Now I work(ed) at a golf club in Tampa and over time have gotten to know many people. Our members were great to me and I got to know some as friends. One in particular was having a large road trip through the summer as well and turned out he and his wife would be in Seattle the same time we would be. I had actually forgotten about this rendezvous, until they had texted me the night before we arrived in Seattle if we were still meeting. The reason I forgot was due to the fact they said they would be in Seattle at a certain date, and I told them it may work perfect that we coordinate, and to have them call me when they were close. It was blind luck that we actually were in the perfect approach and vicinity of the area!
So we decided to have breakfast at the Hyatt Regency where they were staying. This was a great treat as we had definitely been eating on the go often. Another place I work with leading up to this trip is the Hyatt in Tampa Bay. This allowed me to obtain a 50% discount for us four at a buffet to my friends surprise, when he was already trying to pay for us. This turned out to be great for everyone and saved us $50.
After talking for a while we found that they were taking a cruise around the west coast of Canada from Seattle to Alaska and porting into Victoria BC the same day we were scheduled to be there. Because of this we decided to plan on being in Victoria the same day and do a bar hop on that night. As we said our goodbyes they headed out for golf and to pursue their cruise and we headed into the city to explore some sites. We were going to plan for 7 days to see our agenda and be in Victoria the night they are there.
First on our list for Seattle was Pikes Market which features local fare and fresh seafood and vendors. Some of the main attractions though are not only the view, but restaurants, such as the first Starbucks, and the famous gum wall. Now we started at the Starbucks area and walked into the marketplace. If only we were camping that night and could cook, the fresh seafood looked amazing! Nonetheless after grabbing coffee and walking the food areas, we ran into the gum wall, which was another site on our list.
This is a disgustingly pleasant site and experience as you can see millions of pieces of chewed gum but yet still smells fruity and minty. Honestly I don’t know how something like this even gets started but I promise that if someone opened a gum vendor on the street someone would make a fortune!
We explored the area then it was time to head over to the Gasworks park. This area is across the bridge leading out of the north side of the city and across the river. The park features an old oil refinery that had been cleaned up and turned into an outdoor area with the best views of the city. We spent a while eating our cheese crackers from Beechers Handmade Cheeses from Pikes market over looking this city. This was another famous iconic brand based in Seattle and worth exploring when you’re there.
After soaking up the rare sunny weather in Seattle we ventured over to Fremont Brewery where we tried a few local beers. This was a nice stop but it was here when we realized that the flowers in the area were absolutely stunning in this city. The area around this is a very colorful neighborhood due to the flowers. The colors were vibrant and unlike anything I had seen before in Florida. This was a pleasant walk after but we headed towards the famous Fremont bridge troll. This is a concrete structure that had been carved or molded under the Fremont bridge. It was about 20 feet tall and amazing to know someone had created this out of concrete. This is a must see in Seattle.
Ashley decided to find some more of the ‘Magical Herb’ 😉 as it was legal there, while I went to pay some bills with cash at Bank Of America. This was to reconcile our expenses for the trip thus-far.
At this point in the day it was time for a rest, so we went inward to the Glassworks Park area and the famous Space Needle of Seattle. We decided to bite the bullet and do the tourist trap which was the space needle. After going to the top we had an amazing view of the city, and I was glad we were able to get to the top and spend the money. After we were done we got some drinks at a happy hour that was near at an asian fusion restaurant called Mantra Thai.
Once we had some amazing drinks, we decided to take a power nap on the side of the street in the car. Ashely and I agreed on heading down to Tacoma/Olympia area for the night to have a good dinner and grab a hotel. We decided on Motel 6 and a steakhouse near. This proved to be an expensive night, but nonetheless a productive day for a drive through Seattle. This put us in good position to attack the next day as we were to head south to Mt. St. Helens.
July 14 – Expenses
3 hyatt parking
1.50 parking street cash
6.23 original starbucks
3.50 parking
11.83 cheese
18 weed
3 parking
58 space needle
2 parking
17 lunch
97 hotel
105 dinner
Total – 326.06
Miles Driven – 132