July 05, 2021

Another day in Seattle, and I begin to seriously love this city. The fresh air and low humidity make it great for walking, which is what I do from the hotel back to Pike’s Market to check out the very first Starbucks and get the limited edition merch. While waiting in line, I get the pleasure of seeing a drug transaction right next to me on the sidewalk, and watch a dude buy some grams of something.

I also try a cold brew that is only made at this location , even though cold coffee isn’t my thing, but I like limited edition things. At this store, everything for sale is on display, and when you make your order, you just tell them what you would like to buy and they get it behind the counter for you. The baristas were the absolute nicest people, and made it a great experience.

Off to the Market, which is much different this early in the morning. The vendors are setting up, and it’s not as crowded as the height of the day yesterday. I’m starving for a good hearty breakfast, so I choose Lowell’s which has waterfront views. And the views do not disappoint, as I eat my veggie omelet and look at the immense cruise ships on the sound.

I want to see the famous Gum Wall. It’s off of Post Alley which I’m unable to find after taking some turns down a few levels from the Market. A man and woman are looking it for it as well, and though I’m happy to be mistaken for a Seattle native, I tell them I’m looking for it too. Together, we find Post Alley (which is reminiscent of Diagon Alley for Harry Potter fans), and the smell of spearmint is instantly in your nose as there are millions of chewed up dabs of gum on the walls from floor to ceiling in the alley. The kind couple asks me to take their pic, and they return the favor for me.

Afterwards, I take some more pics of the market and the artwork on the walls from the walkways up from the alley

and I’m excited to catch the famous Pike Place Fish Market men throwing the cold fish after a purchase! Everyone claps and cheers and cameras flash. I purchase a sticker and they cheer “Sticker! Hey!” and everyone cheers for my sticker, which I hold up triumphantly like it’s an Oscar statue.

A few blocks north of the Market and I reach the Monorail to take me back towards the Space Needle. The station itself is in a mall which is being renovated, and for about $6 round trip, I get to ride it there and enjoy views of the city.

I arrive back at the Needle and enter the Chihuly Gardens and Glass, which is named after artist Dale Chihuly who studied glass blowing in the USA and also in Venice, and returned to open a glass blowing school in Washington. I had seen the glass blowing in Venice and was thrilled to see that they did a demonstration in the museum.

The gardens are indoor and outdoor, with a huge glass foyer and large glass sculptures that depict underwater coral, shells, and delicate and geometric designs. Chihuly has a sculpture right in San Antonio in the main Public Library if you can’t make it to the Gardens. The Space Needle looms above and makes for some great pictures.

After the Gardens, I go to the back side of the Needle and tried to get into the Museum of Pop Art, or MoPoP as they call it here, but it’s sold out for the timed slots for the day. I decide to look at the humongous sculpture art outside the museum and try out a hot dog from Dog in the Park, a franchise I’ve seen around the city at parks and greenspaces, and enjoy a hot dog with all the fixings and enjoy the warm breeze. I see dogs, more artwork, and a man from Mexico doing a magic show for a crowd.

I take the monorail back to the station and begin walking towards the Pike/Pine area near Seattle University about a mile away. I’m on the way to the famous Unicorn Bar, where Anthony Bourdain once visited and had a grand, boisterous time. Except it’s the middle of the day for me, and the bar is very quiet and low key. The bartender tells me that the downstairs is open during the evening and there’s games to play and another bar called “Narwhal.” But for now, he tells me that he hasn’t had a drink in 4 years and happily makes me a non-alcoholic drink to toast.

I also order “Unicorn Balls,” which are fried cookie dough balls set inside a bowl of whipped cream with sprinkles and are absolute sugary heaven.

Then it’s off to the Seattle Chinatown-International District, where I stop at the gaming store Pink Gorilla to check out the game prices. I also go to the Daiso Japan store to buy a solar powered item for my car dashboard. I go by the Wing Luke Museum bookshop, pass the pinball arcades, and stop at their Japanese Gardens to admire the views.

There’s so much Asian food to try, toy shops to browse, and lines at a lot of restaurants. I finally settle on Dough Zone, a place that was highly rated and with good reason! I have fried pork bao and hot and sour clear noodle soup, and it’s all under twenty bucks. I sit at the window and watch the people pass by, but what gets my attention is 3 Seattle police officers step inside. They all are wearing outer vests with tons of gear packed on; they look like a SWAT team ready to enter. But all they do is pick up a bag of food for their dinner, so that seals the deal to me that this place is solid.

My feet have put on a lot of miles today, so I get an Uber and my driver is a woman from Brazil who is in school to be a helicopter pilot for tourist groups. She wants to move to Florida eventually because she says the people are happier there.

The next morning, I get on my flight after taking about 15 minutes to back my car out of the extremely tight parking spot a the hotel underground garage. But my flight is delayed because one person doesn’t want to wear a face mask, and we taxi back to the gate and she gets booted off! The pilot says he will do his best to make up for lost time, but I get to Chicago O’Hare and my connecting flight is about to take off and I’m still on the plane. I am extremely lucky that the gate to the plane to San Antonio is right next to the gate I exit my plane from, and the attendant sees my distress after I beg her that I need to make it on the plane. Another score for only carry-on bags; the plane leaves with me on it, and I arrive in San Antonio late in the night, but I avoided staying the night at O’Hare on the airport floor.

Seattle is an outdoor person’s paradise, with culture, food, and lots to do. I have a feeling that I’ll be back here one day soon!