I need to officially make an apology. If you read my post yesterday I talked about waking up on the floor in Seattle. This is not the truth. I have been given a lovely, and very comfortable air mattress to sleep on, and without it I would not have ever gotten over jet lag so quickly. I need to thank my sister-in-law for her hospitality.
And yesterday, I was able to enjoy her hospitality even more by heading to downtown Seattle to enjoy a beautiful summer day. Most people think of Seattle as a dreary and rainy place, and for most of the year, they are probably right. But if you are ever in Seattle during the summer months, the rain clouds get blown out of the way, the sun comes shining down, and it is the perfect time to go outside and enjoy the day. There are plenty of things to do when it is sunny outside too. Being right on Puget Sound, there are many things to do on the water. Go to the shore, and you can see people out there on boats, kayaks or paddled boards. And if you go to the right points during the right time of the year, you can see whales as they make their migration through the waters. There are also many great restaurants and night spots, and if the Mariners are in town, you could always go out and catch a baseball game.
But Seattle’s biggest draw on the waterfront is the Pike Place Market. The daily catch of fish is brought here, and the farmers will also come in with their freshest produce. This is the place that offers Seattles most iconic picture of big salmon being tossed from one employee to another so they can sell it to the nearest customer. Despite the fresh food that can be bought here, it also has the oldest Starbuck’s, a few brew pubs, and a bunch of tiny shops that offer anything from souvenir t-shirts to little knick-knacks that are made by some local artist. Musicians will come down and perform for spare change, and there is one of the strangest collection of eclectic people that you will ever see. It is a great way to spend an afternoon, and I do not believe that it could ever get boring, no matter how many times you visit it.
Unfortunately, right now, it is being renovated and expanded. The demand for new shops and new nooks and crannies has caused Seattle to tear down the eyesore that was the overpass that ran along the coast, and to build more to their biggest tourist destination. It makes it a little difficult to navigate at this time. If you want to get from the pier to the central market, you might have to go up certain elevators, find hidden staircases, and backtrack from time to time, but in the long run, it will make this part of Seattle even more exciting and fun to visit.
Even though Seattle has this image of always raining, there is a reason that so many people flock to this city to visit or live, summer. It makes me see why this place has grown over the years into one of America’s most iconic cities, and I am glad that I got to spend a little time out here while I am in the process of moving. I would also like to thank my sister-in-law again for the great space for me and all my stuff and your air mattress is a lot more comfortable than it would be sleeping on the hard floor.
John Collings 