In Seattle, fun and sunset on a Puget Sound ferry

There are plenty of bright lights on the Seattle waterfront, including the Seattle Aquarium (Pier 59) and the Seattle Great Wheel (Pier 57). But on the right day, Pier 52 — the ferry terminal — might be the most fun per dollar.

The terminal, run by the Washington State Department of Transportation, handles several ferries a day to and from Bainbridge Island and Bremerton. In both cases, a round-trip adult fare is just $8, or $13.90 if you’re in a car. (Admission to the aquarium is $21.95; to the wheel $13.) The payoff: quality time on Puget Sound.

This “A Minute Away” video, “On the ferry, Puget Sound, Seattle,” covers the 35-minute ride to Bainbridge Island, and then the return trip, on a balmy day in late August. As you can see, the ferry is big with cyclists, many of whom are commuting to and from work. Ride late in the day and you might get a sunset on the water.

“A Minute Away” is a video series in which nothing much happens -- except you see the world, and hear it, and get a minute’s respite from workaday life. (Actually, some are as long as 1:40.) These are casual moments without talking heads or narration – just natural sounds from Machu Picchu, Red Square, the Yucatan, an Alaska float plane or the reading room of the New York Public Library. We add new ones weekly, and we’ve got more than 60 of them now, so if you’d prefer a full hour away…