I was going to call it See It All, Seattle!, thinking it an original title. Then, on day one, stop one, Space Needle, I saw sweatshirts that beat me to that clearly unoriginal name, so I went with Plan B, based on the under the rainy weather head colds suffered by both Sai and myself on our long Columbus Day Weekend excursion.
We arrived in Siberia on a Wednesday night, hopped on the light rail, and arrived at Pioneer Square 45 minutes later. There, we entered the neighborhood home of lots of homeless people, doing their part to make Sai feel unsafe on the couple block walk to our hotel at the Best Western Pioneer Square. The hotel is well situated with a convenient position a few blocks from the waterfront, a few blocks farther to Pike Place Market, with the International District and its meager Chinatown the opposite direction, and the baseball and football stadiums a little farther still, though we would not be seeing any Mariner, Sounder, or Seahawk games during our short stay. Did I say Siberia? Honest mistake. Sai’s constant complaining of being cold for five straight days (despite wet temps in the 50s or 60s, on average) made me think we were in some subarctic winterland.
Day 1 – Saw It All!
Day One started with the requisite tourist attractions – Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens, EMP, Pike Place Market, harbor cruise. We got the most of our City Pass, checked a bunch of items off our list, and were well ahead of schedule by dinner time.
Space Needle
The Space Needle, billed and built in 1962 as the Eiffel Tower for the Space Age, pleased me more than the outdated French structure, because this one was open (our Paris trip last year was ill-timed with the evil actions of some Islamic Extremists – does the use of those words somehow trump their bloodshed?). At that time, the Space Needle was the tallest structure on the west coast, surpassing the 42 story Smith Tower, which had held that title since its opening in 1914. Today, there are plenty of taller buildings in downtown Seattle, to the point where the pointy skyscraper doesn’t even spring into view until you’re practically on top of it, at least via the urban pathway; the Space Needle does stand out better from the water. It was nice to start our day with a panoramic view of the city, though on this cloudy day, we could not spot the distant mountains. And Sai was really cold at the windy top.
Chihuly
Chihuly Gardens are right next door, so stop 2 took us through the crazy glass-blown artwork of Mr. Dale Chihuly. If you’ve ever been to Bellagio in Vegas, you’ve seen his handiwork in the flowers (seemingly) floating in the ceiling. Washington’s homegrown artist has traveled the globe showcasing his talents, with pieces from these shows now residing here. There were also short videos giving our audience insight into the process of the one-eyed old man in action. Apparently you can superheat glass, blow through it with a crack pipe, and turn it into funky colors and shapes that you then piece together into even funkier sculptures, simulating chandeliers, flowers, forests, and other oddities. Definitely a unique style of abstract art (is that redundant? – Isn’t all abstract art unique?).
EMP
The EMP Museum (Experience Music Project) is also on the same old World’s Fair grounds, with an abstract artwork structure designed by a different artist, architect Frank Gehry. The crazy shapes and colors of the building look like they used Dale’s crack pipe (not sure what the technical name for the tool is; I’m not suggesting the glass pirate has a drug habit) to blow sheet metal into an even grander scale. In other words, it’s a cool looking building.
Inside, there are all kinds of interesting displays for music history, movies, fashion, video games, and Star Trek! Sai never heard of Hendrix, and she usually asks me to change the station when Nirvana comes on the radio, so she was not as enthralled with the Jimi and Kurt exhibits. In one of the music lab studios, we made beautiful music together. And by beautiful music, I mean cacophonous noise to test the limits of the sound-proof chamber; I was ready for the staff to ask us to leave. What we have in love, we lack in musical talents. Rather than piling onto Sai’s ennui, I agreed we could skip the special Star Trek exhibit (since it was also $5 extra), though I did enjoy the sci-fi and horror film history sections. The highlight for me was seeing the displayed outfit worn by Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element. If you’ve never seen it, and you’re into cheesy sci-fi films featuring very attractive actresses in skimpy outfits, check it out. Sai was not as turned on by Milla’s old garb.
Chowder
A short ride on the monorail brought us back to midtown, whence we were able to walk to Pike Place Market. Am I the only one who sings the Simpsons monorail song to myself when riding one? The famous flying fish market has plenty of food stalls and restaurants, though we didn’t see any famous flying fish. They were all already laying there dead on ice. Not nonplussed, we waited in line for Pike Place Chowder for our late lunch. The line out the door and down the block moves relatively quickly, and the tables turnover timely as well, so we were able to find a seat to eat our seafood bisque (hers), crab and oyster (mine), with a side of lobster roll (ours). The chowder was excellent. The lobster was less so, but okay. We spent the next three days talking about going back for more, though the timing would not work out. The chowder was Sai’s trip highlight, even better than the nearby gum wall. (I’m sure there’s some significance to the famous wall coated in discarded bubblegum, but I didn’t bother to research it, and would not recommend going out of your way to find it. Fortunately, it’s right next to the market, so you can check it off the list without any extra effort).
Cruise
The Argosy Harbor Cruise was also part of our city pass, so we spent an hour riding the waters and learning about the history of Seattle and its seaport. Don’t worry, I won’t try to retell that history here. Lots of sea containers and massive container ships, dry-docks, coast guard ice-breaker boats, expensive yachts, and the Seattle downtown skyline behind it all. Of course, since Sai was frozen, she spent the entire time inside the cabin. I ventured out briefly for some clearer pictures and managed to see a distant sea lion.
Dinner and Drinks
Sai wanted to call it a day after the cruise, but I convinced her to venture out for a quick dinner. Instead, we found Kraken Congee, a Korean fusion hipster bar near our hotel, where the service was anything but quick, and the food was not worthy of its half-decent Yelp review. Why do so many locals have goofy goatees, ridiculous earlobe expanding discs, and homeless fashions? I must be getting old, and I was never cool, so I didn’t fit in. Still, to stand out slightly less, I elected not to shave for the rest of the trip.
Ruby Fro-Ho
Sai signed my permission slip to go out after dinner, so I headed back to P.P. for the Pike Brewing Company, where I hung at the bar with Ruby from Houston, an Indian girl traveling solo and staying nearby. We compared notes of sites to see (Sai and I were way ahead of her, since she had only arrived that day and we had already covered so many tourist stops). The young millennial enjoyed beer, football and travel, and she looked normal (relative to the Seattle hipsters). I encouraged her to add Philly, Thailand and South Africa to her places to see list, and she recommended Houston and India. The Space Needle Golden IPA, though award-winning, didn’t do it for me, nor did their amber ale. However, a few days forward, I found their Kilt Lifter scotch ale to be very good, and that would be my recommendation if you find yourself there (or at one of the other establishments serving their brews). My walk home was marked by heavy rain, somewhat dampening my drunken spirits.
Day 2 – Hit the Road
Because we saw it all on Thursday, Friday we picked up a rental car and hit the road to get out of Seattle. The stupid clouds that blocked Mount Rainier from our Space Needle viewpoint would not stop us this time, as GPSai led us on another rental car adventure. I had printed out some recommended routes, but the navigator programmed google maps instead, which meant dirt roads less traveled. Our little Toyota Yaris was barely up to the task, bouncing in and out of every Yaris-sized crater for twenty miles of bumpy fun, with Sai tasking me with avoiding the unpleasant potholes. Not an easy assignment. At the park entrance, a ranger laughingly guessed that we were following google maps, before telling me that there were only two trail options on this dead-end road, and both hikes were significantly longer than anything Sai would be willing to complete. We parked our moon rover, walked a half mile to Mowich Lake, snapped a couple pictures, retraced our steps, and headed for a different part of the park.
The Nisqually Entrance has paved roads, park services (inns, restaurants, camp sites, museum), and offers more trail options than Sai’s scenic starter route. The Alta Vista trail took us up to around 6500’, into the clouds, high enough (and too cold for Sai), though well short of the Rainier peak (which is over 14,000’). No glacier trekking today for us. We added a couple of waterfalls (both short walks) before the couple of hour drive back to Seattle. It’s a beautiful national park system, with snow and ice peaked mountains looming above, massive trees all around (though they shrink as you ascend closer to the tree line), pretty blue-green glacial lakes, and well–maintained hiking trails.
Day 3 – Hit the Water
On Saturday, we elected to venture even farther afield, this time asea. We boarded our very full Victoria Clipper Cruise moments before its scheduled departure, which meant that there were no seats together in the packed passenger cabin. Luckily for us, the staff stowed us in the crew breakroom, where we had our own private seating for a minute or two, until they brought in two other couples who were similarly late to board. The six of us shared tight quarters with limited visibility outside our small cabin window, made worse by the steady rains. Three plus hours later, we entered Canada, where the rain continued to remind us of Seattle.
Butchart Gardens
We jumped into an awaiting cab and went straight to Butchart Gardens. The glorious estate, first groomed into expansive gardens, landscaping and fountains over a hundred years ago by Miss B, offers umbrellas for all of its visitors, which was key for this ugly day. Sai was cold.
There are different styles of gardens throughout the grounds, starting with the sunken garden, which was a converted quarry. This section was packed with plants, artfully adorning every inch of available space (or centimeter, since this was foreign soil). The rose garden was out of season, with blooms trimmed back to stems. The Japanese garden had a more austere layout, with subtle plants and quaint little footbridges. The plants were much less crowded, though the multitude of Chinese tourists filled the gaps. The Italian garden was smaller than the sunken and Japanese sections, and seemed also out of prime season. Or maybe I was just bored of flowers by that time.
Rather than spending another $50 back to town, $2.50 apiece for the bus was a better bargain. By the time we reached the center of Victoria, the rains had subsided and it turned into a beautiful day.
The Empress Hotel looked nice enough, though the people coming out of there carrying their running numbers informed me that the Victoria Marathon was a day away, making me feel lazy for not being part of their ranks.
Mr. Fox
Our tourist map showed some things to see, and I was excited about one in particular that like most things I’m excited by, held no such enticement for my travel companion. Nonetheless, trooper that she is, Sai followed me to Beacon Hill Park, only complaining about once every three or four minutes as I went the wrong way to get to where we were going. The park was nice, but nothing particularly special, though I found the wild peacocks to be a cool feature.
Finally, we found him, surrounded by more Chinese tourists, most of whom I presume like my Thai wife, had no idea whose one-legged statue they were taking pictures of. But I knew, though I still don’t know why they have a statue of Terry Fox here, at Mile 0 of the Trans-Canada Highway on the west coast of this massive country. I know that Terry started on the east coast, running west, on his daily marathon of hope journey. And Terry never completed the 3000+ mile trek, succumbing to the cancer that first took his leg and then took his life, but only reinforced his legacy. For those unfamiliar with the only Canadian hero who didn’t play hockey, check out his 30 for 30 (Into the Wind).
67 Fine Dining
After a less crowded return cruise on which Sai slept and I drank Kilt Lifters, we hit up the Six Seven restaurant at Dock 67, inside the elegant Edgewater Hotel. Right on the water, the fancy establishment featured lounge seating, live music, and excellent seafood (the Alaskan halibut with seasoned grilled vegetables for me).
Day 4 – Stay in Seattle?
For our last day, we elected to stay put. Starting out, we headed underground for the Underground Tour, a geek-chic hipster-led humorous tour and history lesson. In short, Seattle was founded in the mid-1800s, beat out by Tacoma for a train station a few years later (and Seattleites are still bitter towards Tacoma), was a good place for cutting down trees, exploited Alaskan gold-rushers, and was built on low-lying land with wooden buildings, which were susceptible to fire, such as the nasty one in 1889. They built up from the fire, on top of the original structures, and today Pioneer Square has several portals into history to see the remnants of these old facilities in the forms of smelly, musty basements full of abandoned junk. Speaking of smelly, upon exiting one section of underground, we were directed to step over the pile of feces (presumably) left by one of the local homeless guys right in front of the doorway. Not exactly the fresh air we were hoping for surfacing from the subterranean setting. Anyway, it is an interesting tour, worth exploring. Just watch your step.
The Smith Tower, the neoclassical skyscraper built by the famous typewriter guy back in 1914, was recently reopened this year under new management. We rode the old Otis elevator (restored over the years) up 35 floors to their Chinese Room furnishings in a speakeasy style bar (above the 35th Floor is a private residence). The building is still very active, with ~90% business tenant occupancy. Maybe it’s not a space age structure like that taller needle across town, but it’s still pretty cool.
Coffee
Seattleites apparently like their coffee. There are a lot of coffee shops, including a couple (thousand) Starbucks. Most popular of these seem to be the original in Pike Place (line way out the door of the otherwise unremarkable place), and the Capitol Hill Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room, a huge establishment featuring on-site bean processing, specialty concoctions, and a lot of people. There were more Asians inside this one massive place than we saw in all of Chinatown. Sai ordered some nitro-infused cold beverage that looked appetizingly like a good beer, but alas, it still tasted like coffee to me.
Troll
We headed to Fremont, a neighborhood where the locals take the artsy / goofy / freaky thing up a notch from the already left of mainstream main city. Sorry people, I’m such a square. The market held little of interest to me. The giant dinosaur topiary was a pleasant surprise, and the Fremont rocket attached to a shoe store was weird but interesting (weird is what they seem to be going for here). We weren’t seeking out either oddity. What I really wanted to see though, and another site that Sai did not particularly appreciate, was the Fremont Troll. This massive concrete sculpture under the Aurora Bridge dwarfs its VW Beetle prop. The ugly troll mug looks out with its hubcap eye, luring kids and adults alike to clamber upon it. Sai’s question of “What’s the point?” can be fairly asked of any art project. “Why not?” I’d argue, though I’m not an aficionado of the arts or a sophisticate, I think a giant troll is pretty cool.
Beer
To balance out Sai’s coffee stop and to wash its flavor from my tainted palate, she allowed me to try a few frothy mugs of the real stuff at the Fremont Brewery. Fuck Starbucks, this was much better, IMHO.
We returned to Pike Place Chowder at 5:02 (they closed at 5), so instead settled for the popular Piroshky Piroshky Russian Bakery (right next to the original Starbucks), before retiring to our hotel to watch another (less amusing) troll in the second Presidential Debate before our final dinner. As expected, it rained as we headed to another waterfront eatery for more fine seafood. While the wife and I may not be young or cool enough to hang with the hipster millennials, we can outspend the little bastards at fancier restaurants instead.
Over
On Monday, we woke early and headed to the airport for our trip back to the real world, not Seattle style. Tuesday morning, before work I shaved off my facial overgrowth of hair, and things were back to normal.
Traipse Reports - Trips and Races 