Seattlites

Weds. night we flew into the friendliest city we've ever seen - Seattle. From the minute we stepped off the plane right through the time we left, people were helping us, offering directions, and providing good advice on what to see in the city. Who would have ever thought that a rainy climate and a surplus of coffee would actually make people nicer?

Armed with a tourist map from the hotel, we started our visit with the famous Pike Place Market where we roamed around among the crowded stalls of flowers, baked goods and souvenirs. We might have lingered longer to shop had it not been for the overpowering smell of fish. After the market we walked down to the water and along the pier. We caught a free bus over to Pioneer Square and walked around the shops and park for awhile. David had read about a building with an observation deck rivaling the space needle but when we tried to go up for a view of the city, we were stopped by a less than friendly security guard. She must not have been from Seattle.

We were determined to get at least one good view of the city so we boarded the ferry for Bainbridge island. From the water, we could see the city skyline and the beautiful mountains in the distance. It was definitely a windy ride (check out the hair) but well-worth the trip. The island was amazing - there were wild strawberries everywhere and spectacular views of the sailboats out on the water. We stopped and had lunch outside at a small cafe followed by dessert (and coffee of course) at a local coffeeshop. After lunch we walked around town, browsed the organic market, stopped at the park to swing, and rested on a bench overlooking an inlet. What a way to spend an afternoon. Still not quite ready to leave, we stopped at this "coffeeshop" in a gas station parking lot before boarding the ferry back to Seattle.











Friday we had one of the best cups of coffee ever from a tiny window cafe - we had seen a long line there the day before so we knew it must be a local favorite. We continued the local culinary feast with crumpets from a crumpet shop in the Market.

We walked back downtown to catch the monorail but the monorail was closed so we took a bus over to the Space Needle. The whole area around the Needle is a big park with a music museum, a science fiction museum, and carnival rides and games. We browsed around the free exhibits outside the museums and took a spin through the carnival.

After the Space Needle, we tried to walk across town to Freemont, a fun artsy area of town with lots of boutiques, thrift stores and restaurants. It turned out to be a *much* longer walk than we had anticipated and we were beyond grateful when a bus pulled over in the middle of the road to pick us up. We must have looked like we were on our last legs!



In Freemont we had lunch outside at a grocery store and listened to a man who was alternately singing and trying to auction off dogs that patrons had left tied up outside while they shopped. We spent the afternoon browsing in some quirky stores and trying a local recommendation for coffee. A tourist map we picked up at one of the shops led us to this giant statue of a troll crushing a VW under a bridge. We both liked the street sign at the intersection - now that's an address.










From Freemont, we took another bus over to the university to see the campus. It was fun to feel like we were back in school but after an hour we were glad to get back on the bus and out of the rain.


Tired from all the walking and not wanting to leave yet, we headed to the train station where we boarded the 508 for Portland. The train wound its way in and out of lush green forests and alongside beautiful hills and coast, treating us to the Northwest's scenic beauty.