Atlanta Marriott Marquis Architecture

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I was in Atlanta on work for a few days and the Marriott Marquis hotel was the center of a lot of the events I was involved with.  I had not been to this hotel before and I had no idea what it looked like. Externally, it looks a little different but not particularly interesting.  However, the interior is a very different story.  For a while when I was first in there, I didn’t realize just how dramatic it is.  Then I looked up!

The atrium runs the height of the hotel and the floors gradually taper in towards the top.  The curved patterns of the floors look like the ribs of an animal.  From the ground looking up, it is amazing.  There is an area in the lobby with a small roof so you can be under there and have no idea.  Then you step out and have a “wow” moment.  From the top floors, looking down is just as incredible.  If, like me, you are not partial to heights, it is rather scary.  I did have to look though.

 

AirEuropa to the Sun

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This example is not going to get me to the sun from Seattle.  It will head to Europe before it starts transporting passengers.  I saw it during test flying activities as it flew approaches to Paine Field.  The sun was out but the skies were stormy so it made quite a dramatic sight as it bashed the pattern at Everett.

They even were kind enough to fly a missed approach the first time to get a different view of the jet.  Then it was around the pattern and back in for a second approach, this time landing.  The dark sky background was only in the direction of the approach so the roll out shots were far less dramatic.

 

Fin Park

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A little too much celebration of Thanksgiving meant I needed to burn off a few extra calories.  I figured a bike ride would be a good option and decided to check out the Burke Gilman Trail.  This runs around Lake Washington on the alignment of an old railroad.  Not too many hills to deal with then!  I wasn’t sure how far I would go but I headed towards Magnuson Park.  This sits on the eastern shore of Lake Washington on the site of a former naval base.  It was once a Naval Air Station but was progressively pared back until it was deactivated and returned to the city.

One of the things I was curious to see in the park is a sculpture installation called the Fin project.  This takes a bunch of fins from decommissioned nuclear subs and arranges them in patterns that are reminiscent of the fins of pods of orcas.  The Navy donated the fins and private subscriptions paid for the rest of the installation.  The result is an interesting exhibit with varying sizes of fin at different positions and angles.

The meaning of the sculpture varies depending on who is checking it out.  It represents the naval station and the service of those based there, it draws parallels with the wildlife in the area, it represents recycling of material and it has a swords to plowshares aspect to it too.  Each fin has a plaque that notes the vessel it came from, the name of an orca from a local pod and the names of those who donated to fund the installation.

I was there on a pretty overcast day and only had my phone with me to get shots.  I think that the cloudy sky was actually a pretty appropriate backdrop as the darkness of the fins and the hint of their life in the deep would be a little offset on a bright and sunny day.

Westjet Charter Arrival

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Mark and I were on the south side of Vancouver when a Westjet plane came in.  No big deal there but this flight was a charter operation so, instead of heading to the main terminal area, it came straight to us.  They taxied straight to us where the passengers were quickly dropped off.  The crew then turned the jet around promptly and taxied back out for departure.  It was an efficient delivery and a slightly different location to see an airliner being operated.

Ruslan Before Sunset

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My wife is a trooper.  We were coming back from a day out in the mountains and I saw an Antonov AN124 was coming in to Everett.  It was due to land shortly before sunset and sounded like something I wouldn’t want to miss.  We weren’t going to be able to get home in time to drop of Nancy so I could get back up to see it arrive.  She agreed to make a diversion to see the plane come in.  Not her thing but she was okay with being there.

The timing could not have been much better.  The light was nice, low and soft so the plane looked great as it trundled down the approach.  When it taxied back up to the north entrance to the Boeing ramp, the texture of the skin, which is normally lost in higher light, was a lot easier to see.  In fact, the finish looked pretty rough.  I guess the Volga Dnepr planes get a lot of use!

Tumwater Canyon

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Our trip across Stevens Pass ended just short of Leavenworth.  We took a run along the river through Tumwater Canyon.  Here the river sits in the bottom of the valley and the road runs alongside it.  Plenty of nice views of the river as it winds its way downhill, some of which you can only see as you drive along the road because there is no space to stop.  Other locations, though, do provide an area to allow you to pull off and wander around.  Given how pretty it is, you are not alone in these places!

The river widens out in places and then narrows in to some rapids in others.  On a sunny day with the fall foliage around, standing by the water and watching the swirling and tumbling flows is really relaxing.  The noise of the water can drown out the traffic passing not far away and you can be quite mesmerized.  If you don’t mind the close proximity to the traffic, you can also explore a little in each direction away from the parking and get some great new views of the river.  You are either walking alongside the road or outside the barriers and close to the edge of the river so paying attention is a must!

One downside to the popularity of the place is that it is a bit tricky to avoid having lots of people in your shots.  You can move away a little and have them out of sight.  Alternatively, a little careful selection of your angles and shooting location and they can either be cropped out or cunningly concealed behind some other part of the scenery.

What Am I Supposed to do With This F-16 Ladder?

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The Open House at Portland International that the Redhawks held was not the only thing going on that morning.  While we were checking out the F-15s, a bunch of ground crew were at work out on the ramp area.  They were setting up spots on the ramp for some incoming planes.  As soon as I saw the ladders being carried, I could see that they were not for F-15s.  They looked a lot more like F-16 ladders.  The crews carried them out in a variety of manners but this person seemed to have a more relaxed way of moving a ladder around.

Ah, An Esprit!

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Since I didn’t grow up in the US, a lot of the older cars in museums are not ones that I knew about as a kid.  However, a Lotus Esprit is one right out of my childhood.  I fell in love with this car as a result of The Spy Who Loved Me when Bond’s Esprit morphed into a submarine.  From then on, I dreamed of owning this car.  The America’s Car Museum has an example of the pre-turbo Esprit in its collection and, while it certainly is dated by the styling, I still think it is a great looking car.  Just don’t pay attention to the switches and knobs pinched from the parts bins of the major car manufacturers of the time!

Big Tugs

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At the majority of airports I fly out, there are basic tugs used to push the airliners back.  They are hooked on using a towbar and push the jet out.  The tugs at Heathrow are a bit different from the ones I am used to seeing.  They are the type of tug that actually picks up the noseleg to move the aircraft out.  The leg is surrounded by the tug and elevated.  The tug then drives wherever required with the leg coming along.  They are pretty substantial beasts.  Moving a widebody needs a big tug I guess.  They can move a 747 or an A380 but in this case “only” a 787.