RWI019 – Seattle - Oh there is lots to do
Riverbend RV Park
Unable to find an RV park with availability near the city of Seattle, we settled in at the Riverbend RV park in Olympia.
The RV park did have a river running through it and I was able to gawk at Apache helicopters landing at the base nearby. Olympia was one hour drive due south from Seattle.
The drive to SeaTac (Airport) was not so bad, but I had to take the midnight (redeye) flight to Houston each week to report for work.
Seattle has been the most interesting city so far on our Journey. During our month stay, we made multiple trips into the heart of the city and were never bored, lost, scared or freaked out.
Although the homeless were everywhere, their makeshift homes were hidden from view and unlike Portland, the sidewalks did not smell like a toilet.
Pikes Place Market
First stop – Pikes Place Market. Everyone has seen the famous neon sign posted just above the fish market where tourist experience the famous fish throw.
The market is full of interesting shops, restaurants and unique vendors. We were in full tourist mode as we stood in the long line to get our Starbucks coffee from the original store in Pikes Place.
We also visited the Starbucks Reserve store for the hoity toity just around the corner.
Ya gotta visit the Bubble Gum Wall
From Pikes Place if you stroll due West, you will run into the waterfront stacked full of shops, seafood restaurants and a pier.
Along the back alleys in Pike Place is the famous Bubble Gum Wall which is a must see if you have kids.
The entire ally is covered in chewed bubble gum – a colorful and gross site that turned out to create an awesome memory.
Space Needle and MoPop
From Pikes Place you can take an uphill stroll to the iconic Space Needle – with its glass floors and birds eye view it is a must do to see the city from that altitude.
Just below the Needle is MoPop – the Museum of Pop Culture – the outside of which is a beautiful piece of art.
Inside is a vast array of pop culture items separated by themed rooms and corridors. Some of the rooms included; sci-fi, middle earth, history of iconic grunge bands, horror and even a guitar tornado.
A quick walk downhill towards the waterfront we were treated to Olympic Sculpture Park a nine-acre park with winding paths that take you through giant sculptures as you make your way to the waterfront.
Underground Seattle
Pioneer square is just south of Pikes Place an interesting neighborhood that hosts the Underground Tour.
The tour takes you underground and gives you a history lesson of how after the buildings were erected, the city built the streets up one story higher to keep the high tides from making the streets a soggy mess.
Until sidewalks were built, connecting the streets to the second story of the buildings, pedestrians had to climb down ladders to enter each building.
These new sidewalks created underground passageways around each building. We ventured through some of the untouched underground areas during the tour.
Washington Coast
Wanting to see the Washington Coastline we trekked to the quaint town of Westport. A small port city that has evolved into a tourist shopping village.
We saw a sign for Aloha Alabama BBQ and became intrigued. Texas is all about BBQ, so we had to see if this place could compete. He was from Alabama and She was from Hawaii. Together they created a neat little destination.
The food was delicious from the Frito pie, to the Smoked BBQ, to the homemade potato chips to the Poke bowl and more. The outside was a great spot for photos.
We hiked the coastline filled with manmade driftwood shelters built by weekend partiers and explored Westhaven State Park and jetty.
After a month in Seattle it was time to head north and take a day trip into Canada…
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