"CJ" wrote in message ...
1. Arlington or Museum of Flight?

Assuming you share your wife's interest in homebuilt aircraft, it's a
no-brainer IMHO. Forget the Museum of Flight and go to Arlington. You
could try to squeeze in the MoF as Antonio suggests, but they don't open
early and that, plus the long drive to Arlington (45 minutes on a good day,
but traffic might slow you down, especially as you get near Arlington, and
*especially* if you're arriving at the airshow late) means you'll be cutting
your time at Arlington short.

Note that the MoF is open late on the Thursday you're here (until 9pm) *and*
admission will be free. So really, what you ought to do is head over to the
MoF after dinner Thursday, and then spend all day at Arlington on Friday.


[...]
2. (Off topic - Larry, start bitching) - Fourth of July. What and where
are the fireworks opportunities for us (we're styaing at the Camlin, a few
blocks east of Pikes)?

"Pikes"? Perhaps you mean "Pike Place Market"? Not sure, since the Camlin
is actually about nine blocks east of the Market, but I don't know what
other "Pikes" you might be talking about.

In any case, you will be roughly equidistant from the fireworks over Elliott
Bay and over Lake Union. Public access is better at Elliott Bay, because of
the large waterfront park there. The largest open area for viewing the Lake
Union fireworks is Gasworks Park, at the north end of the lake, on the
opposite end of the lake from where you're staying. You might be able to
find a decent viewing spot on the south end of Lake Union somewhere though.
The south end of Lake Union and Myrtle Edwards Park (for the Elliott Bay
show) are both within walking distance from the Camlin (about a mile for
either).

Some people have opinions as to whether the Elliott Bay or Lake Union
fireworks are better. They are both big shows though, and I don't think you
can go wrong with either.

Some options to consider other than walking to either spot:

* You might check with the Camlin to see what sort of viewing
opportunities are available from there. They aren't the tallest building
around, but they're a bit uphill from a lot of the rest of the city. You
can probably get a good view of the Lake Union show from the hotel, and a
partial view of the Elliott Bay show as well. If you can get a top-floor,
northwest corner unit, you're golden.

* Another possibility for seeing both shows at once might be Volunteer
Park on Capitol Hill. It's a little farther of a walk (maybe 1.5 miles),
but I think it should have decent views of both shows. You could probably
see both from some spots on Queen Anne Hill (just west of Lake Union), but
then you'd be between the shows, which would probably mean you'd miss the
best of each. In either case, you'll want to get there early so you have
time to scout out good spots, since those aren't the "official" viewing
locations, and so sight-lines won't be ensured without some effort on your
part.

* A quick check on Google shows that the Argosy Cruise company (the
largest local boat cruise outfit) has fireworks viewing cruises. They've
got three different cruises; if I were picking, I'd go for the "Locks and
Fireworks" cruise, since it's the longest, only costs a little more than the
shortest, and in addition to providing viewing of the Lake Union fireworks,
will take you through the Ballard Locks. Of course, I think going through
the Locks is fun...if you don't like boating, and have no interest in large
public works projects like locks, you might not find it as enjoyable.
http://www.argosycruises.com/themecruises/default.cfm
Scroll down to the July section. There are other cruise outfits around, and
they may offer similar packages.

Whatever you do, don't drive yourself to the fireworks. If walking seems
daunting, take a cab or the bus. Those resources will be in short supply as
well, but it'll be a piece of cake compared to trying to find parking before
the fireworks, and trying to get out of parking after. Walking is unlikely
to take any longer than any other form of transportation, and may well be
quicker.

Pete