Traveling Tuesdays – Seattle edition

When things get rough and too stressful at work, I go and take a vacation. This time (a month and a half ago), it was to Seattle. (I also went to Europe, but that will be for another post.)

Seattle is an up and coming city and I had a blast walking around the city and playing tourist.

Top touristy spots that I thought were worth hitting up?

• Pike Place Market – This will probably be my favorite spot in Seattle. My hometown, San Diego has a public market, but in no way is it comparable to Pike’s place. Within the market, you’ll find so many interesting things. Here were my favorites:
  • At Pike Place Fish Co, when a customer orders a fish, a fishmonger will hurl that’s customer’s order across to another fishmonger for wrapping. They will often throw it back and forth and trust me, those fish were slippery little suckers. I was just entranced with their performance and I can see why tourists from all over come here to watch this. If you can’t catch the show, apparently they have a live feed that you can watch online.
  • Pike Place Chowder – I mean honestly, who doesn’t love chowder? My favorite is their clam chowder, which apparently won a bunch of awards. The melt in your mouth buttery-ness of the chowder. It’s totally worth visiting and getting your fill.
  • LionHeart Bookstore – This is found on the lower level of the public market and although it may not be super fancy, I found it to be really warm and welcoming. David, the caretaker there, is sooooo beyond friendly. If you’re not comfortable talking to strangers, this might not be the place for you to be. If you’re down to meet new people who are quirky and really pleasant, I’d suggest dropping by here. He also has a notebook full of postcards from all over the world that tourists send the bookstore. 🙂
  • Pike Place Pigs – I have a soft spot for piglets and so when I came across this place, I was thrilled. The owner makes piggy banks of varying sizes. In smaller sizes, she makes salt and pepper shakers in addition to little ornaments for Christmas trees. This place can be found further down Pike’s Place, but it’s not always there. I’d check her facebook to see when she’ll be out with her piggies.

    

    My new little salt and pepper shakers

• Seattle Gum Wall – Even wanted to make your mark in gum? Well, this is the place to be for that. A tradition started in the 1990s, tourists and locals alike come here to leave their mark via chewed gum. There have been efforts to clean up the wall and last year, they were able to successfully clean off all the gum. The clean walls didn’t last very long as people were adamant about leaving their gum on this landmark. I didn’t leave any gum there, but you can bet your butt I took a photo in front of the wall.

  

  Hello gross factor!

• Chihuly Garden and Glass – I’m not a huge fan of museums, but when in Seattle, right? The Chihuly Garden and Glass is a museum for glass blown objects by you guessed it, Dale Chihuly himself. His artwork is amazing and it kind of makes you wonder about what you’ve been doing with your life…

  

  Amazing

Other notable mentions

• Seattle Glass Blowing Studio – This is on the way to the Space Needle and for a hefty sum of $395 per 1-2 people, you can make your own glass blown art piece. You can make a bowl, a paperweight, a cup, or an ornament. Even if your wallet can’t afford it, I’d recommend stopping by here to see the artists at work. It’s kind of crazy watching them work with glass at melt your face temperatures.
• The Fremont Troll – It’s a creepy looking troll sculpture found underneath the Fremont bridge. You seriously can’t miss it. It’s HUUUUUUGEEEEEEE!
• Nue – This restaurant had an interesting gimmick. There is no real cohesiveness to their meals except they are inspired by dishes all around the world. You have Balut, which is a developed duck egg usually sold on the streets of the Philippines. Then, there’s Tijuana Tostilocos, which as the name implies, originated in TJ, Mexico. I grew up with these and they’re delicious! Then, there’s also Sri Lankan Beet Curry, South African Bunny Chow (not real bunnies folks), and Trinidadian Goat Curry just to name a few. If you’re in the mood for international, this is the place to hit up.

  

  Our Chengdu Spicy Jumpbo Chicken Wings

  There you have it. My vacation to Seattle in three short days. I had so much fun that I will definitely be back.

  So what are your favorite things to do in Seattle? What did I miss?