We’ve breakfasted in a couple of independent coffee houses and resolutely avoided Starbucks. We aim to leave Seattle without doing so despite the city being the home of the original Starbucks.
Pike Place Market was our first stop, 156 steps from quay level to the entrance. It’s one of the oldest, continuously operational Farmers Market in the US and the 33rd most visited tourist attraction in the world!
As we puffed to the top of the steps we wondered what was drawing the crowds.
The famous chewing gum wall! It was created when customers, waiting for the theatre, used to stick their gum to the wall with a coin in it. It’s amazing how something so revolting is such a draw for tourists….
Outside, there were a number of buskers adding to the atmosphere.
The market was a great place to be, the top floor was dedicated to food and flower sellers and absolutely heaving. It has 10 million visitors, annually, and most of those were there this morning.
The fish market is famous for the vendors throwing 30lb salmon to each other, an entertainment that started when one vendor became fed up with walking along the counter. We saw a lot of fish but no throwing
Lower down, were little independent shops and the crowds thinned. We passed by the Athenian restaurant featured in Sleepless in Seattle.
Lunch, on the go, was Mac and Cheese from Beechers Cheese Shop. It’s billed as the ‘world’s best’ and it was very good
Our final stop was the Olympic Sculpture Park. One of which provided a welcome resting place.
We can’t prove we saw a bear or moose but unexpectedly, today, we saw this elusive creature……
The train runs from Banff to Seattle and everywhere we stayed we saw coaches or pick-up signs but never the train itself. We were beginning to think it was a myth!
Finally, we successfully negotiated Seattle without entering a single Starbucks.
braysabroad 