After completing our exploration of Portland, we headed north a few hours to Seattle. We spent four nights (three days) at the Lake Pleasant RV Park about 30 minutes north of Seattle. With great excitement, the first day after arriving ... it rained! So, we spent the day at the RV catching up and listening to the rain drops pound on the roof. We needed the rest. But we made up for it the next two days wearing ourselves out sightseeing in downtown Seattle.
Being downtown, we got a slight glimpse of Seattle city dweller life; part of what we wanted to see. To really comprehend the city life, one would have to spend an extended time living it. The city is expanding with high-rise buildings being turned into condos and apartments. We were told that Amazon currently occupies 25% of the business district in Seattle and encourages their employees to live 5-10 minutes from their office. It is projected that Amazon will grow to occupy 30% of the space in the next 2-3 years. Besides Amazon, Google has offices in the area and several other big companies are in the Seattle-Bellevue area, including Microsoft and Boeing. Seattle is like many large, dense cities with narrow streets and high-rise buildings stacked next to each other. Many of the downtown dwellers don't have cars and the concept of grabbing a rental e-bike and riding it some random place and leaving it is a big business now. What a way to live!
To adamantly avoid driving downtown and parking (very expensive and nerve racking), I found we could drive to the University of Washington where there is a terminus of the LINK light rail that goes downtown. UW was about 30 minutes from the RV park and it only took me 20+ minutes each day to figure out I was lost driving around campus before finding parking, in spite of using Google Maps. Some people just have a hard time. Once parked and 15+ minute walk to the LINK station, it was only a 15-minute ride to downtown Seattle. Still desirable over driving to downtown and parking.
Tom's (very) Abridged History of Seattle
In 1851, some immigrants from Illinois created a settlement called, you guessed it, Seattle. Because of the lack of women, in 1864, Asa Mercer made two trips to New York to recruit prospective brides. I guess some of the women couldn't get along with each other and he had to split them up (at least that's my interpretation).
June 6, 1889, New Yorker John E. Black burned down most of the Seattle business district when he tipped over a hot glue pot over a gasoline fire and then tried to put it out with a big pot of water. Ooops!!! Since Seattle is very hilly, this gave the town the "opportunity" to raise the waterfront district about 12-15 feet to avoid high tide and make the streets more manageable. There are tours of the original now underground areas of the waterfront, but we didn't avail ourselves of that attraction.
With the railroad coming to town and the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush, a savvy newspaper reporter (I don't recall his name) wrote many articles about the Yukon gold and easy pickings and sent letters to governors and statesmen across the US and around the world, promoting Seattle as the gateway to the Klondike. This attracted miners, not only from the US, but from around the world to head to Seattle to gather the 2,000 pounds per person of supplies required to enter the Yukon (in Canada). It is estimated that 70% of the 100,000 prospectors went through Seattle which caused a significant growth boom for Seattle. I was told that of the 100,000 prospectors, only about 300 actually found significant amounts of gold. That supports the adage that it is much more prosperous to mine the miners then to dig for the gold.
In 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held in Seattle and during its 138-day run, it attracted 3.7 million visitors, another boom. Then another world's fair was held in Seattle in 1962 and more permanent Seattle Center facilities were developed to house the Seattle Space Needle and the Seattle Monorail was built to connect to downtown and other transportation.
Today, Seattle is still rapidly expanding. Its population is about 800K and is expected to be over a million in the next few years, along with all the growing pains that accompany that.
Okay, So What Did We See?
Over the two days we spent sightseeing in Seattle, we did most of the normal touristy stuff and enjoyed the experience!
 Riding the Seattle Monorail from LINK station to Seattle Center. |
 "Ride the Ducks" 90 minute tour of the city and out onto Lake Union. Not much to see in the city with all of the buildings right next to you but views from the water were good. |
 Our sister Duck out on the water. |
 The Seattle Skyline. |
 The Seattle Space Needle. |
 The houseboat used in "Sleepless in Seattle." |
 Lots and lots of street singers and performers at Seattle Center. |
 Just making a living. |
 The Seattle Space Needle in Seattle Center. |
 Our lunch the first day at Seattle Center Armory - Good pizza! Becky gave her half-a-pizza leftover to a "outdoor living person" sitting near us in the Armory. It was appreciated. |
 We had to go to the famous Pike Place Market. |
 Very crowded but now we can say "we have been there." |
 Lots and lots of fish. At the market, you can watch them throw the big fish in from one person to another but we didn't find the place. I guess that will have to be a reason to go back. We also didn't see the "Gum Wall" where people stick their gum on a wall in an alley. |
 YES! The original Starbucks, 1st Ave and Pike Street. |
 Okay, the orginal did burn down and this one was rebuilt in its place. I won't tell if you don't. |
 It wasn't as crowded as normal, so Becky and I had an Ice Mocha something-or-other-foo-foo-drink. |
 Ah, a lime-green e-bike. These are the ones that people ride around town and just leave wherever. |
 Still on day one, we headed over to Historic Pioneer Square which commerates the first pioneer settlment. In this building is the National Park Service - Klondike Gold Rush Center. Interesting film and exhibits. |
 Mine the Miners! |
 In Historic Pioneer Square, we came across this nice waterfall and garden. The placard said "UPS - Celebrating 100 Years of Service - August 28, 2007." This is where UPS was founded 100+ years ago. All so I can get my Amazon packages. |
 Day 2. Time to ride the Seattle Great Wheel! |
 All aboard! Made 4 slow rotations on the wheel. Now we can say "WE DID IT!" |
 View of the waterfront and part of the city from the Wheel. |
 The Seattle Space Needle from the Wheel. |
 Time for lunch after a lot of climbing hills. Von's 1000 Spirits. |
 They advertise the "best mac and cheese" in Seattle. IT WAS GREAT. Gourmet sourdough noodles made daily in house with a spicey five-cheese sauce. It is by far the best mac-and cheese I have ever had. |
 Make me some more please! |
 After lunch, we headed back to Seattle Center via the monorail. First stop Chihuly Garden and Glass. |
 Chihuly is a person famous for making glass sculptures. LOTS of GLASS SCULPTURES. |
 Based on a film we saw, he actual directs large groups of glass blowers to make the pieces. |
 More and more. |
 And more! |
 Yes, and more. |
 Okay, enough. Off to the Seattle Space Needle. Built in 370 days, 1961-1962, it was part of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. |
 Lake Union from the Needle. |
 Downtown from the Needle. |
 The port from the Needle. |
 The Great Wheel and waterfront from the Needle. Time to head back to the RV! |