We landed at the Seattle/Tacoma airport after flying all day. We went through three time changes to arrive around 3 p.m. That evening we had a nice dinner and planned our course of action for the next day after we settled in at the hotel and into our room.
Seattle is a cosmopolitan city of about 700,000 people and has a bit less than 4 million people in the area. It is graced with mountains to the east (Mt. Rainier being the highest in Washington state) and the Pacific Ocean to the west. North of Seattle is Canada and the state of Oregon is further south beyond the state of Washington.
As we ate from the hotel restaurant, the first thing I noticed happening outside was the homeless people walking the streets. The second thing I noticed was so many people carrying bouquets of flowers. Where were the flowers coming from? They were beautiful.
We decided to spend our first day in Seattle at Pike's Market. What a treat! And we learned where the flowers came from.
Pike's Market is a huge farmers market with fish that is thrown between the iced fish and the handler, fantastic fruits, beautiful flowers, and tons of restaurants and shops. Want a spice or a certain tea? Here is the place to find it.
Pike's Market is located a few blocks from where we were staying and adjacent to the water. Above pictures the opening, and of course a tourist mecca.
A view of the Pacific Ocean next to Pike's Market is pictured above..
To the far left is a skyline of the city from Pike's Market.
I got a thumbs up from this live mannequin on the street in front of the farmers market when I put a dollar in his hat!
If you look real close you can see the fish midair as it is being thrown from one handler to the other. There are specific times the fish are thrown, and it is cool to see as the two handlers sometimes throw the fish back and forth. I believe in order for the fish to be thrown, someone on the other side has to request a fish (to buy).
Besides being able to shop for clothing, souvenirs, catch a fish and chips for lunch, you could also buy beautiful vegetables and fruit here. This market was in back of the indoor area (where the fish was being tossed) and surrounded with cafes and eateries.
We had breakfast at Three Girls Bakery within the market, and OMG, I had the best hot cocoa in my life. They served sandwiches, and of course donuts and bakery items, but since I did not have breakfast, I ordered an egg sandwich with the hot cocoa. I would go back over and over. It is nothing special to look at -- a corner with a counter, but the girls made the sandwiches in front of you, and the bread was scrumptious.
Of course, I had to go to Starbucks while I was in Seattle. This is not the original Starbucks -- it was originally a few blocks away at 2000 Western Ave. in 1971, then it moved to inside Pike's Market, but this Starbucks is known as the original. It's at 1st and Pike's adjacent to the Farmers Market.
I had been told before I went to Seattle to get a cup of the "special reserve" that is only served at this spot. I did. Usually, I get heartburn when I drink regular coffee, but to my surprise, it was great, and I did not have heartburn. Maybe it's all in my head! Oh, and I bought a bag of "special reserve" beans.
Whether this is the original Starbucks or not, it was fun going there and watching the people.
That evening we ate at Anthony's Pier 66. Upstairs. It was pricey and I was not that impressed. I had swordfish. I asked for a baked potato, but they said they had none. I paid about $60 for a 6 ounce piece of swordfish, and a scoop of rice (white) and seasonal vegetables. The service was average to below average and the table was in a corner without a view. I don't mind spending money for a good meal, but really??? My traveling companion was not impressed either. Also, while we were there and waiting many people sat down, looked at the menu and left. Maybe we should have also.
Tomorrow, another adventure in Seattle -- the Needle and Chihuly Glass Garden.
Until then...have a great day...
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