Pike Place Market sign
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We got up early this morning, with Michelle planning on attending an Easter Mass at a church we saw on the other side of Seattle Centre. We showered and went downstairs for the included breakfast and found it to be a hot brekky, with eggs, fried potatoes, sausages, and bacon, as well as toast, cereal, and fruit - much better than the continental breakfasts everywhere else! After filling up, we geared up and went downstairs. Then I realised I'd left my sunglasses up in the room and had to go get them, so Michelle decided not to try getting to the church on time and we simply headed off downtown to walk around some touristy areas of Seattle.
Pike Place Market sign |
First stop was Pike Place for the shops and markets, but we were so early we had a bit of a wait before anything opened. At 10:00, things started opening up and we browsed amongst the various shops in the old buildings and long the market stalls, where an endless row of fresh flowers were begin sold by the growers, mostly tulips in all sorts of colours. Some fish and crab sellers were just setting up, and there were all sorts of souvenir stalls opening up too. The maze of multiple levels and warren-like corridors inside the old buildings led us past lots of shops, and we found a bakery selling cinnamon rolls - one of which I got - and American-style "scones" - Michelle got a raspberry one. The cinnamon roll was a little disappointing.
 Fruit stall, Pike Place Market |
After looking at a totem pole in a small park at the northern end of the markets, we crossed under the freeway and down to the waterfront, near the Seattle Aquarium. We walked south along the waterfront, checking out the piers and their shops. At a fish and chip place I got some fried halibut and chips ("just for the halibut"), that was really good. The fish was coated in a crisp and light batter that wasn't oily at all and the fesh was dense and white and delicious. The chips were thick wedge with the skin on, also cooked without ending up oily. Top notch.
 Halibut and chips |
Then we walked over to Pioneer Square and looked around the old part of town a bit, before crossing over to the business district to go up to the observation deck on the Bank of America building. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we continued walking back to our motel. We stopped at a cafe/deli for a break from the hot sun and walking. Michelle had a muffin with various bits in it and I got a lemonade. While we were sitting in there, another guy tried coming in to buy a sandwich and the staff told him the place was closed, so we must have got in just in time. "I just want to buy a sandwich!" he protested, but they wouldn't let him in the door. It was 2pm and we left to go straight back to the motel for a bit of a rest after six hours of walking around Seattle.
After two hours or so of resting, we set out again, this time driving through the streets north to the Queen Anne neighbourhood, where Kerry Park overlooks the city from a high vantage point on the hill, amidst gorgeously maintained and very expensive looking houses on leafy streets. The view was superb, with the Space Needle sitting in front of the downtown skyscrapers and Mount Rainier in the distance beyond.
After taking several photos we drove back to the motel and prepared to walk down to the Belltown neighbourhood for dinner. Unfortunately, the Noodle Ranch Michelle had been looking forward to was closed so we wandered around a bit and found a place called Jai Thai that looked good, so we tried it out. Michelle got stir-fried veges with tofu and cashews, and I got a Penang curry beef. We also had some spring rolls and Michelle had a sparkling fruit juice. The food was really good - definitely one of the best meals we've had so far in the trip.
 Space Needle at sunset |
After eating, we walked back to the motel and then drove back to Queen Anne and the Kerry Park lookout to take some night photos as the sun went down. After another beautiful sunset, we headed back to the motel for the night.
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