One last family fling

 

Before we left town, we headed to downtown Seattle for one last family fling. We headed to Pier 55, and boarded our ship for our hour-long harbor cruise. Again, the weather was perfect, and the views of the ship yards and downtown Seattle were spectacular!

Right next to Pier 55 is The Frankfurter – recommended highly by the narrator of our harbor cruise. Nick had been saying over and over how he wanted to get a Seattle Dog while he was in town. The locals didn’t seem to know what we were talking about, and we learned that the locals refer to them more as Seattle Style Crème Cheese Dogs. They are a hearty skin on dog smothered with crème cheese, and all kinds of grilled peppers and onions – yum!

We headed back to Pike Place Market to grab some lunch, and so Nick and Val could see the infamous gum wall. We learned that Pike Place is the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the US, having started in 1907.However, the gum wall is a far more recent addition. Thousands of visitors have deposited gum wads all over this wall. As we left, we learned that the market is happy to supply you with needed materials – a gumball machine stands at the foot of the alley!

We learned that the very first Starbucks coffee shop opened across the street from Pike Place Market. It was 1970 and the beginning of history. You can get some coffee at pretty much every food venue in Pike Place Market, and you can get it pretty much immediately. But if you would rather stand in a line that winds halfway down the street, you can get a cup of coffee from the first Starbuck ever.

Next, we made our way to Pier 59 and the Seattle Aquarium. There we defied CDC recommendations and mingled in large crowds indoors – we were masked of course, but the CDC still frowns on our actions. The Aquarium was well done, and we got to see lots of marine life. The best were the animals we had seen so predominantly when we were in Siberia, like Puffins and Guillemots – it really brought back some really nice memories.

Well, our week with the family had to end sometime, and we will make our way back to Vegas. However, the images of Seattle will be planted in our minds for some time to come.

Talk to you soon.