Seattle, WA

 

We left Everett on Sunday morning and headed south to Seattle, our final stop on this trip. We drove to our hotel and dropped off our cases before we headed to SeaTac to return our car. 

After the brief stop at the hotel we drove to Kubota Garden, a 20-acre Japanese garden in one of Seattle’s southern neighbourhoods. It was started in 1927 by Fijitaro Kubota, a Japanese immigrant. It is an urban oasis with Japanese and native trees and plants, ponds and waterfalls. It was beautiful with its fall colours. 

The following morning we headed down to the waterfront to the historic Pike Place Market where Starbucks first opened its doors to the public in 1971. 

Then we wandered through the market which opened in 1907 and strolled by the numerous stalls of seafood, fresh produce, crafts and flowers. 

On Tuesday we took the monorail, which was the first commercial monorail in the USA and built in 1962 as an attraction for the 1962 World’s Fair. It still uses the original cars. 

The monorail took us to the Space Needle which is the city’s architectural icon. It was also built for the 1962 World Fair. We took the external elevator up to the observation deck for a great view of the city. 

Just below the observation deck is a bar which has a revolving glass floor. Here is a view below. 

Next to the Space Needle is Chihuly Garden and Glass. This showcases the stunning work of internationally renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly in three different settings, museum installations, a glass house and a garden. 

We also watched a demonstration of glass blowing. 

Near the Space Needle is MOPOP, which was commissioned by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. The building was designed by the architect, Frank Gehry and has a very unique design with a myriad of colours. 

On Wednesday morning, I visited the Seattle Art Museum to see an exhibition by the famous Japanese artist, Hokusai. 

The exhibition only opened the previous week so it was fantastic to be in Seattle to see his work, especially the iconic Great Wave. 

Then it was on to Pioneer Square, the birthplace of modern Seattle. This cobblestone triangle features Renaissance Revival buildings and a statue of Seattle’s namesake, Chief Seattle. 

Close by is the Smith Tower, the first skyscraper in Seattle, built in 1914. It was originally one of the tallest buildings in the USA outside of New York. It has 38 floors and there is an open air observatory on the 35th floor. 

We also rode the Great Wheel and and got views of the city. 

That’s all for this trip. We hope you enjoyed following us on our travels.