Sleepless in Seattle

So, we’re not really sleepless, though with all the coffee shops here we could be, but I wanted to use the line and it seemed somewhat appropriate as I wanted to show what we have been doing while we are up and about (thus not sleeping). Bear with me, it hopefully gets better. . . if only because there are more photos and less of my commentary.

We have ventured a little further afoot in the last couple of days down to different parts of the downtown area which has had us walk through the Fremont and Queen Anne districts on the way. On Thursday, we walked both to and from downtown while stopping to explore the Olympic Sculpture Park, check out a bit of the Seattle Center grounds, and get a quick peak at Lake Union all while enjoying some of Seattle’s hills.

As a side note for budget travelers: In comparison to many of the European towns/cities that we have stayed in, Seattle is a bit pricey (and luckily we aren’t shopping for a home here as their housing market is HOT), but we have found some fun free things to see and do.

A view of the Fremont Ave bridge looking away from downtown

Some fun Seattle facts brought to you by the Queen Anne’s Trader Joe’s

Looking back toward downtown Seattle from the Olympic Sculpture Park

Looking towards the waterfront from the Olympic Sculpture Park

Runners taking advantage of the great hiking/biking path along the waterfront

Another big head photo for Bob! This time with Echo, who apparently got on Hera’s bad side so that she is only allowed to repeat the last things that she hears.

Two more fun sculptures — the eyes in the foreground and the man and boy in the back

The Seattle Center was originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair and covers 74 acres (again per Wikipedia) in downtown Seattle. Its most famous building is the Space Needle, but it is also home to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundatione, the Chiluly Garden and Glass Museum, the Pop Culture Museum (formerly the Experience Music Project), the Pacific Science Center, the monorail, and other buildings and structures. We walked around much of the grounds and then went in the Gates Foundation Visitor Center, which is free.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Museum building which is next door to the Visitor Center

Proving that you can learn anywhere, this sign is posted on the inside of the bathroom stalls

An impressive way to display the 1,000s of grants made by the Foundation over its lifetime

Looking up at the Space Needle from below — past a cool sculpture

The entrance to the very cool-looking Pop Culture Museum

We’re working our gluteus on these hills!

Thursday night it snowed here which is apparently a big deal. It was fun to see and the snow stayed around for a bit Friday morning until the rain washed most of it away. We took the #5 bus into downtown on Friday ($2.50 each on earth-way) to practice how to get to Pier 69 and the Victoria Clipper ferry which we will take over to our next house sit in Victoria later this month. It was an easy catch from where we are staying (not even a block away) and then a quick downhill jaunt from 5th and Wall to the pier. Awesome!

While downtown, we walked along the waterfront, meandered through a lot of Pike Place Market, and then toured the HarryPotter-themed gingerbread houses at the downtown Sheraton Hotel.