Day 30 - Seattle Tourist, round 2

Wednesday was another fun mix of Seattle history and modern favorites around town. We had a nice late breakfast before heading down to the metro to catch the train to Pioneer Square, historically the center of town. I know this happens in other cities, but I'd never seen an underground train station that also serves as a bus terminal, with both pulling up to the same curb and exiting out the same tunnel - I thought it was a really good way to integrate the two systems.

We arrived in the rainy square and went to the Underground Tour! I could easily go on and on about how cool Seattle history is (and how they backfilled their streets to prevent flooding so now the roads are actually on the level of the 2nd floor of most buildings), but I'll just let you read about it here. If you're visiting or have lived there for a while, it's a really fun way to learn more about the city, but bring a jacket because it's pretty chilly and drippy!

By this point it was about time for lunch, so we walked up towards the famous Pike Place Market to see what we could see and decide on a place to eat. I assumed that the market was just constantly packed, but on a Wednesday afternoon it was very easy to move around and see all the different things on display, from the famous "flying" fish to the abundant flowers, jewelry to jams, produce galore (who knew there was such a thing as a "lobster mushroom"?) and so many free samples I think you could easily graze your way through lunch without buying a thing. We resisted temptation and ended up having sandwiches at the Three Sisters Bakery, which happened to be staffed entirely by men, whose efficient and productive bustle in the confines of the tiny kitchen soon resulted in each of us happily munching on some tasty delights. I had a shockingly generous portion of garlic pepper baked salmon on a baguette - yum! Later as we walked around we stopped in The Chocolate Market for dessert. We sampled a few of the fudges (I walked out with some of the Pumpkin Nut to share with Elise and Hannah), and then each chose one of the chocolate confections. They all looked delicious, and my salted dark chocolate peanut butter cup (really a layer of real peanut butter sandwiched between two disks of chocolate) absolutely made it worth the stop.

Other fun moments in the market included seeing the "original" Starbucks (actually the oldest, they moved from the original location once they started getting a lot of business, so this is really the second store), watching cheesemaking through the window of the cheese shop, seeing Rachel the giant piggy bank, and some of the odd and fun public art.

We still had some time before Jim and Jeannie had to go to a dinner event, so we went to the Seattle Great Wheel. Jeannie gets motion sick so it was just Jim and me (and Gnome). It was a bit expensive in my mind for going around a ferris wheel a few times, but one of those "do it once for the novelty" kind of things, and the view of the city and harbor was pretty spectacular. We walked back home through the infamous "gum wall" alley of the Market, then stopped for coffee at Jim's new favorite cafe, Caffe Senso Unico. His latte was very artful (it seems to be almost a requirement in Seattle that your barista do a pretty design in your coffee), and my chai had a velvety layer of foam. After we'd finished our drinks we walked home and I saw the two of them off to their event. I hung around the apartment writing postcards for a few more minutes, then it was time to relocate a few blocks north to stay with Hannah and Elise!

I met Elise and Hannah very early on our freshman year at Mt Holyoke - Elise was my neighbor two doors down, and Hannah and I had a few mutual friends so we saw each other from time to time. We stayed in touch over the years (Elise even sent me letters all the way to Burkina!) and the two of them generously invited me to come stay while I was in town. We had wanted to get together on Mountain Day for ice cream but they had a commitment that evening so we belatedly celebrated on Wednesday, going for ice cream at Molly Moon's after an amazing dinner of homemade veggie pizza and kale salad. Their apartment is tucked in this little unassuming building on the west side of Lake Union, but when you get inside and see the bright colored walls, nicely refinished kitchen, numerous bookshelves, and the stunning view of the lake and the city skyline out of their dining area windows...wow. I think we talked pretty much non-stop from when I showed up around 6 until we were falling asleep in the living room near midnight! We took a walk with our ice cream (try the blackberry bergamot or the scout mint, the balsamic strawberry was also delicious) over to Kerry Park, where I think I stopped talking mid-sentence when we rounded the corner and I saw the night skyline all lit up in front of us, it was that amazing. Another situation where pictures don't do it justice.

Pictures:

 In the transit station

What can I say, graffiti fascinates me

 In Pioneer Square

 The glass you see set into sidewalks at street level is actually old skylights for the underground sidewalks at former-street level

 One of Seattle's original toilets, the ones that might become a geyser of sewage if you flushed when the tide was coming in

 Former market place

 Hospitable enough that plants just start growing on the sides of things

 The guy who originally started the tour company wrote this book about Seattle history

 I had no idea they had an actual store!

 The Hammering Man outside of the Art Museum

 It can be tough when they don't have a listing in the single's ads for "building seeking renter"

 Upside down window washers

Going into the Market

 We didn't actually see any flying fish, but heard the cheers later

 The oldest Starbucks. I can't decide if I'm pleased or disappointed that I successfully avoided Starbucks coffee while in Seattle

 CHEESE

 See, Gnome, at least you don't have to ride along with me in the front grill of my car

 Eating chocolate in a giant chair? Why not

I'm hoping this is art, otherwise someone's clothing has been hanging there for so long that it's been shredded by the wind

 The Wheel

 The Gum Wall

 I didn't see a check mark in either the yes or no box

 Awesome street art

 View from Kerry Park

Red eyes and all, it's always nice to celebrate Mountain Day with friends