[35-Days Trip 2010] Starbucks, Boeing and Microsoft

Most of the places I visited for my first day in Seattle are not on the top of a sightseeing list for tourists. But if my list doesn't involve Starbucks, Boeing and Microsoft, no one is going to believe I visited Seattle.

an extra "u" following Q as usual

I discovered my allergic to caffeine after came to US, kind of ironic when live in a world soaked with coffee. I watched people holding a cup of coffee, Starbucks mostly, in subway, on the street, in elevator, at work...
And I, to avoid feeling like just take the pill for asthma , am stuck with my own formula - half decaf / half milk. Don't laugh, I still cherish its taste, even only half out of half.
Now, I'm in world's largest coffee chain's hometown. I can't help myself getting a real cup, and of course, from store #1 in Pike Place market.

For my "Iced Mocha with white chocolate", woo!

My history with plane isn't that long as I mentioned in [air travel _ flight]. But FAQ's curiosity won't let me miss the chance to see how planes assembled in the biggest building in the world.
I booked the factory tour online and was happy with my well-planning, because I found a way going Everett with one-time bus transfer, while lots of travel tips were saying only car and tour can make the trip from downtown Seattle.
The first bus arrived unexpected early. I sat in the bus stop, eating breakfast and waiting and waiting for the second one... until I started feeling so familiar as two days ago, waiting in Spokane airport [see Seattle, I'm coming... ] The only different was, no information board this time, just a help number listed on the bottom of the bus sign, almost worn off.
You can imagine my reaction when the representative on the other end of the line told me that this bus listed both online and on the sign, which I had been waiting for at least 45 minutes, is at 6:30am in the morning, and THAT'S IT for the whole day!! Have to say his surprise was no less than me when passing this news.
Seattle public bus system did impressed me through all different angles. The super responsible service line representative spent almost 3 minutes searching and found me another way to Boeing factory without calling a taxi. A nice bus driver offered me a free ride because he worried about me having to pay express bus fare (slightly more expensive than city bus) for just 2 stops in less than one mile...
Ten minutes before my reservation,  I got off the third bus. I bet no one else in that tour got there in the way I did, more specifically by running through 8 big blocks, all the way up to top of the hill. In the end, the state freeway intersection in front of aviation center simply tells me, in American, public transportation is not always a choice.
Anyway, too much pre-story, picture time.

(No photos allowed during assemble line tour, all digital devices need to be checked in locker. The official explanation is "to avoid unknown parts drop on our high-valued aircraft and invaluable worker's head from the tour deck high up".)





To fill the last section of mandatory Seattle Travel list,
- I "visited" The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, if passing in front of unfinished building counts.
- HTC HD2 with its Windows Mobile saved me from getting lost in the first stop of my trip.