Walking Around Seattle

The friend I was staying with lives on Queen Anne Hill. From there, it would be an easy walk to the Seattle Center and Pike Place Market. It was supposed to be a rain free day so I decided it would be good day to do a walking tour of Seattle. I got some walking directions from Google Maps and headed out.

Fail. The Google directions totally let me astray on my way to Kerry Park. I did stumble upon a creepy but interesting forest and camp site. When I noticed I was approaching an industrial looking area by the water, I knew it was best to turn around. I saw a postman and figured he would know the area well. He pointed me in the right direction and told be me it would be quite a walk uphill. Being from San Francisco, the hills seemed tame compared to some of the ones in my neighborhood. I reached the park and snapped some photos. It was overcast and there were no views of Mt. Rainier, but I did capture Seattle in its natural state!

After that, I tossed my Google directions and decided to just follow the Space Needle. All over the neighborhood I noticed beautiful gardens and flowering trees and colorfully painted houses that added color and happiness to the mostly overcast day. I kept noticing many interesting views of the Space Needle- juxtaposed with nature or history, the reflection of it, etc. I really enjoy walking by myself around a new city and getting a feel for its character and stumbling upon new views and unique places.

The Seattle Center (where the Space Needle, Experience Music Project and other museums and such are located) has an odd vibe. It's too new and looks too much like it's created for tourists. But who knows when I'll be back in Seattle so I paid a ridiculous $16 for a short ride to the top of the Space Needle.

At an information desk in the Seattle Center, I asked a woman how to get to Pike Place Market. She didn't give me directions and instead tried to sell me the idea of taking a $2 two minute ride on the monorail (the monorail only goes ONE mile) that wouldn't get me much closer to Pike Place. Um, no thanks. With a ridiculous tourist map and the help of friendly locals, I found my way Pike Place. It gave off a definite tourist trap vibe. I wandered around for a short time, had lunch and left. It wasn't really my scene.

I stumbled upon a cool glass studio on my way back to Queen Anne and then stopped into the Experience Music Project. A different college friend picked me up and went to visit the Fremont Troll which is quite entertaining just because of the randomness of it all. Later we chatted over yummy tapas and sangria and before calling it a night.