Stop 1: Pike's Market
Pike Place Fish Company
No trip to Seattle is complete without a stop at Pike's Market. The main attraction is the Pike's Place Fish Company...the inspiration for the book Fish! This is a "must stop" at the market just to see them toss the fish around! It's also a great place to purchase fresh seafood to take with you. They will pack it in containers that will keep it cold for your flight home and that are approved to carry on your flight. You can also choose to ship the seafood home. Shipping is a bit pricey but is a flat rate so the more you buy the better the deal!
Since I am the only seafood lover in my family I purchased a small amount. I chose to have it shipped since my carry on was...pardon the pun...stuffed to the gills! I chose one of the King Salmon filets and a pound of the Alaskan King Crab legs. I received them the day after I arrived home and they were fresh and very delicious!
Placing an order was easy...the employees are fun and friendly! I would highly recommend making a stop and a purchase here!
Other Things to See at Pike's Market
There are several other things to see at the Market Place. There are stores around the area as well as inside the market itself. The shops inside the Market tend to be a little "flea marketish" with crafts, collectibles and beautiful flowers for sale. (There are no better deals on bouquets of flowers than here at the Market!!!) The stores around the area include the original Starbucks, Sur La Table, Cheese shops, etc.... It's a definitely a place to stop and spend a little time looking around.
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| The Original Starbucks |
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| Cheese being made at one of the local shops |
A short walk outside will take you to the water....where there are lots of large Cruise ships coming and going as well as some outside vendors.
This day was a rainy day in Seattle. It was a little more than the drizzle we had encountered before. It was also cool. This was the last day of June and it was in the 50's during the morning hours so always a good idea to dress in layers and have a warm weatherproof jacket!
Taking in a Game at Safeco Field
After our walk around the Market Place it was time to head to the ballpark. We had purchased tickets as well as parking online when we were planning our trip so it was relatively easy to make to the ballpark. Well actually...we did get lost for about 15 minutes. You could see it from the Market Place but it was a little more difficult to actually get there! For us though...this was "relatively easy"!
This was a very nice ballpark. It was still raining when we arrived so the roof was on. This was really nice since you don't have to worry about weather and games being rained out. It makes it much easier to purchase tickets in advance because you know the game will take place rain or shine.
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| Safeco Field with the Roof On |
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| Safeco Field before the game...roof on |
Right before the game, the skies dried up and they opened the roof. Just seeing them open it was interesting!
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| Safeco Field...roof being retracted |
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| Safeco Field Uncovered |
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| Safeco Field Uncovered |
Space Needle
The Space Needle is also a "must do" if you are in Seattle! Hubby and I had gone there back in October for dinner and felt we must take our son there to experience it. Again, we made reservations well in advance so we could plan dinner after the ballgame and before we had to leave for the airport. We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation but decided to head in and check out the gift shop before our reservation. There is valet parking at the Space Needle. If you are visiting I would recommend going with the valet parking as I really didn't see other lots around that were easily accessible. I'm sure if you are more familiar with the area there are places to self-park but for just a quick visit, it wasn't worth looking all over to find.
We looked around a bit and decided to check in at the desk for our reservation. It was still a little early but they were able to take us AND we were able to be seated next to the window! Our service and meals were excellent. It is a bit pricey to eat here but you are really paying for the atmosphere and the food was very good.
Dessert at the Space Needle is the best! You must order their signature Lunar Orbiter. It has been a classic since the Space Needle opened back in 1960 for the World's Fair. It is an ice cream sundae in a bowl with dried ice for an amazing effect!
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| The Lunar Orbiter |
After dinner we took the short walk up a couple flights of stairs to the observation deck. Took a look around the city and headed back down the elevator to the gift shop.
We still had a little time to kill so we walked around the area. There is a beautiful botanical garden next to the Space Needle...the Chihuly Garden... that has glass sculptures both inside and out. It looked really amazing but we didn't have the time to stop in for the tour. There is an admission charge to get in. I was able to take a few pictures from the outside.
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| Outside the Chihuly Garden |
Back to the Airport
Our day in Seattle was winding down as was our Summer Adventure and it was time to head back to the airport. As I said before....I am not real fond of SEA-TAC airport but it was better on the return. At least we knew where to return the rental car and how to get the shuttle back to the airport itself. We checked in and had time to head to the United Club for awhile before our flight departed. There are two United Clubs in the airport. One that was located nearer our gate but closed earlier and one that was open later. We chose the one that was open later so we had more time to sit inside and charge our devices. It was extremely small and didn't have a whole lot of windows. It also didn't have a restroom....you had to walk across the hall and be buzzed back into the lounge upon return. It was comfortable however. If you chose this one and your flight leaves nearer the other one......make sure you have your walking shoes on.....it is a HIKE to your gate! It took us about 15 minutes to walk from the United Club to our gate. Once we got to the gate listed it said it was a flight to Anchorage! No worries.....they just didn't bother to change the gate info to Cleveland! Anchorage......Cleveland....same difference right? Like I said....it's just the little things at this airport that drive me nuts!!
Our flight did depart on time however and we did have a non-stop back to Cleveland. I am really torn on the Redeye flights. They certainly give you an extra full day where you are to take in the sights but you are exhausted when you return and then you still have to drive home from the airport! If you do any amount of west coast to east coast flights, you will soon see that there are not any really good options for times to arrive due to the time difference so the redeye flights are often the best choice. No matter what the flight....
What a wonderful adventure-filled vacation we had!
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