Good Lord 4:45am came early this morning. We were quite a sight at the train station trying to juggle all of our bags + breakfast + coffee. The train left promptly at 6:40, but didn't really get going until much later. We stopped and started all the way to the border. For the first couple hours, the scenery was quite unremarkable. Once we got down closer to the border, the train followed the Puget Sound coast and the scenery turned much more beautiful. The train was not very full, so we were able to have a decent amount of space to stretch out.
We were greeted with amazing weather in Seattle when we finally got there at 11:30. The cabbie got a little turned around finding our hotel, but we finally got there and got checked in after making a couple laps around the block.
Our first stop was the iconic Pike Place Market. We had an amazing lunch at the 3 Girls Bakery. Angela had their claim-to-fame Meatloaf sandwich and I had a cold salmon sandwich with lemon aoli and capers on sourdough. I couldn't believe how good their apple fritter was, either. We got some rugalech for later and left to explore. The market itself was complete chaos; worse almost than the Granville Island Market.
The centerpiece of the market is the famous Pike Place Fish Co. where they throw the fish from the display to behind the counter for packing and purchase. The crowd of people around their stall was almost suffocating. The “show” they put on is pretty good since they yell out what they're going to throw, then they throw it, regardless of what it is. So you might hear “8 pound sockeye!” or “30 pound king!” or “salmon jerky!” After chatting with the “pitcher” for a minute or two he asked Angela if she wanted to learn how to “catch” a fish, and I'm not talking about with a rod and reel. The key is to stand to the side so that if you happen to miss, the fish doesn't smack you right in the snot locker (or worse, right into your nice blouse). After a couple practice attempts with a small fish at short range (that Angela handled like a pro, I might add), she went behind the counter for the big test. The fish came in hot, and Angela caught it like she had a catcher's mitt on. The crowd went wild!
Other than the fish stall, this market isn't any different than the Granville Island market; except that it's not as nice. We did manage to pick up some very tasty Jellies from Mick's and Angela got some more jewelry; this time a leather bracelet adorned with an antique Chinese coin.
Did you know that the original Starbucks is at Pike Place Market? You'd never guess by all the people congregating outside as if it were some holy pilgrimage sight. Not being a coffee drinker, I have a hard time appreciating the significance of the place. I guess I might have a similar reaction if I was in front of the original HP garage or Microsoft's first offices or BMW's first factory (oh wait, I was like that in front of BMW's first factory).
The last place we visited at the market is called Beecher's where they hand make artisan cheeses. We were very tempted to pick up a container of cheese curds, since they're so tasty, but decided just to walk on.
Since the weather was so nice this afternoon, we decided not to wait and go ahead and hit the Space Needle tonight while we had the chance. It's a reasonable walk from our hotel and we stopped in at this dive called “5 Point Cafe” for dinner where they serve, wait for it, fried cheese curds from Beecher's. Dinner was quite good; contrary to what you might expect walking in. We both had fish; I had fish & chips and Angela had a fish sandwich with cheddar cheese and coleslaw.
Can I say that the Space Needle is very difficult to photograph? It's so tall, and in order to be able to get a picture with an unobstructed view, you have to get quite close to the base. Even with my 10mm lens, I had to practically lie down on my back to get the whole thing in view. Getting a picture with both of us and the needle in the background was bordering on comical as we had a complete stranger lying down trying to compose a shot with Angela's iPhone.
The view from the top was stunning in every direction. The air was clear and Mt. Rainier was clearly visible beyond the downtown skyline. We stayed until sunset and the mountain just exploded from its base to its peak with the reflection of the setting sun on the snowcap. It was HUGE; completely dominating every other mountain in view.
I think Yelp is going to hook us up again with breakfast at this place called “Glo's” up the street in the Capitol Hill district.
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