Seattle!!

Ah, Seattle, aka the Emerald City named for the lush greenery that inhabit the city (because all it does is rain). After a quick stop for the greatest Dim Sum ever, Amy and I went exploring this weekend in Seattle. At first look, it is unlike any city on the east coast. I just felt that the feel of the city was different. It is absolutely beautiful on the water of the Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the background. The snow covered tops and the cool breeze coming off the sound make a great contrast to the bustling city.  We live in the city of Kent, WA located about 15 miles south of Seattle, so the drive, with traffic, only took about 20 minutes. Planning on doing a Duck Tour, which now is available in most big cities, we bought our tickets and decided to roam around the city by foot for a few hours before the beginning of our tour. We first saw the famous Seattle Space Needle and the EMP (Experience Music Project.) EMP was financed by Microsoft co-founder and "silent" partner Paul Allen. Paul Allen also owns the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and built the MLB's Mariners baseball stadium. The EMP is pictured with the golden roof at the base of the Space Needle. The architecture of the building is very bazar, but incredibly interesting. We later learned that from the ground level the building represents just an odd shaped blob, but from an aerial view, it resembles a famous Jimmy Hendrix guitar that he broke on stage during one of his concerts.  We walked around the Space Needle and the surrounding grounds which is aptly named Seattle Center. It contains the Space Needle, the EMP museum and a science fiction museum (also Paul Allen financed), as well as multiple parks, theaters  and auditoriums. I thought it was very touristy, where some parts have small carnival rides and even those booths where carnies try to entice you to spend your money throwing darts at balloons to win a "prize." Other parts, however, like the fountain located in the middle of Seattle Center are awesome. The fountain was unlike anything I have ever seen. It resembled a large meteor in a crater with holes randomly placed throughout the top and sides. Through these holes water shot out randomly while kids and adults alike played. After walking around and sampling watermelon, we walked down to the coast where we found the Olympic Park. Having nothing to do with the Olympics the park used to be dumping grounds for oil companies. Now, Seattle has cleaned it up, and made it a beautiful park with art and sculptures lining the path where many "Seattleites" run and bike. We walked down the shoreline and saw a few cruise ships that go to Alaska, as well as boats that take you to the San Juan Islands, and to Victoria, British Columbia. We intend on taking a 3 day, 2 night cruise to these different islands soon!! We soon arrived at the famous Seattle Farmer's Market and Pike's Fish Market.  The actual public market is another tourist trap with 3-4 floors of knick knacks and coffee mugs that say 'Seattle," so we quickly walked through these floors, in search of the fish market. There was a huge crowd surrounding the fish market as we finally ascended the 4-5 flights up the hill. As if we were at a street performance, we stood there and watched these fisherman field orders and throw fish/mussels/crab while all yelling in a choreographed unison. It was very cool to experience. After sampling some Pacific Northwest style clam chowder, which does not hold a candle to New England's, we walked back to our duck tour destination. Now, I've taken a duck tour in Boston, but this one in Seattle was VERY kitchy. More entertaining than informative (we were forced to yell "Ka-Ching" whenever we passed a Starbucks), we both had a good time. We drove around the city listening to blaring disco music and the sounds of the duck noise makers that they sell at the ticket window. We drove into the lake, and took a nice tour around the lake. They had large ships docked, and the tour guide informed us that they were crab fishing boats from the Discovery Channel's TV show Deadliest Catch. Also, because people keep asking, we DID see the house from Sleepless in Seattle, and here is a picture of it!!! I, myself have never seen the movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the boats from the Deadliest Catch. We also got to witness sea planes both landing and taking off from the water!! After the tour we walked back to the city to explore further, grabbed some pizza (Amy's favorite) and drove back home. The next day, we went to Costco and spent $350 on food. A personal best! Until next time, avid readers! And please post if you like!! We love the feedback!