Downtown Seattle

On Tuesday, we made a trip to Sea-Tac International Airport to pick up Joe’s sister Denise (flying in from New York) and Joe’s brother Tom (flying in from Australia). It’s Tom’s son Stephen who is getting married on Saturday. Tom has spent quite a bit of time in Seattle, and so is somewhat familiar with the city. He recommended a good restaurant with a nice view of Lake Washington for lunch. We enjoyed delicious fish (Rockfish, cod, fish tacos) while sitting by a window in the Blue Water Bistro with a beautiful view of the water. 

Marina next to the restaurant

And we saw this sign in the parking lot where we parked, which confirms what we've been told about the (high) crime rate in Seattle.

When we left the restaurant, we dropped Tom off at his Airbnb, where he will be joined later by his wife and daughter. We then traveled back to our campground in Puyallup, enjoying more traffic on the way (#sarcasm). (Do people still use #s?) 

On Wednesday, Joe, Denise, and I went into Seattle to see some of the sights. First we went to the iconic Space Needle. 

Seattle Space Needle

We went up to an observation deck and had some nice views of the Seattle area, Puget Sound, and the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges in the background.  

After leaving the Space Needle, we headed next door to Chihuly Garden and Glass, where we enjoyed a unique display of creative and colorful glass objects, mostly with a sea or water related theme, appropriate for Seattle. The artist, Dave Chihuly, is a master of glasswork, and uses a combination of color, form, and light to create some unbelievable expressions of beauty. We were simply awe-struck with each room that we entered. At the end, there was a glass-blowing demonstration by one of the workers. 

We got creative with our photography at the end, and took a picture of the Chihuly Glass ceiling with a view of the Space Needle behind it.

After the amazing Chihuly Gardens, we did one of our favorite things to do in a city: we took a tour on a Hop On Hop Off Bus. Seattle is known as The Emerald City because the city and surrounding areas are filled with greenery all year around. It really is a beautiful place.

The bus went to a lot of the places in downtown Seattle that are of interest. We traveled first along Puget Sound where we saw the piers that the cruises leave from, and some Piers that have been revitalized with shops, restaurants, and outdoor cafes. 

The Seattle Aquarium is also located along Puget Sound. 

Seattle Aquarium

We also passed by the Edgewater Hotel which, true to its name, is located on the edge of the water. It is Seattle's only over-water hotel. It is apparently famous for the Beatles’ having stayed there once and so is billed as the place where rock'n'roll history meets Pacific Northwest charm.

We traveled through the historic part of Seattle, which included the Harbor Steps, and Pioneer and Occidental Squares. We also passed through Chinatown and Japantown. 

Entrance to Chinatown

We passed by the Convention Center, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), and the Seattle Library, which is a very unusual shaped building.  

Convention Center

Seattle Art Museum (SAM)

Library

It's nice to know that there is something for everyone here – as we passed by the Veggie Grill located right next to the Bourbon Steak Restaurant. 

One of the well-known areas of Seattle is Pike’s Place Public Market, which is a bustling area of booths and food stands, where farmers, crafters, artisans, and small businesses sell their products. The first Starbucks is located in Pike’s Place Market. 

Pike's Public Market

Pike's Public Market

You'd think we'd see a lot of Starbucks in Seattle. But we don't see that many. Seattle has a lot of small coffee shops, and apparently they must do well even competing with the mighty Starbucks. Here's one we saw on our Hop On Hop Off bus tour.

And of course, you can’t come to Seattle without passing by the Amazon headquarters,  known as the Amazon Spheres. You’ll see why when you see the picture. The tour guide said that when Amazon first started up, there was a bell that rang whenever an online purchase was made. Eventually the company grew so large and online sales increased so much that they had to discontinue the use of the bell. Of course, today, it would be one continuous ring! 

Amazon Headquarters, known as the Amazon Spheres

After our very interesting Hop On Hop Off tour, we decided to head out of town early enough to beat the traffic. We did a good job, as it was mostly a smooth ride back to the campground.