At forty-two stories, 462′ (141 m,) the Smith Tower was the tallest building in Seattle for fifty-five years, 1914 to 1969. On a vacation some years ago, we enjoyed the history of that building and climbing to the observation level near the top.
As a follow-up to my previous post here back in the 1980’s, I departed from Narita Airport in Tokyo on an overnight and almost empty PAN AM 747 to Hawaii. I would meet my wife, Jeanne, as she arrived from New York, where there was a glimpse of the British Airways Concorde Super Sonic Transport, at that time providing regular transatlantic service at over 1300 MPH (~ 2100 kph.)
Above:British Airways SST as seen landing at JFK, NY, March, 1981
Above: From the waiting room at Narita Airport, …my overnight ride to Hawaii.
Sleep, stretched out on empty seats, was easy on the overnight, above …and approaching Honolulu, below.
Above: Jeanne arriving from the mainland, later that afternoon.
Above: From our balcony in Waikiki. Rainbow courtesy of “Pineapple Showers.”
Thanks for viewing, …and comments are always welcome. M 🙂
About four weeks ago, in one of our last ventures before the Corvid-19 Pandemic, we visited the little town of Piermont, New York …on the Hudson River, and explored its 182 year old rock and earthen pier, which by 1851 served as a loading and unloading track bed for Erie Railroad trains picking up steamboat passengers from Lower Manhattan, twenty-five miles to the South. On the then longest rail line in the world, vacationers would travel 450 miles (724 km) to Dunkirk, NY and the shores of Lake Erie. Some hundred years later, long after the excursions were outmoded, tens of thousands of WW II troops would depart from this same mile long pier to ferries, and transfer onto troop ships in NY Harbor. Sadly, thousands would literally leave their last footsteps on U.S. soil right here. A monument nearby is solemnly named “Last Stop, USA.”
The Piermont Pier is located about two miles (3.2 km)south of the new Mario Cuomo Bridge, jutting out a little less than one mile (1.61 km) into the Hudson River.
The old steamship/ferry slip from years ago is seen above, …to the left.
Above: Today, the pier is a commercial, residential, and hiking park.
Remnants of the steamship/ferry docks can still be seen in this 2/23/20 view looking south. New York City would be just beyond Tallman Mountain to the right.
Above: A bollard, used for securing heavy lines, is seen here near the end of the pier, looking south.
Above: The trestle part of the new bridge, carrying the New York State Thruway, is about two miles (3.2 km) to the North; and Hook Mountain, overlooking the Hudson, is seen beyond.
Above: The striking new Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge; and two miles (3.2 km) further, Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse off Tarrytown, NY seen to the left of center span.
Taken some years ago while boating on the Hudson, Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, also know as Tarrytown Lighthouse or Kingsland Point Lighthouse, was “installed” in 1883.
Thanks for viewing. Zoom in for a closer look.
And a special note: BE WELL, …and please use best judgement practices as we “navigate” through these un-precedented difficult times. M
I’d like to thank the Piermont Historical Society for their added information concerning this topic, and Wikipedia. I am a proud contributer/donator to both sources.
February 2nd is Groundhog Day here in the United States (and Canada.) Although the tradition begs for a relatively large imagination, lore has it that this particular rodent, Phil, who lives just outside town, can forecast the weather. As it was my wife’s birthday, we added this somewhat iconic town, Punxsutawney, to our weekend road trip through parts of Pennsylvania. So, despite some issues with snow, we did join the throngs of Phil worshippers, and made it back home by nightfall. Oh, and he did NOT see his shadow, indicating an early spring!
Thanks for viewing. Zoom in for a closer look. Comments are always welcome. M :-)
On a road trip in Pennsylvania last week, we came across a 207 year-old bridge spanning “Jacks Creek” in Lewiston, (located roughly in the center of each map image below.) It was constructed as part of the increasingly important “Harrisburg to Pittsburgh Turnpike.“
Thanks for viewing and comments are always welcome. Zoom in for a closer look. M 🙂
