The past two days have been packed with fun. Yesterday we actually visited the Space Needle and got to see the Seattle sites from 605 feet in the air. The Needle was built in 1962 for the World's Fair. There are 3 elevators and 3 floors. The second floor houses an over-priced rotating restaurant and the top floor is the observatory with indoor and outdoor areas. You can almost see Canada!
Next to the Space Needle is the EMO Museum containing pop culture history from music, TV, movies and more. They have an extensive exhibit dedicated to local alternative rock band, Nirvana. Pictures, instruments, hand written notes and lyrics, videos etc. all dedicated to the beginning to end of the band. We also enjoyed the Infinite Worlds exhibit that displays memorabilia from sci-fi movies and television shows. It was our nerdy paradise!
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| Guitar tornado inside the EMP |
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| Hoverboards from Back to the Future |
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| Dalek from Dr. Who |
Last night we ended up at a restaurant specializing in clam chowder. Served in warm sourdough bread bowls they didn't skimp on the servings. We also tried their fried salmon bites. I'm not a huge fan of salmon, but having fresh, fried salmon did the trick and I'm in love. Afterwards we walked through the city back to our hotel.
First thing this morning we headed to the pier to get booked on a harbor tour. While we waited for the tour to begin we wandered over to check out Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. It's been a part of the pier for over 100 years. We met Sylvester, a mummy discovered in the Arizona desert. We also saw shrunken heads, a female mummy from South America, the preserved body of a two headed cow, and many other curious objects.
The harbor tour gave us more information about the piers and West Seattle. The West Seattle neighborhood was the landing place for the first white settlers, although they quickly realized that it's not well protected and, upon Chief Seattle's urging, moved the city to where it stands today. Seattle is a hub for crate shipping, so parts of the shore are lined with huge crates. The Port of Seattle bought cranes from China, for $10 million a piece, to help unload large barge cargo!
After the cruise we walked up to Pioneer Square and grabbed some lunch at an Irish pub.
Right around the corner is Bob Spiedel's Underground Tour. We walked under Seattle for an hour to learn about some of the city's history. A huge fire burned 33 square blocks of the city in 1889, causing them to decide to level out the city and require buildings be built with brick or stone. I'm sure there is much more rich history to be had from the Emerald City, but the tiny bits we did hear were fascinating.
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| Totem at Pioneer Square |
Right around the corner is Bob Spiedel's Underground Tour. We walked under Seattle for an hour to learn about some of the city's history. A huge fire burned 33 square blocks of the city in 1889, causing them to decide to level out the city and require buildings be built with brick or stone. I'm sure there is much more rich history to be had from the Emerald City, but the tiny bits we did hear were fascinating.
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| Toilet on the Underground Tour |
The evening brought us to Columbia Center, containing the tallest observation deck in Seattle. 73 stories up you get a 360 degree view. The night lights of the city are beautiful!
Our night ended with Chinese food in the International District. I thought the food would blow me out of the water, but, honestly, it was just okay.
The people were very friendly which helped the overall atmosphere. I wish we had more time to spend in this area of the city, but it will have to wait for another time.
The people were very friendly which helped the overall atmosphere. I wish we had more time to spend in this area of the city, but it will have to wait for another time.
One more day and many more adventures to go!
1 comment:
Sounds like your having a wonderful time! The chowder sour dough bowl sounds so yummy and the pic of the Seattle Needle was beautiful. Can't wait to see all your pics when you get back!
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