This time of the year…. Thanksgiving and most importantly my darling
nephew’s birthday reminds me of my trips to Seattle over the years.
One of my earliest trips to Seattle was during Thanksgiving of 2004. The
airport was packed; it was Thanksgiving eve; everybody seemed to be in a hurry
to get to their families to celebrate Thanksgiving. A packed flight with some
delays at the two stopover airports later, I emerged out of SeaTac airport with
my brother to find our youngest sibling waiting for us. We exchanged hugs and I
saw that action was being replicated all across that airport.
Everyone was happy to be with their family during Thanksgiving.
We decided to drive to Mt. Rainier for Thanksgiving. Mt. Rainier has
so much beauty that a word of thanks comes automatically to your lips. Best
Thanksgiving ever!
The Nisqually entrance to the
Paradise side was streaming with visitors; guess many people got the same
idea for my best thanksgiving ever…. I heard that the day after Thanksgiving is
now fee free day; if any of you are
planning a visit in 2016.
The road from Nisqually entrance to Longmire is so beautiful. The
backdrop is so scenic that you are mesmerized. Mt. Rainier is an active volcano
(first one I ever visited) and coupled with glaciers, and the volcanic soils
and the dense vegetation and you can imagine why! There are 3 trails that you
can do if you want to soak in the surroundings while on foot – Kautz Creek
Trail, Trail of the Shadows and the strenuous Rampart Ridge Trail. We did a bit
of trekking but it was so chilly that we bundled right back into the car and
drove to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center. The Nisqually Vista
Trail beckoned; it is supposed to be the sight for
‘hungry-for-more-scenery’ eyes with beautiful views of the Nisqually Glacier.
We were a little early for seeing the mountain elk coming to feed as well as
the Santa Express train. Too bad!
I have yet to visit the Sunrise side of Mt. Rainier even though I have
visited Seattle many times during summer, so I will put that up on the top of
my to-do list while visiting Seattle next time. In fact, after seeing those
awesome photos of my cousin doing a climb of Mt. Rainier, that should also be
on my list. Tick!
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| Approaching Space Needle |
The effect of Mount Rainier was high upon me even on the next day. Instead
of shopping as a crazy woman like I did on Black Friday last year, this year I
decided to soak in a little more of Seattle. Upbeat was my mood as we reached
the Space Needle; an icon of Seattle. The view from the observation deck at
over 500 ft is just mind blowing. I could see Mount Rainier, Mount Baker,
Olympic Mountains and islands around. The rotating SkyCity restaurant has
decent food which I think came back into my mouth as we descended by that
speedy elevator in under a minute…. My stomach felt odd and I hoped that I
would not throw up… luckily I didn’t.
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| Pike Place Market |
Pike Place market situated on Elliot Bay waterfront is not just
another Farmers’ Market; it has so much culture and color to it. From
vegetables, fruits, dairy products to handicrafts… this place has it all. And,
there is the fish which is touted to be the best in Seattle. And I must not
forget the original ‘Starbucks’ housed here.
We drove around Redmond where many of the Microsoft employees stay in
beautiful houses surrounded by well-tended lawns. My sister-in-law talked about
her awesome experience at Microsoft during that entire ride.
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| Recent snap with Seattle Great Wheel |
The next day we took the Washington State Ferry from Seattle to
Bainbridge island and spent the good part of the day there. The ferry trip is
really cool and well-organised but we had to wait a bit for us to get on the
ferry. As we left Seattle, we could see the area near the waterfront and
Seattle Center with the Space Needle looming above.
Bainbridge Island is one of the best places to live in the United States.
From the sparkling waters of Puget Sound and scenic waterfront to the various
green parks, this island is truly a place of great beauty. The ferry entered
Eagle Harbor through Winslow. Armed with a map of Bainbridge Island, we decided
to follow Eagle Harbor Dr. through to Rockaway beach onto Pleasant Beach and
finally onto Crystal Springs. We stopped awhile to just enjoy the route and
caught the ferry back to Seattle in the evening.
The vacation was over before we knew it but with family time in such beautiful
places, it was most memorable.
The subsequent trips to Seattle over the next 10 years to visit my
brother or more accurately my darling nephews had us exploring a lot more.
When we visited Bainbridge island later, we went through from Fletcher
Bay all the way to Port Madison. Agate Pass off SR 305 which connects
Bainbridge Island to the Kitsap peninsula is something beautiful too that we
missed… I think it was heavy traffic though I am not entirely sure.
In downtown Seattle overlooking Elliot Bay waterfront, there is Pioneer Square which was once upon a
time the heart of the city since the founders settled there. But with the great
Seattle fire of 1889 burning down the earlier wooden structures, the now
Romanesque architecture replaced it instead. Not to miss (but often does get
missed) is the Seattle Waterfall Garden
dedicated to the USPS workers; this houses an artificial yet beautiful
waterfall. It is a great place to just hang out, click pictures / selfies and
to have a quick bite to eat on the go. Then there is Milepost 31 which gives an inside look to the Tunnel project to
replace the Alaskan Way viaduct and connect downtown to the waterfront; free
guided tours are available for an up-close and personal look.
The
Seattle Underground tour
is for history buffs like me. Once the Great Seattle fire destroyed the wooden
buildings, the newer buildings were made of stone and the streets were elevated
to almost 12 – 30 ft to avert another disaster and so the older pavements and
structures fell into disuse and created the Seattle Underground. We also learnt
about the gravity-assisted flush toilets funnelling into Elliot Bay made in
such a way that the waste did not back up during high tide.
Stroll or bike around
Myrtle
Edwards Park overlooking Elliot Bay (yes, the sea gulls, eagles and herons
will be around) and then onto the
Olympic
Structure Park, a really unique place which offers free admission to see
some beautiful sculptures. This is part of the
Seattle Art Museum and you can continue your tour that way if you
are heavily into art. If you are accompanied by children, then a better idea is
to go to the
Seattle Aquarium and now
the new
Seattle Great Wheel at Pier
57.
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| Chihuly Garden & Glass |
In Seattle City Center, other than the obvious Space Needle, I found
the following places that I would recommend to everyone.
Chihuly Garden and Glass houses glass works which is simply so
spectacular that must be personally experienced.
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| EMP Museum |
Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum founded by Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen houses exhibits of pop culture from fantasy or horror to
video games to sci-fi even the costumes and there are interactive activities
too. Fans of Nirvana & Jimi Hendrix love
this especially because here lays original lyrics, photos and instruments of
these musicians. You can also see the Seattle
Monorail tracks going through the building. Children would probably love
the Seattle Children’ museum and Pacific Science Center because of such
interactive and creative programs of discovery; you should check what programs
are on that your children can enrol into.
Other places that children love… I say this from our experience with
my darling nephews –
Museum of Flight: This air
and space museum in Southern Seattle has such a host of educational programs
and besides there are so many aircraft exhibits… it is like you are in another
world altogether. Not to miss are NASA’
FFT and the Dreamliner which has
been on display since last year (surely on my must-visit list for next time).
Future of Flight and Boeing
Tour: This museum is about 25 miles north of Seattle; you need to plan well
for the tour tickets. But if you are interested in aviation dynamics and
engineering or wanting to get your children interested, then this is a must-go
because you can see first-hand the planes being assembled and there are some
interesting programs for kids. There is a Boeing Store where you can buy artifacts for your home.
Wildlife: Woodland Park zoo
spanning 92 acres with a variety of animals and plants, the much smaller yet
really cool
Point Defiance Zoo and
Aquarium and the
Northwest Trek
Wildlife Park which boasts of a tram that will take you through 400 acres
where you can see wildlife in their natural habitat or you can do a Walking
Tour and some Nature trail walks.
Nature Parks and Falls: Seattle
and the area around are abound with nature parks. If there are no rains and
there is a bit of sun, go to some park and walk around. It is the best form of
relaxation that I know.
Suppose you don't want to drive around Seattle and the adjoining islands, take the Grayline and / or the Duck Tours... all you then need to concentrate on is absorbing the scenic beauty and taking some great pictures.
Happy Travelling!
There is still more of Seattle and around that I plan on seeing during
my next trip to visit my darlings. It is more of their enthusiasm in going to
these places and doing activities that makes Seattle indeed very special and
close to my heart.
At the close of your birthday my dearest Rahul, I just wish for more
such moments in the future. Love you loads!!
Normally, I am well-prepared for Christmas lunches where a battalion
of friends of family descend upon you and it is a time to experiment and
impress and this Christmas was no different. 
