The tours have been planned and we are looking forward to seeing you in Seattle!  Here's an overview of what we'll be doing:
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011 EARLY BIRD TOURS Washington State Ferry Ride to Bainbridge Island Climb aboard one of the Evergreen State’s famous fleet of car ferries that connect Seattle with points across Puget Sound.  Visit Bainbridge Island, a popular enclave for Seattle professionals as well as artists and writers. Kayaking on Historic and Busy Lake Union Spend a half-day paddling around Lake Union, Seattle’s most interesting body of water.  See the houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle, yachts and fishing vessels, the comings and goings of a busy seaplane port, plus waterviews of industrial sites, a NOAA facility and Gas Works Park. The Boeing Tour (The Future of Flight) Visit Boeing’s Future of Flight Aviation Center north of Seattle for this 90-minute factory tour for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to view 747, 767, 777, and 787 jets being assembled.
FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2011 FRIDAY TOURS Morning departure (various times) from the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Choose from one of six special tours of industrial, historic and other fascinating sites around the Seattle area and Puget Sound region. Lake Union, Gas Works Park and the Montlake Cut Take the recently built South Lake Union Streetcar from near the Grand Hyatt through the booming South Lake Union neighborhood (home to much high tech and biotech industry) to Lake Union Park.  See the historic Naval Reserve Armory, opening in 2012 as new home to Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry.  Visit several historic places on Lake Union, including Lake Union Drydock, where commercial vessels are hauled out for repairs; Jensen Motorboat Company, where many of Seattle’s famous hydroplanes were built; the historic 1925 Montlake Drawbridge (including an over-water walk beneath the span); and remarkable Gas Works Park, former site of derelict gas plant that was transformed by landscape architect Richard Haag (who will lead the tour). Tacoma: City of Destiny--CANCELLED South of Seattle is Tacoma, historic 19th century rival for the transcontinental railroad terminus, and a city in the midst of a 21st century downtown revival.  Visit the old Union Depot, now serving as a federal courthouse.  See the Murray Morgan Bridge and other historic bridges that ring Commencement Bay and the Foss Waterway.  See how Almond Roca candies are made at the Brown & Haley plant, and visit the bustling Port of Tacoma facilities along the historic waterfront and see the famous streamlined ferry Kalakala. Industrial Seattle: Steel, Cement, Steam and Glass Visit Nucor Steel to see metal waste turned into rebar and I-beams; Ash Grove Cement, where portland and masonry cement is made; Verallia Glass Manufacturers, who turn recycled glass into jars and wine bottles; and the historic 1906 Georgetown Steam Plant, the first National Landmark designated in Washington state and one-time electrical generating facility that, while no longer operational, remains completely intact. Sensual Seattle: Salmon, Wine, Beer, Chocolate, and Coffee Go behind the scenes and sample the best of Seattle’s coffee, chocolate and wine, and visit the place where more people come face to face with salmon than anywhere else in the Northwest.  We begin the day visiting the historic 1912 Hiram M. Chittenden Locks that connect saltwater and freshwater Seattle, and which include a fishladder, where returning salmon make their way back to Lake Washington.  We then drive to Woodinville, east of Lake Washington, to lush grounds of Chateau Ste. Michele, one of the wineries that helped establish Washington as a leader in American viniculture.  Next stop is the Redhook Brewery for a tour and lunch.  We then head back to Seattle to visit Theo Chocolate, a maker of fine chocolates who uses vintage equipment in their factory alongside the Lake Washington Ship Canal.  Last stop is a local coffee roasting plant for an afternoon jolt of caffeine. Powering the Northwest: Water and Timber Travel from Seattle to the Cedar River Watershed, with a complex of early 20th century industrial structures, a 1920s hydroelectric generating station (still in use), a 1914 dam, and a company town. Next stop is the Northwest Railway Museum and its unsurpassed collection, including an 1891 Pratt truss bridge, a functioning rail line, original train depot, steam locomotives and much more.  Then, we visit the Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Company.  The mill closed in 2003 and site has been turned over to a different use, but the 1916 landmark powerhouse and stack remain, along with several of the giant timber sheds.  This former Weyerhaeuser Timber Company facility was the second in the nation to be electrified and the first to bring electricity to the timber-cutting operation.  Final stop will be the spectacular 270’ high Snoqualmie Falls. Seattle Aviation: Past, Present and Future The Seattle area owes much of its growth and vitality to Boeing, who built their first airplanes on Lake Union in Seattle nearly 100 years ago.  Boeing really boomed during World War II, when B-17s and B-29s were built by the thousands, and workers flocked here from around the country.  On this tour, we begin with a look back at the history of aviation by visiting a restoration facility north of Seattle at Paine Field in Everett, WA operated by the Museum of Flight, where volunteers bring vintage aircraft lovingly back to life. Models currently in the shop include a DeHavilland Comet, the world’s first jetliner; a WWII era Navy Wildcat; and Boeing 247, the company’s first plane from 1933. We then visit Boeing’s Future of Flight Aviation Center for a look at how the company is building the 787, as well as other widebody jets including the 747 and the 767 Air Force refueling tanker. Joining us for this special tour is Sam Howe Verhovek, author of the recent book Jet Age: The Comet, the 707 and the Race to Shrink the World.
SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2011 DOWNTOWN SEATTLE WALKING TOURS 9:00 am departure from Grand Hyatt Hotel Historic Pioneer Square Tour the cradle of early Seattle, the city’s famous Pioneer Square neighborhood.  See the 1914 Smith Tower, Seattle’s first skyscraper, and historic buildings and places from the city’s earliest days.  Led by Leonard Garfield, executive director of Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI). Seattle Center and the 1962 World’s Fair Ride the Alweg Monorail back in time 50 years to the site of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and enjoy behind-the-scenes peeks at some of the fairgrounds’ most famous landmarks.  Led by writer and historian Feliks Banel. Historic Downtown Theatres Seattle is still home to several grand theatres, though a few of them now serve in new capacities.  See the ornate exteriors and lush interiors of Seattle’s most famous showplaces.  Led by a local theater historian and architecture expert.

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