{"id":5703,"date":"2018-09-21T20:50:02","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T20:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/?p=5703"},"modified":"2018-09-21T21:16:01","modified_gmt":"2018-09-21T21:16:01","slug":"highlights-of-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/?p=5703","title":{"rendered":"Highlights of Seattle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fishermen\u2019s Terminal was always going to be our first place to visit in Seattle. Locations mean so much more after you\u2019ve read about them and had your interest ignited. We\u2019d both read Jonathan Raban\u2019s book about travelling to Juneau, Alaska along The Inside Passage, when his journey had begun at Fishermen\u2019s Terminal in the late 1990s. We set off early on Tuesday morning August 21st on our bikes. Seattle is great for cyclists; it has designated cycle paths and there were only a few hills on the route to Elliott Bay. We called in to Elliott Bay Marina on the way, to book a berth there for two weeks. It\u2019s another huge one with a great view of the Seattle skyline. We stopped for lunch in the restaurant there, trying not to grimace too much at the cost for a bowl of clam chowder, a portion of chips and a coke and glass of wine (we didn\u2019t eat there again).<\/p>\n

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Maggie’s Bluff Restaurant, Elliott Bay Marina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Seattle’s iconic skyline from Elliott Bay Marina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Mount Rainier can be seen in the middle of the picture (apparently, it’s not a case of if its active volcano will erupt, more a case of when!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Main building, Fishermen’s Terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bascule bridge allowing a yacht through near the terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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One of Seattle’s excellent cycle paths<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fishermen\u2019s Terminal looked like a great place to stay. Paul had enquired about a berth there but there was a huge demand this year and they were totally booked up; preference is naturally given to commercial vessels. We had a look at the memorial and read the information boards about its history. The bronze and stone memorial commemorates over 500 people who lost their lives while fishing in Alaska. Flowers and hand-written tributes are sadly constantly in place relating to most recent losses.<\/p>\n

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The bronze memorial: a fisherman hauling in a giant halibut on a longline<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The port is home to the huge boats that have featured in documentaries such as \u2018Deadliest Catch\u2019. Jonathan Raban was here in the month of April and he watched boats being fitted out for their spring migration. He described the hive of activity involved in the work, with generations of families taking part and concludes that the place felt older than the city itself. I could understand that and also what he meant about the past being \u2018alive and usable\u2019, when looking at the old and well-used vessels around me; all their modern navigational aids were hidden from view below. Wooden tables and chairs outside the main building were in use by people eating food from the kiosks and drinks from the bar, enjoying the afternoon sunshine. Nearby were a couple of seafood restaurants and a shop selling organic produce and artisan gifts \u2013 all predictably expensive.<\/p>\n

Cycling on, we arrived at the outskirts of Seattle, getting ever closer to the Space Needle. It was a hot afternoon and the hills were steep in the city centre. I was flagging badly on one extremely steep one as we pushed the bikes up so Paul did the gentlemanly thing and pushed both of them to the top. The Museum of Pop Culture is right next to the Space Needle (which, after looking up at it and then checking the admission fee of over \u00a370 for the two of us, we unanimously decided to omit from our itinerary).<\/p>\n

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The steep hill leading to The Space Needle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The museum, however, was a definite on my list of places to visit. Knowing it would be too late to enter and do it justice, we went in to have a quick look around. There was plenty of information about what was on, including a recently opened exhibition celebrating 80 years of Marvel comics and one on the music and gigs of Pearl Jam. These, and a lot more were all available to see for the princely sum of \u00a322. The museum promptly went on Paul\u2019s list of things he could do without seeing ;-). I resolved to return another day on my own. We had a drink in the venue\u2019s caf\u00e9 before cycling along the waterfront to find a store called Fred Meyer, one of the US\u2019s \u2018everything under one roof\u2019 shops. It was here that Paul began to feel the pain of the infection that he described in an earlier blog post. It had been a long day of cycling around and we put it down to that at the time, little realising it was the beginning of another visit to a hospital in a foreign country. Pics from our cycle ride round Seattle below.<\/p>\n

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International Space Fountain, Seattle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another view of Fishermen’s Terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lake Union, Seattle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the pain and discomfort, Paul felt up to moving on the next day. We left Shilshole Marina late in the morning for the hour\u2019s journey to Elliott Bay. It was hazy when we left with what we thought was fog but later discovered to be smoke from all the fires on Vancouver Island. \u00a0Entering our new marina, I was thrilled to spot several seals basking on the rocks at the bottom of the breakwater (hard to spot in the pics but they are there).<\/p>\n

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Once settled in the berth, Paul gave in to the need to rest and as time went on, it became clear that moving around for any length of time was painful and uncomfortable for him. We decided to wait until after the weekend and seek advice if he was no better. In the meantime, I made any necessary trips to the marina office or the shops.<\/p>\n

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Saw this bear during one of my walks (still haven’t seen a real one)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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View from the bridge near the marina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Elliott Bay Marina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I liked Elliott Bay. The Seattle skyline was a delight to see at night when it was clear enough, and it was very peaceful there. Walking the pontoons I often saw seals popping their heads up, and several large pink and purple starfish could be seen in the clear water, clinging to the metal under the pontoons. On Saturday, Paul felt up to a trip to Pike Place Market on Seattle\u2019s waterfront. An Uber taxi dropped us there and we had a slow amble around as Paul was finding walking painful by then. Pike Place Market was established in 1907 when citizens, outraged by the middlemen hiking up prices for fresh produce, demanded a solution, which came in the form of a public market. Over the years, it\u2019s grown into a vibrant place with lots of homes above the storefronts \u2013 the majority of whom are low-income elderly people or people living with disability. As well as the usual market stall there are speciality shops, artists and craftspeople, buskers and an abundance of cafes and restaurants. It was predictably busy on a summer Saturday, especially as visiting cruise ships had disgorged passengers into downtown Seattle, and although the historic buildings and winding alleys were attractive and intriguing, we didn\u2019t want to risk Paul feeling worse by walking too much.<\/p>\n

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Busy Pike Place Market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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We sought out a coffee bar to check whether Seattle\u2019s reputation as a coffee capital is justified. The first ever Starbucks, which opened in 1971 is located at Pike Place but I\u2019ve never been a fan of the chain so we found an independent one in a side street and shared pumpkin cake to go with it (both very nice).<\/p>\n

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From there it was a short walk to the city public library, a huge, shimmering glass and steel building which has 11 levels. It was a very impressive library and I was pleased to see it was well attended on all the floors. Level ten was a viewing floor with great views across the city, and was also the reading room where we spent a pleasant half hour reading books about Seattle\u2019s music and history and looking at old photos of the city.<\/p>\n

A short cycle ride was necessary the next day to buy a part for the electricity shore power connection, having been told off for not having the correct fitting earlier in the day. That short ride confirmed that Paul was getting no better and first thing on Monday morning we set off to seek medical advice. The hospital experience was very fast and efficient and it was such a relief when the experts diagnosed and prescribed treatment, as opposed to our guess work and online research. The cost of the medicine nearly gave me health problems of my own when the chemist told me the amount! The pills, along with days of rest would at least ensure his recovery, albeit not a quick (or cheap) one.<\/p>\n

I took myself off to the centre of the city a couple of days later for the promised visit to the Museum of Pop Culture. As well as the Marvel and Science fiction exhibitions, there was one entitled \u2018Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film\u2019. I sat and watched clips of the 100 scariest films in a setting with blood on the floor and \u2018bodies\u2019 hanging in a serial killer\u2019s lair. Among the exhibits, I was particularly thrilled to see what is claimed to be the actual axe Jack Nicholson used in one of my favourite films, \u2018The Shining\u2019. I browsed the grunge music section to my heart\u2019s content and looked at the clothes, instruments and memorabilia of Seattle\u2019s Jimi Hendrix, then finished off with an entertaining look at the \u2018Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic\u2019 room. Some pics of the visit below.<\/p>\n

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It wasn\u2019t until a week later that Paul felt up to venturing into Seattle. We had a list of places we wanted to see and the first of these was The Klondike Gold Rush Historical Park. It was located in the historic district of the city; picturesque Pioneer Square which, as location of the heart of the gold rush era had some fantastic old buildings. The museum tells the story of the late 1890s stampede to find gold in the Yukon and after watching a short film outlining the timeline of the period we both enjoyed a slow walk through the exhibits, reading and listening to fascinating first-hand accounts about the event and looking at old photographs. All for free, too!<\/p>\n

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Loved this picture from the period<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Pioneer Square, Seattle’s old district<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Memorial to firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Elliott Bay Book Company was next. It was our intention to walk there, but the map I\u2019d used turned out to be completely out of scale and was way too far to walk to. We were in Chinatown by the time this was discovered but didn’t have time to linger long there. We did stop for a while to watch a guy playing an instrument similar to a violin while a couple had fun playing pavement chess.<\/p>\n

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Chinatown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Resting in Downtown Seattle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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An Uber taxi took us to the book store. He dropped us right by the Jimi Hendrix statue, which ticked off another attraction on the list.<\/p>\n

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Elliott Book Company\u2019s claim to be \u2018a must for bibliophiles\u2019 was spot on. A huge store, on two levels with an obligatory coffee shop, it sold a mix of new titles along with a sizable section of \u2018reduced in price\u2019 stock. I had a long browse while Paul sat in the caf\u00e9. Next door I\u2019d spotted a likely bar\/restaurant for a late lunch and we walked through its door just after three. The hours between 3 and 5 was \u2018Happy Hour\u2019, the guy who greeted us explained. Unfortunately this didn\u2019t translate to any discounts or two for one, as other establishments offer during these hours, it meant that they only served some<\/em> of what was on the full menu so that they could concentrate on getting ready for dinner service. As he went on to explain the permutations in further detail I couldn\u2019t help thinking they had overcomplicated things: I had to keep asking for clarification until he produced a little slip of paper listing what was<\/em> on offer. A somewhat dubious interpretation of Happy Hour in my opinion. Still, the bowl of chips and glass of wine for me and meatball sandwich and coke for Paul were welcome refreshments.<\/p>\n

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We strolled through a small city centre park after that, en route to get the Seattle Center Monorail. This mode of transport provides a fast route between downtown and central locations, and along with several other Seattle landmarks, was built for the 1962 World\u2019s Fair.<\/p>\n

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The Space Needle, where we got off was another one and we sat on the grass for a while watching it whisk people up to its top observation deck and down again at stomach-lurching speed. This was Labor Day weekend, the equivalent of Britain\u2019s May Day Bank holiday weekend, and alongside the park a festival called Bumbershoot was taking place. This is a three day event when performers from all over the world converge for concerts, theatre productions, independent film screenings and literary events. Apparently it\u2019s permitted to smoke pot in there and we watched a queue of people having their bags searched, presumably for weapons or drugs that weren\u2019t cannabis, before entering the gates to join in the fun. \u00a0I mention weapons because signs on the doors of quite a few premises bear the words \u2018no firearms or weapons permitted inside\u2019 \u2013 words that are somehow simultaneously worrying and reassuring.<\/p>\n

With Paul now well on the road to recovery we decided to brave another bike ride on Labor Day Sunday. Paul had found a park that he said didn\u2019t look too far away or too strenuous. At least it wasn\u2019t far away! It\u2019s a shame that the steep hills hadn\u2019t shown show up on the map, however. It had started off well; a cool breeze, long empty roads, interesting upmarket neighbourhoods with pretty and unique houses to look at as we cycled effortlessly along. Further on, we had to ascend in order to reach Discovery Park. It had got hotter by then and the hills were much too steep to cycle up. We ended up pushing them for most of the way \u2013 I thought the hills would never stop coming (I think I may even have whined about that a little bit ;-)). \u00a0The park was well worth the effort, though. It was fascinating. I knew little about it until afterwards but we came upon such beautiful, big, empty cream-coloured houses as we rode through. They looked like the sort of houses used for American movies, particularly in supernatural ones, such as The Amityville Horror. The pictures show what I mean. There were several of them but none seemed to be occupied. I would have dearly loved to look inside. Signs indicated they were military-owned but it wasn\u2019t until I looked online that I found out they were part of the US Army\u2019s Fort Lawton base. Apparently some of the territory had been sold to the city but part of the park is still used for training and officers\u2019 accommodation. I spent an inordinate amount of time just staring at those enigmatic houses in the late afternoon light.<\/p>\n

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Cycling through Discovery Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Oh for a chance to have seen inside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Discovery Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Seattle’s suburbs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We took a slight detour on the way back, to visit Fishermen\u2019s Terminal for refreshments at the pub there. I love sitting on the high stools in American bars where they place a coaster in front of you on the counter with a flourish before you\u2019ve even ordered a drink. To our left were three guys who had clearly been there for quite some time. When we took our seats, one of them moved his belongings from the one next to us and we had a polite and humorous interaction about it being ok to sit there. At least, I hope it was polite and humorous because I couldn\u2019t make out what he was saying to me due to the background noise and the less than sober words he spoke \u2013 but he chuckled a lot so I took that as a positive sign. Paul tried the pub\u2019s clam chowder and we shared some fries with ranch and barbecue sauce (a new one to us, and very tasty). As we ate, the conversation between two of the three guys next to us gradually changed from a tone of amiable chat to one of goading confrontation.\u00a0 I could hear it building up beside me, with phrases like \u2018I\u2019m just stating my opinion \u2013 didn\u2019t intend to cause offence\u2019, and \u2018we\u2019re having a discussion, it shouldn\u2019t need to turn into an argument\u2019. Thankfully the third guy, who I guessed was the captain of the fishing boat they had come from managed to calm the situation before it turned into a classic bar room brawl.<\/p>\n

No doubt there was plenty more of Seattle that we would have loved to see if we\u2019d had more time and, more crucially, money but we felt we had seen the parts we wanted to and had definitely soaked up the vibrant atmosphere of the city. The car we had booked for the next couple of days would allow us to explore locations further afield.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fishermen\u2019s Terminal was always going to be our first place to visit in Seattle. Locations mean so much more after you\u2019ve read about them and had your interest ignited. We\u2019d both read Jonathan Raban\u2019s book about travelling to Juneau, Alaska along The Inside Passage, when his journey had begun at Fishermen\u2019s Terminal in the late … Continue reading “Highlights of Seattle”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5703"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5760,"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5703\/revisions\/5760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sistermidnight.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}