This is Seattle's skyline as scene from a boat. I didn't realize that Seattle is actually about 80 miles from the ocean. According to Google, Seattle also gets more rain fall than Portland (only by a couple of inches). I didn't think that any place got more rain than Portland. We lucked out this weekend with not a cloud in the sky.
Our first stop was the Seattle Aquarium. Since my parents volunteer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, we get in that one for free, but this one we had to actually pay for. It was nice for the diver to pose with Wah-Wah.
The highlight of the aquarium was this real life "Marlin and Dory" from Finding Nemo. It was just like watching the movie-- but in real life. I guess I just don't get that excited in aquariums anymore.
After spending a couple hours in the aquarium, we went on a harbor cruise on this delightful ship.
We got a pretty good view of the city from the boat. Here is of course, the Space Needle. Just to the left of the Space Needle, up on the hill side, Frasier Crane lives. Actually, I learned that only one episode of "Frasier" was filmed in Seattle.
After getting off the boat, Wah-Wah and I rushed over to the monorail and rode it to the Space Needle where we had a dinner reservations at 5:15. Eating in the Space Needle is an experience. The restaurant rotates once every 45 minutes. I took the picture above on our second time around. It's pretty cool that you can get up and go to the bathroom then come back and your table is gone to the other side of the restuarant.
Here we are at dinner. Unfortunately, due to a late lunch, I wasn't very hungry. However, they have very little on the menu for under $30, so I ended up eating an Alaskan Grilled Halibut. It was delicious. In 8 years of marriage, we have never had such an expensive meal. I think we ended up spending over $120. Can't afford to do that but once a decade.
On Sunday, we took the bus to Pike's Place Market. It is a pretty famous area in Seattle with about everything. Lots of fresh produce, ethnic food, arts and crafts, music, and Starbucks. Yes, this is hollowed ground. This is the first Starbucks--ever. Sadly, I already had my coffee at the motel, so I didn't need another.
Another great discovery down the corner was this bakery that sold gluten free muffins. We had to stop here twice for some treats for Wah-Wah.
Our last stop in Seattle was at the Science Fiction Museum/Experience Music museum. This was a pretty cool building next to the Space Needle where visitors paid one price and got into both museums. We went to the Sci Fi Museum first. We saw lots of replicas of from Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, etc. I enjoyed this since it was a history of Science Fiction- from Jules Verne to George Lucas. Unfortunately, cameras were not permitted, but I still took the picture of Yoda with my flash turned off. I can be such a rebel sometimes.
You would think that a music buff like myself, would dig the Experience Music museum, but I didn't really find it that interesting. The first half was devoted all to Jimi Hendrix. I'm well aware of Jimi's status in music, but I never had to patience's for his 20 minute jams. Upstairs, was jam area where you got music instruction on being in a band. Finally, towards the end, they had a area devoted to the Seattle scene of the 1990's. I did enjoy this area with such displays from Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I would have preferred a U2 section.
6 comments:
It was a very nice getaway. It was interesting using all public transportation. Seattle is a beautiful city.
Seattle is one of those cities where you could easily fill a week doing cool stuff and not finish everything on your list. When I was a kid we took one of those boats across Puget Sound to visit a great aunt and uncle who lived opposite it from Seattle. It was a great trip (though it DID rain for us... the entire time we were there).
I would like to visit that restaurant in the Space Needle some time. I actually figured that a dinner for two would go for more than $120. That's about what it costs to eat at Skies in KC, and I would much rather have a rotating view of Seattle than KC.
The Sci-Fi Museum... now that is a cool idea. Why haven't I heard of that before?
What time of the year were you in Seattle, since it was so rainy?? You guys should come up to the Northwest for vacation.
Awesome anniversary trip. Congrats!
I was in Seattle in early October, 1990. Some day we'll probably do a vacation to the Northwest. It will have to wait a few years, though, because our next vacation of substance will probably be in two years to somewhere in the Gulf Coast or the Carribean (I hope).
Great trip. We'll have to head up that way sometime. It sounds so different from the parts of the US I've visited.
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