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3 days in Washington state (LARGE post)
A couple weeks ago, we (my husband, son and I) traveled north to meet up with some old college friends, attend a Mariners baseball game, and be tourists in Seattle for a few days. We drove up on Tuesday afternoon, arriving in Seattle at 6 pm. Because we can be really foolish people sometimes, we thought it would be fun to arrive in town without hotel reservations…because driving around, wasting expensive gas, at dinner time, is our idea of FUN! Yeah. FUN, I tell ya.
It took us two hours to find a place with any vacancies. It was right next door to "Andy's Motel" which advertised $35 weekly rates. 'Nuff said. I didn't really want to remember this, so I didn't take a picture here. You can call me a wuss, if you want to.
The next morning, we made our way back into downtown Seattle to meet up with our friends whom we had not seen in 8 years. We met at the famous fish market at Pike Place Market. See the fish flying through the air? No worries…the guy in back caught it, no problem!
Then we stopped in at Crepe de France for some breakfast. This place is now on our list of favorites in Seattle! My husband dove into a fresh-peaches-with-whipped-cream concoction. He is serious about peaches. Not so much about whipped cream.
After breakfast, we toured the market a bit and came across this produce vendor. I could easily spend an entire day/week/month taking pictures at Pike Place. The colors and personalities are so fascinating!
The next morning, we made our way back into downtown Seattle to meet up with our friends whom we had not seen in 8 years. We met at the famous fish market at Pike Place Market. See the fish flying through the air? No worries…the guy in back caught it, no problem!
Then we stopped in at Crepe de France for some breakfast. This place is now on our list of favorites in Seattle! My husband dove into a fresh-peaches-with-whipped-cream concoction. He is serious about peaches. Not so much about whipped cream.
After breakfast, we toured the market a bit and came across this produce vendor. I could easily spend an entire day/week/month taking pictures at Pike Place. The colors and personalities are so fascinating!
While the coffee drinkers in our group stopped at the first Starbucks, I stood out on the sidewalk and people watched. The Seattle Seafair Pirates were out and about in support of the upcoming Seattle Seafair, and generally causing much mischief and mayhem everywhere they went. Arrgh! (Actually, they were quite harmless.) One of his pins says, “Maritime Wealth Redistribution Specialist.”
Our game came complete with a streaker...or a semi-streaker (pants still on). I didn't have my long lens on at the time (probably a good thing), so I only managed this:
The crowd cheered him on, as if jealous of his ability to be utterly foolish and hoping to live vicariously for a few moments.
Safeco Field is a very attractive ball park. A large Mariners Compass is inlaid in the floor at one of the entrances.
And when you stand here and look down toward the Home Plate gates, you see this huge baseball bat sculpture, hanging from the ceiling.
Getting out of the city after a very well attended baseball game is quite the feat, but we managed and made our way north to Granite Falls. It was a splendid drive, escaping the sounds of the city for the serenity of the country. When you’re in a city as large as Seattle, it seems you could drive on narrow one-way streets and then twisted patterns of freeways and overpasses forever. But suddenly, we found ourselves in the land of winding, two-lane roads and the skyscrapers had been replaced with towering trees. A few acres and this view pulled our friends away from living in Everett...
This is their backyard and the mountain is Mt Pilchuck. Driving 1/2 an hour to work, on picturesque highways, and coming home to this view sure beats driving 1/2 an hour in stress inducing traffic just so you can live closer to work. It seems that opinion is being shared by more and more people, which means those picturesque highways will probably become more and more congested. At least for our friends, this view will not change. Unless Mt Pilchuck decides to tap into its volcano roots!
The next day, we went to see the falls for which Granite Falls was named.
--Diversion--
Washington grows some cute kids!
--End of Diversion--
That evening, we were back in Seattle (this time with hotel reservations). Walking down to Pike Place Market again afforded us some beautiful evening light and views. I think I needed a different lens (and a few more skills) to try and capture this view, as my rendering of it just doesn't do it justice. A fleet of sailboats with a setting sun and the Olympic Mountains in the background...it was stunning.
More views around the market place...
It was strange to see the market so quiet and still, knowing it had hosted a throng of people that morning and would do the same the next morning.
We were in search of dinner, and not knowing the area that well, we decided to just head for someplace we knew would be open...The Cheesecake Factory.
Then it was off to the Mariners vs Red Sox baseball game, where we met up with more friends from college whom we had not seen in 10 years. Good grief, time is sprinting by. My son had been looking forward to this game for weeks. Unfortunately, the Mariners lost in 12 innings.
Our game came complete with a streaker...or a semi-streaker (pants still on). I didn't have my long lens on at the time (probably a good thing), so I only managed this:
The crowd cheered him on, as if jealous of his ability to be utterly foolish and hoping to live vicariously for a few moments.
Safeco Field is a very attractive ball park. A large Mariners Compass is inlaid in the floor at one of the entrances.
And when you stand here and look down toward the Home Plate gates, you see this huge baseball bat sculpture, hanging from the ceiling.
Getting out of the city after a very well attended baseball game is quite the feat, but we managed and made our way north to Granite Falls. It was a splendid drive, escaping the sounds of the city for the serenity of the country. When you’re in a city as large as Seattle, it seems you could drive on narrow one-way streets and then twisted patterns of freeways and overpasses forever. But suddenly, we found ourselves in the land of winding, two-lane roads and the skyscrapers had been replaced with towering trees. A few acres and this view pulled our friends away from living in Everett...
This is their backyard and the mountain is Mt Pilchuck. Driving 1/2 an hour to work, on picturesque highways, and coming home to this view sure beats driving 1/2 an hour in stress inducing traffic just so you can live closer to work. It seems that opinion is being shared by more and more people, which means those picturesque highways will probably become more and more congested. At least for our friends, this view will not change. Unless Mt Pilchuck decides to tap into its volcano roots!
The next day, we went to see the falls for which Granite Falls was named.
--Diversion--
Washington grows some cute kids!
--End of Diversion--
That evening, we were back in Seattle (this time with hotel reservations). Walking down to Pike Place Market again afforded us some beautiful evening light and views. I think I needed a different lens (and a few more skills) to try and capture this view, as my rendering of it just doesn't do it justice. A fleet of sailboats with a setting sun and the Olympic Mountains in the background...it was stunning.
More views around the market place...
It was strange to see the market so quiet and still, knowing it had hosted a throng of people that morning and would do the same the next morning.
We were in search of dinner, and not knowing the area that well, we decided to just head for someplace we knew would be open...The Cheesecake Factory.
The next morning, we were back at the market for breakfast with our friends. The chilies and peppers and this guy's shirt and hair were a match made in heaven.
Our friends and the window light at Crepe de France were also a match made in heaven.
They are the parents of six children and were probably aided in looking so young and fresh by the fact that their offspring were home in Montana with grandparents while they were getting ready to board an Alaskan cruise ship! We dropped them off at their pier...
Our friends and the window light at Crepe de France were also a match made in heaven.
They are the parents of six children and were probably aided in looking so young and fresh by the fact that their offspring were home in Montana with grandparents while they were getting ready to board an Alaskan cruise ship! We dropped them off at their pier...
And then we went on to the aquarium.
We ended our trip by being the ultra-tourists and taking an Elliott Bay harbor cruise.
Space Needle and Olympic Sculpture Park
View of down-town...the building with the green dome is fondly known as R2D2, which my son thinks is fantastic (being a Star Wars fan).
Leaving Seattle to head south at 3:30 pm on a Friday afternoon provided the perfect bookend to our trip. In other words...it was a silly notion to think that was a smart move. And in order to bookend this post, I will leave you with a description of something for which I have no picture. We persevered through the traffic and were rewarded with a bit of levity when we stopped for dinner at the Country Cousin in Centralia. Our dinner salads came with julienned beats (yumm!) and in place of croutons...goldfish crackers! Certainly not something I've seen before, and it made me chuckle.
Whew...that was my first journeys post. And for how long that took me, it just might be my last! :huh:D
We ended our trip by being the ultra-tourists and taking an Elliott Bay harbor cruise.
Space Needle and Olympic Sculpture Park
View of down-town...the building with the green dome is fondly known as R2D2, which my son thinks is fantastic (being a Star Wars fan).
Leaving Seattle to head south at 3:30 pm on a Friday afternoon provided the perfect bookend to our trip. In other words...it was a silly notion to think that was a smart move. And in order to bookend this post, I will leave you with a description of something for which I have no picture. We persevered through the traffic and were rewarded with a bit of levity when we stopped for dinner at the Country Cousin in Centralia. Our dinner salads came with julienned beats (yumm!) and in place of croutons...goldfish crackers! Certainly not something I've seen before, and it made me chuckle.
Whew...that was my first journeys post. And for how long that took me, it just might be my last! :huh:D
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Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
ann
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Did you know that Seattle doesn't even rank in the top 10 cities in the USA for annual rain fall? I didn't even know that. It averages 36 inches a year...Mobile, Alabama gets about 65. However, Seattle averages 158 days of measurable rain and 226 days of some cloud cover per year (according to this page.) But, it has an overall mild climate, making many outdoor activities doable year 'round.
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Elaine Heasley Photography