My experience with Seattle left me feeling that it's a city just a bit off center. It tries to present itself as a buttoned-up, "normal" city, but after a short time in Seattle, it's easy to see through this thin facade. You understand why grunge came from here. And why they love coffee so much. Let me give you a few examples of the Seattle I uncovered.
- We grabbed some lattes at a really cute coffee shop and exited through the rear door into a beautiful little courtyard. We sat down at one of the tables to soak up the afternoon sun and enjoy our drinks. I quickly realized we were sharing the area with quite a few homeless people (of which there seemed to be an abundance of in Seattle), but everyone was chill, so we stayed put. There were a bunch of birds flying around - mostly pigeons and few seagulls. Out of nowhere, a seagull swoops down, plucks a pigeon out of the air midflight and proceeds to shake it to death right in front of us. We were shocked - luckily Spencer had his back to it, so he only saw the look of horror on my face - but apparently nobody else cared. They went about their business without a second look. And we hightailed it out of there.
- And then there was the diaper incident. I only packed a handful of diapers for the trip, imagining that it would be no problem to pick up a pack once we got to Seattle. Day One I totally forgot about the need to buy diapers and by Day Two we were in a full-fledged diaper emergency. I called the hotel's front desk to find out where I could run out to buy some. I was surprised to find out that there was no place nearby that sells them. They recommended I take the trolley 6 stops then walk 3 blocks to go to the nearest pharmacy. We decide to just take Spencer in his already sodden diaper to Pioneer Square - a bustling area with lots of shops and restaurants - and find a drugstore there. After a 20-minute bus ride, we arrive and flag down someone to point us in the direction of a pharmacy. The news is dismal. The closest one is 10 blocks away (and uphill). At this point, Spencer has soaked through his clothes so we have no option but to make the hike. We arrive at the Rite-Aid, say some hallalejuhs and head in. I wander the aisles in puzzlement wondering where the baby stuff is. Finally I ask a clerk and she tells me that they don't sell baby stuff; that we are in the business district. Now, I know New York City is not exactly "normal", but every pharmacy, no matter the location, sells baby stuff. Do no babies live in downtown Seattle? Do no parents work in downtown Seattle and occasionally want to pick up supplies on their way home? We are sent in the direction of another pharmacy - another 5 blocks out of our way - which we are told has limited sizes of diapers. Luckily they had some in Spence's size and we were able to clean him up. But, come on, Seattle - too cool for diapers?
- My final observation came to me while I was breathing in car exhaust while attempting to walk to Seattle Center from our hotel. Seattle would like to be a clean, green city. It wants to be an outdoor haven. And trust me, it's got the beautiful backdrop to go with this image. But, when you have a highway running through the city, it's hard to be this. We had to find a way to cross the highway to get to our destination. After consulting with some Seattle-ites, we found the only crossing and it involved walking on a narrow pathway next to a line-up of exhaust spewing cars. Any health benefits we may have derived from walking were surely nixed.
Before I go any further, I must clarify that I did indeed like Seattle. I thought it was a cool city with lots of character. And I admit I only saw a tiny piece of what it has to offer. There are lots of neighborhoods we didn't have time to explore and many I'm sure I'd like. And they do make some tasty java.
Here's some details of our trip:
Hotel:
We stayed at the Residence Inn Lake Union. This was an excellent family-centric hotel. We had a one-bedroom suite with a full kitchen and views of Lake Union. We were able to watch seaplanes take off and land from our balcony. They offered free breakfast every morning and a free dinner once a week (it was taco night while we were there - catered by a local restaurant). It's not the most centrally located hotel, but the trolley and bus to downtown stop right in front of the hotel, so it's easy to hop onboard.
Attractions:
I was kinda worried that Pike Place Market was going to be a tourist trap, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out it's more than that. We spent an entire morning exploring all the shops and stalls. We bought foods (cheese, sourdough bread, smoked salmon, and a bottle of local wine) from the market for a "picnic" lunch which we enjoyed back in our hotel room while Spencer napped.
I wasn't planning on going to the Space Needle, but people kept telling us that it was worth it to go up for the views. So, we shelled out $36 for the elevator ride. When we got to the top, Spencer immediately started throwing a tantrum. He lay on the ground and kept saying "Night Night" and wouldn't get up. So we did a super quick loop around the viewing platform while he screamed.
The best part about the Seattle Children's Museum is that we arrived less than an hour before closing so we got to pick how much we wanted to pay. So, it felt better to see the worn exhibits having only paid $10 instead of the normal $22.50. It's definitely dated. Everything just looks old. And kinda dirty. But, Spencer didn't seem to notice, and we were there for him, so I'll stop complaining now.
Pioneer Square was my favorite Seattle 'hood that got to explore. Lots of independent bookstores and coffee shops. Really cute.
Food, Glorious Food:
Pike Place Market is a great place to pick up some delish eats. For breakfast there, I picked up a blackberry turnover from Three Girls Bakery. Spence got a crossiant from there that was bigger than his head (literally).
My favorite dinner was from Chandler's Chowder House, conveniently located across from our hotel. We got takeout from here after the aforementioned Space Needle incident because there was no way we were going to try to sit down to a meal with crazy boy. We had delicious crabcakes, seared tuna, and key lime pie in the safety of our hotel room. The restaurant looked beautiful and under other circumstances, we would have loved to have stayed to eat there.
And, finally be sure to make a stop at Cow Chip Cookies in Pioneer Square for a tasty treat.
