Seattle ‘08
Seattle for sure, was yet another city that surprised me. The amounts of activities, especially if you’re an outdoorsy types of person is literally endless. There are so many natural parks and reserves around the area, it’s impossible to run out of outdoor adventures.
The first thing I did after I arrived in Seattle was to explore around the downtown area. First stop: Athenian Inn at Pike Place Market. You know, where Tom Hank ate in the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”?. A few bites into my food, I realized that I’ve stopped at a total tourist spot — the food wasn’t the greatest, but the sight of the marina wasn’t too bad. The market offers its own charm in its quirky way, something I think that is more enjoyed by the local than tourists. I eventually decided to hike up the hills WITH my luggage all the way up to Kerry Park in Queen Anne, Northwest of Pike Place Market, and a hike it was. I was sweating buckets after the climb, and I think just about every passerby on the street gave me a “Poor-tourist” pity look. It was worth it though, as the view from the park was an amazing one. Too bad I arrived on a cloudy day, I’m sure a clearer sky and a non-hidden Mt. Rainier would’ve made the trip worth just a little more.
The bus system in Seattle was a bit confusing. There were multiple fares at many different times of day, and there were “zones” where you could travel for free at certain times. I was quite fortunate enough to meet a local gal named Val, who guided me from the airport to the appropriate buses and stops. I would’ve been lost if it wasn’t for her!
After Kerry Park, I spent the entire later half of the afternoon going from coffee shop to coffee shop, not really knowing where I would go. My friend Bill was still working away at the time. I decided not to be a wondering traveler when the famous non-stop rains of Seattle started to pour. I figure an umbrella wouldn’t really cover both me and my luggage, so I parked myself in one of the many, many coffee houses in Seattle. Thank goodness I had my Nintendo DS with me. That made the hours passed by just a tad faster.
The next morning Bill and I got up bright and early and drove all the way from his house in Sammamish, WA to downtown Seattle. Where I was suppose to meet up with Evergreen Escape, a tour company based in Seattle, offering local and sustainable eco-tourism. We ended up being an hour early thanks to a mix-up with the meeting time. What did we do? Obviously, park ourselves at Starbucks! Hmmmm, Pumpkin Spice Latte…
Jeff, my guide for the day, was ultra nice. The Mercedes Van that I sat in, was totally awesome and comfy!. Our first stop ended up being the Sculpture park, which was much more informative now that there’s a guide there. Second stop: Kerry Park… d’oh. It was also very cloudy that day, so nope, didn’t get to see Mt. Rainier… again.
Our next stop was a quick stroll through Discovery Park. We ended up by the beaches of Puget Sound at the West Point Lighthouse, where we saw some amazing birds and animals, including this little guy:
A baby seal! There were laws in Washington State that prohibits humans from getting within 15 feet of these cute creatures. We were quite close though, which made my whole day. The seal was waiting for the mother to return with some breakfast, we assumed. Either that, he just really wanted to get some sun.
We then made our way to the Theo Chocolate factory in Fremont, where we got to learn about the company and sample some chocolaty treats! Yummmmm. They’re the only Fair trade, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the States!
Up next, the famous Fremont Troll! It was apparently featured in the movie “Ten Things I Hate about You”. But I wouldn’t know since I’ve never seen the movie. This art piece was a winner of a competition sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council in 1990, and was sculpted by four local artists. The Volkswagen Beetle in his left hand was an actual working car! As you can see, this thing was huge!
We then headed for Gasworks Park, which features the remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The plant was in operation from 1906 to 1956. The park offers plenty of space — 19.1 acres of it. Gasworks Park is also the starting point of Seattle’s World Naked Bike Ride. Fun facts 101.
Later, we went to visit Commodore Park to see the Salmons, and even got to see the campus of University of Washington along the way. We ended our tour for the day around noon. Where I met up with Bill again to do the Seattle Underground tour. Too bad I forgot my camera in the car! The tour itself was very interesting. Pioneer Square, the oldest spot in Seattle, and surrounding areas were built on top of the original streets!
Later that afternoon, I was dropped off at Microsoft, where Alex was working at the time (and will be in the future!). And we played a lot of whack-a-mole on the Microsoft Surface. Brilliant. Later, we had dinner, and went to see a dazzling display of “Beauty and the Beast” performed by Village Theater in Issaquah. It was a great performance, the only beef I had was the lack of a big orchestra (The score really calls for a big and lush sound… something that a small production company couldn’t really offer). I especially loved the choreography between Belle (Jennifer Paz) and Gaston (Troy L. Wageman) in the duet “Me”. I distinctly remember trying not to laugh as Paz was lugged around like a rag doll, her facial expression was priceless.
All it all it was a fantastic way to start my vacation. Next up: Olympics Peninsula!
