From its location on the water, to the view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day, to the cultural activities and progressiveness, I fell in love with Seattle. If it wasn’t for the climate in the winter, I would move there in a second.
We rented a condominium right on 1st Avenue in the Belltown area. Very cute place, very loud street. John and I are hikers, but while in cities we like to find places to run along water, and Seattle has the perfect place for that: Elliott Bay Trail.
After every run we search for a cafe that ideally has nitro cold brew for John and a latte with almond milk for me. During our time in Seattle we found a few great places. At the Uptown Espresso-Belltown there was only one guy working, and he didn’t looked stressed, despite the line. It turned out to be one of the best hot lattes I’ve ever had (though I typically say that about any food or beverage while I have a runners’ high). On another morning there was Uptown Espresso-Pier 70 and on another, Macrina Bakery, which also has to-die-for pastries and cookies (a ginger-molasses cookie for me, thank you very much!).
We also love to just walk around in cities; you never know what you’re going to see. For example, we found a wallet on the ground and (hopefully) were good citizens by turning it over to a security person inside a building. We witnessed a gathering where a white guy was cursing at a black man and there was a UFO sign, but we don’t know who it belonged to. In another area we walked by the Sonic Bloom and listened to a guy play his electric violin. In certain areas the signs of homelessness are unavoidable, and tents line the streets; there’s also the smell of human piss in the air.
This is what we did during our time in Seattle.
Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum
What a treat was the Chihuly Garden Glass Museum! Mr. Dale Chihuly is certainly talented with his glass-blowing, and I love all the colors. Watching the glass-blowing demonstration is worth it, just make sure you have a good view.
The Seattle Great Wheel on Pier 57
For a unique view of the city, we all took a ride on the Great Wheel, a 175-feet (53.3 meter) tall Ferris wheel. Because of the social distancing the five of us had a gondola to ourselves; silver linings! We also checked out Miner’s Landing for souvenirs.
Pike Place Market
Sara and Mindy (see Rainier National Park 2) recommended visiting Pike Place Market, especially to see the fish throwing. Fish throwing?! Why?!! It’s a thing, though, and there were lots of people (i.e., tourists) standing around for the “show.” We also spent some time going into shops, but eventually it got to be a little much. Happy for the experience, but don’t really feel like I need to go back.
Seattle Aquarium
While Aspen and I were recovering from our morning with an afternoon nap, John and his parents visited the Seattle Aquarium. John highly recommends spending a few hours there. He especially loved watching the seals swimming in the outdoor tank; they seemed to be playing with the kids through the window.
The Space Needle
Originally I was not that interested in going up in the Space Needle, the ionic 605′ spire, mostly because I can be affected by motion sickness. I also didn’t want to feel left out and miss the experience, so I decided to go for it. The elevator ride up was quick, and the views were spectacular, and it’s quite a trip to look down through the glass floor to the people and other objects so far below you. It’s a touristy thing to do, and despite it being a pandemic, there were still a lot of people up in this glass observation deck. To ward off a possible panic attack, I left my family for the gift shop at street-level, and they enjoyed more of the sights from above.
Museum of Pop Culture
MoPop was one of my favorite things to do while in Seattle, and I wish we had more than two hours. I could have spent a couple hours just inside the Fantasy and Horror rooms. We also saw the rooms featuring: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Indie Games, LGTBQ+ exhibit. Definitely have to go back!
Enough of the city. It’s time to hit the road again for another national park: Olympic.
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