I was at Portland, OR, a few weeks ago. I learned that Seattle was just a three-hour drive away so I decided to take the trek.
I arrived in Seattle at 9:30pm and it struck me how big the city was. The hilly downtown streets reminded me of San Francisco.
The first thing I did was to find a place to eat. Nothing much happened that night. I found a place to eat near my hotel and retired for the night.I had to leave the hotel the following morning at 8am because the street my car was parked on was metered. It was a good excuse to explore the city early in the morning. After breakfast, the first place I visited was the Olympic Sculpture park. It was right by the coastline and it's a good place for a nice walk in the morning.
Soon after, I went to the Space Needle. It's surrounded by museums and stores that's worth visiting. They have a Science Fiction museum that I wanted to visit. If only I had more time.
At the top of the needle, you are able to see the city of Seattle in a 360-view. You'll see how busy its ports are by the big ships and ferries trolling along, which seems to operate endlessly.
The first ever monorail was built a few feet from the Needle and it takes you to the only stop, at the middle of downtown. From there you can walk a few blocks south to the Public Market. There, you will find the first ever Starbucks store. You'd imagine it to be grand and fancy, but it was just a storefront. It's worth going if you like Starbucks for its exclusive merchandise.
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What I found interesting in the Public Market was the Gum Wall. It's a wall of bacteria that you'll make sure not to lean on. I normally don't eat gum, but I made an exception this time and made my mark.
I managed to find the time to stop by a go-kart track soon after (which I will write about in my blog on go-kart tracks).
Overall, Seattle is a place that's akin to the west-coast culture that's know for its laid back, slow-paced lifestyle. It's an excellent contrast to how things are here in Chicago.
