Seattle (Days 13-17)
Hi! My name is Charles, and I visited every contiguous U.S. state in the same trip. Learn more about me and my travels in "Road Trip w/ Charlie!"
Today, we're exploring Seattle, WA and the adventures I got up to with my friend Rahul.
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After leaving the relaxing day I had in Coeur D’Alene, ID’s McEuen Park, I headed over to Washington to visit my friend Rahul, who lives in Seattle.
Like Blake, Rahul had moved away after living in Michigan, and I was excited to see his new apartment in the big city, having not seen him for quite some time.
It was also my first time visiting Seattle, and I was grateful for the place to stay for a few days to catch up on laundry and see all of what the city had to offer.
Without further ado, let’s jump in!
Interested in learning more about how this road trip began? Feel free to explore more of our available articles from “Road Trip w/ Charlie” (listed in chronological order).
Day 13: A Beach & a Troll
When I first arrived in Seattle, I was hungry. Hungry and lost.
The GPS kept rerouting me to a street that had been blocked off for construction, and I was having some trouble making it to the garage of Rahul’s apartment, where he was finishing up some work from home.
I finally had to call Rahul so that he could direct me to the right place, and he guided me to his apartment so that I could unpack.
At this point in the road trip, it had only been about a week since I had last stayed with a friend, and the full duration of the trip had only just reached the 2-week mark.
All things considered, I was still living fairly cushy at this point in time, and the stretches of time between friend visits would only grow longer as the trip continued.
But, for now, life was good, normal even, and I was eager to explore Seattle with one of my good friends!
We ended up getting some takeout at a local restaurant nearby, and then went back to his apartment to begin discussing some of our early plans for what we were going to do. If I recall correctly, I believe I got some kind of fried rice that I ended up really enjoying.
My only requirement for my stay was that I had to see the Space Needle at some point, and I was open to seeing anything else that Rahul hadn’t seen yet or felt was worth experiencing in the city.
I arrived late in the day, around dinner time, so our options for the first day were more limited. Rahul suggested that we go to a nearby beach called the Golden Gardens to walk along the pier and feel the fresh, open air.
After a long day of being cooped up in a car, I happily agreed.
The sunlight hit the water perfectly as the sun began to start setting, and the sight was quite beautiful. We made sure to get our steps in as we caught up about what had happened in our lives since the last time we saw each other.
I saw a duck waddle as it crossed the trail right in front of us, oblivious to the arbitrary right-of-way we possessed as we walked forward. Slowly, during this trip, I was learning to be more like the duck, wandering where I desired without care for societal everyday limitations like work, schedules, or days of the week.
When we were finished with walking the trail along the Golden Gardens, we made our way back into my car to travel to another one of Rahul’s sight-seeing recommendations while we still had some daylight left: an aquarium that also doubled as a dam.
I was intrigued.
From the outside, the place had the appearance and function of an ordinary dam.
To approach the entrance, we had to wait as a ship passed before the walkways would then turn into place, letting us cross the water and get closer. Think of a drawbridge system, but instead of the bridge going up and down, it twisted like a knob, rotating 90 degrees from middle to side.
On the inside, a mini-aquarium exhibit was set up, allowing onlookers to get a better look at some of the fish that swam nearby. I do remember thinking that it was all quite cool, but the details on this one are failing me a bit at the moment, as I didn’t get a chance to catch this place’s name.
When we were done, we decided that we had time for one more stop for our first day, and this is one that I wasn’t fully prepared for:
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The Fremont Troll is an aptly named statue that perfectly represents the complex interweaving of art and industry that Seattle is known for. The very large troll hides beneath the Aurora Bridge that towers above, and it is made out of beige-colored rock.
It was quite a cool sight to see in person, and after we arrived, a couple and their dog made their way over to the statue as well, their dog leading the expedition to the Fremont Troll while his nose eagerly sniffed the ground.
Taking this as our cue to leave, we decided to turn in for the night. We made plans for what we we’re going to see the next day, and then sat down to watch some TV.
It was at this point in time that I realized I hadn’t watched TV in almost three (3) weeks.
Well, how about that…
Day 14: Pike Place Market
The next day, we leisurely woke up and began getting ready for our visit to the Pike Place Market, a large farmer’s market and flea market spanning several blocks in downtown Seattle. This was one of the largest markets I had ever been to, and I was amazed at the number of shops and stalls scattered throughout, selling jewelry, seafood, trinkets, produce, pastries, meat, and more!
Sculptures and statues were present in the surrounding areas, and we passed by the first-ever Starbucks location as we walked towards the market. One remarkable statue that stuck with me was this one depicting Bigfoot below.
We started out by eating breakfast at a local bakery called Le Panier, and when we were done, we spent quite a bit of time walking around the market, which consisted of several floors.
Most of the produce and fresh food products were located in the above-ground section, and much of the non-perishable items, gifts, and trinkets were located in the underground section.
I really enjoyed looking at the trinkets and jewelry in the underground of the market, and I bought a large, blue topaz ring to commemorate the visit. Ironically enough, the merchant’s name was Ruby.
When we returned to the surface level, we witnessed a regular event within the market, fish flying through the air at one of the seafood stalls, creating a spectacle for onlookers and indicating a recent purchase was made.
Feeling a bit hungry, we exited the shops to look for somewhere to eat. Rahul led me to a popular street near the Pike Place Market, where people came to communally stick their used gum to the walls and fixtures.
I thought it was both beautiful and disgusting at the same time, but I suppose it’s nice when people as a whole can come together to do something purely in the name of art.
Thankfully, this wasn’t where we were planning on eating.
Leaving the graffiti and gum-filled walls behind, we exited this street to another, and then another, and then finally we arrived at the restaurant: Von’s 1,000 Spirits.
This restaurant is known for its Italian food and, as the name implies, alcoholic spirits, which were extremely strong for a lightweight like me. We ordered a flight of the bourbon spirits to try, and I could have sworn I was drinking cleaning fluid. The bolognese pasta I got, however, was delicious and I came away feeling satisfied with my meal overall.
We chatted for a bit, and then after eating, we left to visit a few other places on our way home, including Rahul’s place of employment.
Afterwards, we turned in for the night, continuing the TV show from before.
Day 15: Cherry Blossoms at UW
Ah, relaxation.
We decided to take it easy on this day, opting to first go to a local bookstore and pick up some new books for the road trip. I had already finished the book I had picked up at the Montana Book Company, and I was eager to keep my reading streak going.
Exploring some of the reviews they had for each of the books in the bookstore, I picked up the following two books:
The Carrying by Ada Limón, a poem book from one of the youngest poet laureates from the United States, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, a fictional story set in the early days of video game development.
The Carrying ended up being one of my favorite books that I read on the trip, and one I still consider one of my all-time favorites to this day.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a critically-acclaimed book that I really wasn’t a huge fan of. The premise of a video game company startup founded by a group of three college kids was highly engaging for me, but the romantic subplots becoming the main focus of the narrative took me out of it, if I’m being entirely honest.
Moving on, we exited the shop with books in hand, and went back to Rahul’s apartment to continue lounging around.
Later in the day, Rahul came up with the idea to visit the University of Washington, as the season was perfect for seeing the cherry blossom trees that they have on campus.
The view was beautiful.
I had never seen cherry blossoms before, and I was astounded by how pretty they were in the mid-April weather, a breeze only slightly present as we walked beneath tall canopies of pink and white.
This was one of my favorite photos/memories from the road trip, and when I think of Seattle, I will always think of this day.
Day 16: Space Needle & Chihuly Garden
What’s a visit to Seattle if you don’t see the Space Needle?
Standing at approximately 605 ft tall, this tower offers a spectacular view of the city’s skyline and surrounding mountains, and it was the main point of interest that I had wanted to see when I first arrived.
The Space Needle had several decks that visitors could occupy, allowing the city to be seen from various different elevations and angles.
The highest elevation deck let you see the city from an open air platform, cold air blowing all the while.
One of the lower elevation decks contained a rotating cutout in the floor with windows below your feet. It was pretty cool to look down below and see the city slowly turn as your feet remained still.
After taking my time to enjoy the sights from the Space Needle, I left and saw a man playing the violin outside.
He was quite good, and I placed some money in his collection box to show my appreciation. He offered me a CD in exchange, and I was happy to take it. I hope I still have it somewhere…
I think, in the human experience, most of us wish to strive for something greater, something with meaning that we can hang our hat on at the end of the day and say, “Yeah, I did that.” When I think of the Space Needle, I often think of this man and the passion that he possessed, handing out hand-burned CDs with a photoshopped cover of him in an action pose.
And as I write this article, I, too, am that man, silently hoping that a thought or two that I express may touch others and stick with them, even if only for a fleeting moment before they go about their day.
Sharing for the sake of sharing.
With so much to occupy our attentions, and the seemingly never-ending, cyclical barrage of inquiries from those hoping to get noticed, it can be rather demoralizing to put oneself out there, knowing that in an age of social media and digital connectedness you’re competing on a world stage for a single second of someone’s time. Attention is scarce.
And, because many have already realized this, normal conversations can quickly become sales pitches if even a modicum of interest is expressed.
Some think that if they can capture the right person’s interest, for even that single second, it might all be worth it, letting them breach or escape from the conditions that have them so entrenched in wanderlust.
A hope for something greater.
And then you have those that share themselves, not for attention or profit, but simply because it’s all they know how to do.
Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks, but I appreciated that the man simply let me take a CD and leave without further call to action. No “Follow me on X.” No “Subscribe to my Y.” Just simple trust that if I had time to listen and liked his music that I would explore it on my own.
While it was clear that he did have a vested interest in earning a little money for his talents, it honestly looked like he mostly just had a love for the violin, and if no one had walked past for the whole day he would have stayed there, playing and playing for his own amusement.
Sharing for the sake of sharing.
But I digress…
After leaving the Space Needle, I stopped by the Chihuly Garden and Glass, an exhibit of blown glass sculptures with extremely detailed and intricate patterns, making for some truly breathtaking displays.
It’s hard to capture just how astounding these sculptures are in-person. The sculptures were larger-than-life in every sense of the phrase, causing me to become baffled at how objects like these could even be made without breaking.
Some really extreme talent.
The indoor areas housed some of the larger and more delicate figures. The outside area, the garden, displayed some flower and nature-esque sculptures that were much smaller but more numerous.
Entering a greenhouse near the garden area, I encountered one of my favorite sights I had seen in Seattle.
With bright red, orange, and yellow colors on full display, this winding and spiraling flower-like piece was one of the highlights of the Chihuly Garden & Glass.
Upon reflection on the events of my trip, I would have to say that Seattle was one of my favorite places I visited. The amount of unique art, culture, and food was amazing, and I have fond memories I often think back to.
On the next day of the trip, Day 17, not much of note occurred. I attempted to go to the Astoria Column on the way from Seattle to Portland, OR, but the road was closed and the weather was poor, making it difficult for me to navigate.
And that about wraps it up for this edition! We’ll pick back up on Day 18 for my account on Portland, OR and much more!
For more information on each step of my journey, and to discover all of the places that I saw, feel free to explore the rest of my articles in “Road Trip w/ Charlie.”
Until next time, travelers!
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