July 04, 2021

Time to explore Seattle!

I take I-5 to 99 and after returning the items I borrowed at the Seattle REI, I continue on north over Lake Union to the very gentrified area of Fremont and to see the famous Fremont Troll, a sculpture underneath the Fremont bridge.

Fremont appeared to be what you would think stereotypical “Seattle” is: people in nice casual wear riding bikes in very generous bike lanes in the streets, or walking their dogs with a non-Starbucks coffee cup in their hand. I pass lots of cubical-shaped stacked apartments in this area and find parking near the piers at a reasonable price.

The troll is a massive sculpture that you have to walk up an incline to see. It appears to be painted in certain places.

After snapping pics of the troll, I want to grab something to eat, so I wander down the street until I find a market and I realize it’s Sunday.

The market tents have everything from crafts to vintage clothing to homemade ceramics. I purchase some silver jewelry to remember my trip here and strike up a conversation with a woman from Peru selling her wares. She’s absolutely thrilled that I know Spanish, and we have a pleasant conversation about Peru and how her brother helps make their crafts and does indigenous tattoos in his own shop! I purchase a hand knit scarf for my doggie back home.

I then come to a group of food trucks parked in a parking lot and after debating the ice cream truck’s items (it is still almost 100 degrees today), I decide on a place called Bean Fish, a Japanese food truck specializing in stuffed waffle treats. They cook it in front of you so you wait just a bit, but my chicken and slaw waffle with sauce is scrumptious and worth the wait. I also purchase a button from them and they tell me it’s special because it’s the first one ever sold!

Now it’s early afternoon and I drive back to downtown Seattle to check into my hotel in the Cascade area. I also park my car; I won’t need it while in the city, there’s plenty of walking to do and there’s other ways of transportation here since parking is kind of scarce and pricey.

First stop is the Public Market Center, or Pike Place Market, to explore. It’s definitely the heart of downtown Seattle, a labyrinth of sounds and smells, people and food, and sensory overload at everything to look at. There’s rows of fresh flowers in paper cones next to stands with touristy T-shirts. Fruits and vegetables in every color, crab and fish on ice, Washington apples and cherries in adorable containers, local artists selling their paintings, organic soaps, patches and stickers, and restaurants squeezed in-between the stands and tables. You could literally spend hours here and make it a day. The piers are also behind the market, where there’s ferries and cruise ships docked and the Puget Sound is spread out before you. I decide to come back for sunset.

Directly across the market is the first ever Starbucks, and it’s got a long line just to enter. People stop frequently to take a picture in front of it’s famous old style mermaid design. Since I don’t want to waste precious daylight time in line, I decided to come back early tomorrow to visit the store.

Next stop is the Space Needle, which I’ve always wanted to go up in! I walked from the Market to the Needle which is a mile away. The lines are pretty long despite COVID, and I pay the double attraction ticket for the Needle and the Chihuly Gardens next to it. The base of the Needle is surrounded by greenspace, food stands, playgrounds, and a monorail station.

The top of the Needle is outside with glass walls at an angle with benches to sit and lots of places to take your pics. It gives you 360 degree views of the area, with Mount Rainier in the faded background, the Sound, and the skyscrapers of the city. I’m really glad it’s a sunny day today!

There’s a second observatory deck just below the top one, and it’s a must see becuase it has a rotating glass floor!! It’s fun to stand and watch your feet move and see clear down to the ground below. There’s also a super fancy restrauant on this deck. The prices to eat here were very extravagant, but there wasn’t much privacy between the tables and the people taking in the views, so not worth it to me. For the poorer folk, there’s regular bar drinks that you can sip while up on the decks.

I decide to do the Chihuly Gardens tomorrow to take my time in them so I walk back to the piers. I go back to the pier area on Alaskan Way and start at Pier 66, where there’s a convention center, chartered boats for tours, an aquarium, more shops and restaurants and an indoor carousel; but what catches my eye is the famous Seattle Great Wheel, which is the largest wheel on the West coast! Other fun facts: each seating pod is enclosed and air conditioned, and there’s even a VIP one with leather seating and a glass floor!

Time to eat dinner! Most of the restaurants are packed and full, probably cause it’s the weekend and a holiday (4th of July!) so I walk down the pier past the Wheel and find a place called Miner’s Landing which has a line to order to go! I order a shrimp po-boy sandwich with crisp lettuce and crinkle fries, and watch the people go by. There’s a guy with a pedi-bike that says he’s Captain America Seattle, and I watch him give delighted people rides up and down the pier with his boombox blasting. Another man is cycling for the American troops with a stationary bike and a bucket filled with tips. A gentleman sits next to me and he tells me he lives in California but used to live in Texas and loves San Antonio. We have a nice chat about San Antonio and our favorite places there. His granddaughter comes to him with a delicious looking ice cream, and after he says goodbye, I go purchase an Chocolate ice cream for myself to enjoy.

The sun is starting to set and so I go buy my ticket for the Wheel, which now has a light display flashing red, white, and blue. You get decent time in the wheel pod, and I see the sunset and watch the city begin to twinkle. I even see some fireworks on the other side of Elliot bay.

Uber takes me back to the hotel, where I can rest up for further exploration tomorrow!