Sleepless in Seattle

We arrived in Seattle in the late afternoon. It is about 300kms south of Vancouver, and we passed over the border at Peace Arch.

The Peace Arch border crossing

 
We spent two and a bit great days in Seattle. We spent the first day exploring the Seattle Center area. We went up the Space Needle and had a good play in the Children's Museum. We finished the day with a duck tour of Seattle on an amphibious vehicle that was a leftover from WWII. Our captain was 'Beau Dayshush' and he gave an excellent tour with information, dance and music. We drove through down town before heading to (and into) Union Lake. A highlight for me.....I got to see the house from Sleepless in Seattle!!!

The Space Needle

View from the Space Needle



Some architecture at Seattle Center



In the children's museum



We did it!



Liam with Capt Beau Dayshush on the water

The house from Sleepless in Seattle.
It's to the left of the yacht in the centre.






Enjoying some street art

The second day we walked to the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Gallery and then along the Puget Sound and up to Pioneer Square. We arrange tickets for the underground tour and then filled in the waiting time by visiting the Seattle Art Museum. They have, amongst other things, a porcelain room with cups, saucers and other accoutrement on the walls. It was very pretty.

A stainless steel tree

Russian sailboat on harboured on Puget Sound

Pioneer Square

Exterior of the Seattle Art Museum

Present day Seattle is built on top of a previous Seattle that was burnt out earlier in the 1900s. There are retaining walls and the new city was built on top as the old one was below the tide line and flooded daily. We were able to walk under the city in an old city - quite weird!

This is actually a city under present day pavements!

We had an amazing meal that night at a creole restaurant that included alligator, craw fish pie and jambalaya. It was a memorable meal.

On our last morning there we took the monorail into town to visit the Pike Place markets. They were so alive with all sorts of food and had a truly beautiful flower market. It was lovely.

Fish market

We actually saw it!

We then hit the road to Tacoma via Gig Harbour. We had a late lunch and wandered around this beautiful little town on the water. It was so picturesque.



Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Gig Harbour

And then on to Tacoma, where, on a Saturday night, downtown was lifeless and we had to search very hard to find anywhere to get a meal! It was very strange, as the city itself was very pretty with old buildings and full of businesses, just not restaurants, not even the golden arches!!

Is this like drug rehabilitation?
(Just joking, Dad!!)

Elvis had his car washed here!

Space Needle at night