallingford made me almost tear up in love over my city. Even through the hazy lens of the plastic windows, this was a beautiful city indeed. Seattle, my love affair with you is still going strong. And then, to the tune of Giligan’s Island, we plunged into the water screaming at the top of our lungs. AHHHHH!

Oh my sweet Jesus it was a beautiful day. Water came almost up to the windows and our vibrating car/boat rattled around Gas Works Park, rounded the corner to the house boat village, checked out some house from Sleepless in Seattle, over to another more expensive looking House Boat City, you might say, spotted Chihuly’s house boat out of the corner of our eyes, and got a polite “keep it on the down low” from the driver when we started getting over-excited with our flasks and cheersing each other. We gave him the “you got it!” thumbs up through his rear-view mirror. We had an understanding.

I forget what else happened, but suddenly it was over and we were drinking at the 5 Point and eating chicken strips and mashed potatoes and of course another whiskey soda.

We stumbled out of there around 3 I think and had that strange singular sensation of being drunk and feeling the sun on my pale face simultaneously. We went shopping at Kuhlman as a warm down, and then headed off to live our separate Sunday afternoons. Mine consisted of a nap.

I deem this adventure a raging success.

Are we buying advanced tickies for this or WHAT. Because last time I tried to Duck it, there was going to be a four hour wait. But I don’t want to buy my own ticket and then have you guys all ditch me. I’d kill you. All of you. Painfully.

Anybody up for going Sunday 1/15 at 1pm? It’s $23—here’s the schedule.