Last year on a layover to Montana, I had the opportunity to spend the whole day in Seattle. I had passed through Tacoma airport a few times in the past, but never had the opportunity to actually get out and experience a city that I had heard so much about!
Armed with only tales I had heard from friends, family and acquaintances, I chose to spend the day within the city center. I landed at around 10am at Tacoma international, fresh off a flight from London. SeaTac Airport is located on the south side of Seattle, but my plans were all focussed around the downtown area. The best way (and to be honest the only way I knew of) is to take the light rail. It is relatively cheap, and doesn’t take all that long to get you where you need to go! I hopped on with my first quest: get rid of the massive suitcase.
As my layover was during the day, I didn’t see the need to book a motel, although one can easily for around $40-50 a night if you book in advance! Instead, I found one of many services that offer to look after your bags for the day for about 5 bucks. The prices do vary, but it is not hard to find somewhere cheap to take in luggage for the day! They can take many forms, from purpose built storage units with lockers, to convenience stores that hold it in a store room. I opted for the latter as it suited my purpose, and was right in downtown, exactly where I needed to be!
After a brief stroll through downtown, I made it to where I would spend the majority of my day – Pike Place. There is so much to do in and around Seattle, but given the time, I thought it best to see some of the many famous places available downtown. I love markets, I love the unique offerings they have, the great food and some fantastic bargains that can be found. Seattle has a very famous market which is an absolute must see, so how could I resist?
Once I arrived at the market, it was immediately apparent that it was very popular. Crowds were gathered everywhere, either checking out the produce and fresh artisan foods, or taking photographs. As someone with a connection to Starbucks, the first site I wanted to see was the original Starbucks, which can be found right across the street from the entrance to Pike Place Market. If you do try and locate it, you really can’t miss it – although the outside is fairly plain and unassuming, it is the only Starbucks (or place for that matter) with a queue that extends all the way down the block! Yes indeed, be prepared for a long wait if you do want to visit! It is quite a cool place to visit though, it is still in keeping with the original design, very different from the other Starbucks, and if you love coffee then I’m pretty sure you will enjoy it for the experience. With regards to the food and coffee though, this is the same as any other Starbucks – so if you are just looking for your caffeine fix, maybe not for you!
Next, I decided to take a stroll around the market. The variety of fresh food and produce that they have here is simply astounding! It was lunchtime so I picked up a few favourites to enjoy on my stroll. One of the standout popular places that Pike Place Market is known for is their fishmongers. I am sure many of you have heard of this place before – it is fishmongery meets performance street art! Dozens of tourists from all over come to visit to see the signature fish throws and call outs that happen here. Yes, they literally throw fish around…That said it is really a sight to see! As an order is placed, and with space being quite limited, the easiest way to get the fish to package is to throw it around through various members of the team, shouting out the order and confirming with each throw. It is really a spectacle worth seeing – it is surely not easy to catch and throw a slippery fish! Aside from this, the produce looked fantastic quality – just a shame I couldn’t take any with me.
Not too far away from here is the legendary gum wall, which is famous for (you guessed it..) being a wall covered in gum. Ok, slightly gross, but it really is worth seeing. The wall is huge and literally layered in some places inches thick with all types of gum! Moving on from on of the top 5 germiest attractions in the world…I walked through the market and just spent some time seeing what is on offer. There are a myriad of different stores both inside and out. One that stuck in my mind was this old nostalgic magic shop. You can definitely get lost and spend a few hours looking around here.
Another thing worth shouting out about in Seattle are the craft breweries and bars that you can find all over the downtown area and beyond! One worth calling out is the Taproom at Pike Place. Reasonable prices for craft ales and drinks as well as a great selection of food. Opening up onto the street, this place has a great atmosphere and you can sit and relax whilst you just watch the world go by. Of course, there are many others to note – you just have to look around for them!
As it was the summer and the weather was nice (even for Seattle), I decided to take a stroll around some of the many parks. I ended up near the Space Needle at Chihuly Garden and Glass. This is a museum of glass sculptures by legendary glassblower Dale Chihuly. It is well worth the time to check out some of these unique masterpieces – and afterwards, make sure you check out the Space Needle! Yes it is a tourist attraction, and yes it may cost a bit, but you can’t put a price on a view like that! As well as this, there is a lot going on around here. There is also the Pacific Science Center, which is a museum dedicated to making science come to life (great for kids and families), or in the same vein, why not check out the nearby Seattle Aquarium or the Great Wheel?
After I had finished checking out these curiosities, and after another stroll around downtown – it was time for a quick meal before jetting off again! What I found was that there is actually a lot to do in Seattle, it was definitely an interesting place to stop over. I will definitely be sure to check it out in the near future and make more of a trip of it!
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