Since we had a layover in Seattle, we decided to extend it a bit and spend a little time in the city. We forgot to factor in that a layover on a Monday meant most things would be closed, so we did a bunch of walking around and stopped in at the few things that were open. Still beats working, so no complaints!
The Space Needle is a “must do” Seattle landmark, so we went even though I’m not very interested in observation towers and Doug had already been to it. We walked around under it during the day, but went up to the top as evening fell.
I was surprised by the length of the wait to get in, even though we had timed tickets. I can’t even imagine the zoo it must be when it is “in season.”
The Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, though its $4.5 million bill was privately financed. It’s 605 feet tall, but you get to take an elevator to the top in 41 seconds.
One of the floors at the top rotates, which made me a little queasy, as did the glass floors you could stand on to look down at the earth below. However, I overall enjoyed the experience more than I thought I would (which may or may not have had something to do with Doug buying me a red velvet cupcake at the top).
So moody.
Seattle being a coastal city, of course fish and chips is on the “must have” list. But would you think a great place to get it is at the airport? Lucky Louie Fish Shack has just one location, and it’s in the airport. However, it was delicious.
Seattle is known for its doughnuts, and there’s lots of options (some of which we’d already sampled on a previous visit to the city). Top Pot Doughnuts was chosen this time for its high rating and convenient location to our hotel. They did not disappoint.
I had high hopes for some birding in Seattle, as it’s very far from anywhere we’ve birded before. However, we saw very few birds, and of that, nothing exciting. Still beats working, though. Doug says this is a glaucous-winged gull.
We had a beautiful day for walking around the Olympic Sculpture Park (and trying unsuccessfully to find birds). This is Eagle by Alexander Calder, with a view across Elliott Bay.
Wake by Richard Serra in the Olympic Sculpture Park. The five plates, each 14 feet high by 48 feet long, offer a different perspective as you walk amongst them.
Neukom Vivarium by Mark Dion features a 60-foot Western hemlock that fell in 1996. It’s been installed in a small greenhouse in the Olympic Sculpture Park, where it lives on as a nurse tree. It’s truly a living, breathing art-form, that changes form over time. Fascinating! Unfortunately, the greenhouse was closed while we were there, so we could only peak through the windows.
Of course we went and strolled through Pike Place Market, but since we had just eaten donuts, we mostly looked and took in the atmosphere. It’s one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the U.S., in operation since 1907. It’s also Seattle’s most popular tourist destination, especially watching the fishmongers throwing the fish (which we did).
The 2004 Seattle Public Library is Washington state’s entry on Architectural Digest’s “Best Designed Building in Every State” list. Designed by architects Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus, the “ultramodern structure…has sections that cantilever over the busy streets below.”
Inside, the library is light-filled – but that just seems like an awful lot of empty space.
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