Seattle Sightseeing

Sunday, 17.06. / Seattle (total driving distance 37 miles)

I wake up at 3:15 am, G. is already awake! We both fall back asleep and are already at breakfast by 7:30 am. Good selection with waffles, scrambled eggs, and good coffee - a blessing for the first morning! When we roll out of the hotel parking lot at 8:30 am, the driver's seat cannot be adjusted at first. We curse and the reception looks up the nearest Alamo station for us.

So we drive through the deserted streets of Sunday morning to the Hilton Hotel, where we are explained the setting - how embarrassing! Instead of a lever under the seat, there is a sliding control on the side of the driver's seat (and only on that side), which can be pushed forward to adjust the driver's seat continuously. The Alamo guy's words are comforting, he says that even 21-year-old guys have struggled with the seat!

So now we are really starting and first roll to the Pioneer Square, which presents itself with beautiful facades, flowers, and homeless people. The Pioneer Square is the former business center of Seattle and was founded in 1852. At that time, a handful of pioneers arrived here. Today, the surrounding district is full of old cobblestone streets with Victorian architecture and is listed as a "National Historic District". However, almost everything was destroyed during the great fire in 1889, and it was not until the gold rush in the late 1890s that brought about renewal and new life.

Today there are many galleries, cafes, and funky boutiques, all of which are closed on Sunday morning. The Tlingit totem pole and the statue of Chief Sealth (Seattle), the namesake of the city, are located here.

The beautiful iron-glass pergola from 1909 used to mark the entrance to a very upscale underground toilet facility. Probably a highlight in the USA.

We walk uphill to the Smith Tower, which got its name from the later firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson. In 1914, the 42-story tower was opened as the tallest building west of New York at the time. The entrance hall, the elevator - it's already worth seeing Art Deco!

There is an observation deck on the 35th floor and we have a great view of the streets, the Space Needle, the Puget Sound, and the mountains, which, however, remain half-hidden in the clouds.

Behind us are two stadiums. The weather remains dry, although it is chilly and windy, but we have fleece jackets. We continue driving to Capitol Hill, a residential area with beautiful houses and great wild gardens. We walk up and down the streets, taking photos of the most beautiful spots for an hour.

Because of our growing hunger, we want to have some Clam Chowder, but we can't find the restaurant from our guidebook on the shores of Lake Union. However, we find a small, different restaurant near an old drawbridge, where we sit outside in the sun and can't believe our luck with the beautiful weather.

We walk through a residential area with cottages right above the water. Almost everyone has their boat in front of their door. A great view of the Seattle skyline. This is probably an expensive residential area.

Let's go shopping! We drive to the Northgate Mall, I already buy some tops and super lightweight sneakers at Macy's, and at Brookstone I even buy three headphones with cable spools. We drive back to downtown and go to the outdoor store REI to look for new hiking shoes. I find some that are supposed to replace my old ones from Jasper in 2009 over the next few weeks.

It is windy as we park in downtown Seattle and go down to the waterfront. Our destination is Ivar's at Pier 54 - allegedly the place where Clam Chowder was invented! So this has to be it - and on top of that, fresh, delicious Alaska Lingcod. The place is packed, but there's a table for us!

Ivar's at Pier 54 in Seattle

Later I read that this particular type of fish is often questionable due to its mercury content, especially the one that comes from Alaska. Here, however, you order this fish like a steak, "rare," "medium," or "well done".

We are back at the hotel at 9:00 pm. The jet lag is overcome, even though it is now 6:00 am at home. Tomorrow we will drive a bit differently than planned to reach the islands off the coast of Washington State. Hopefully the weather plays along. I'm already wearing a fleece and a rain jacket to protect against the cold and wind, but rain wouldn't be ideal.