It's our first visit to the Pacific Northwest and we have three days to explore all that Seattle has to offer. We toured the iconic hotspots as well as the Seattle Underground Experience!
Day One: Pike Place Market
Arriving in mid-afternoon, we taxied from the airport to our hotel to check in to refresh before hitting the streets toward Pike Place Market, just a few short blocks from the hotel, for dinner. Traversing the myriad of stalls filled with everything from handmade clothing, flowers, lavender farms, produce stands, fish markets, food stands and eateries, and street artists. We sampled every free taste and smells presented to us. While watching the iconic fish throwing experience, I asked the fish monger for dinner recommendations. "Try the mussels at Place Pigalle, you won't be disappointed."
Located in the heart of Pike Place Market, down a narrow alleyway and perched atop what was once the Cliff House Hotel, Place Pigalle is one of Seattle's hidden gems. A handful of tables welcome guests every evening to the quaint, cozy dining room for dishes that will tantalize your pallet.
It was shortly after 4 pm, an early dinner for most in Seattle, but plagued with jetlag and hunger pangs, our internal clocks begged for dinner. The staff were setting the tables for the dinner rush and we didn't have reservations. Maybe it was my charming smile (or taking pity on weary travelers), but they offered us a table near the window. Watching the sun set over the Sound, was the perfectly romantic end to our first day in Seattle.
The mussels, a Pigalle Classic, steamed with smoked bacon, celery, shallots, and balsamic vinaigrette were delicious! Our fish monger friend was right! The warm homemade bread served as the vehicle to ensure all the bacon vinegar reduction made it to our mouths (we even considered licking the plate)! Make sure to add Place Pigalle to your list!
Day Two: Seattle's Iconic Museums
Setting out early... well, early for Seattle, in Michigan time it was nearly 11:00 am... we stopped for breakfast at Dahlia's Bakery, a recommendations from Deveny's colleague.
#RoamLikeAPro: When traveling to a new destination, ask those in your circle for travel tips and recommendations before you travel or during your vacation. Our friends shared restaurants, destinations, and experiences to try while in Seattle. Better yet, ask a local! Locals know the best places for food and fun that won't break the budget.
BIG on flavor, but small in size, Dahlia's was barely large enough for four adults to fit inside - Deveny chose to wait outside until our sandwiches were finished. Without this recommendation, we could've breezed past this quaint breakfast spot without a second look. After breakfast, we headed to a vacant monorail and were the first two visitors admitted to #MoPop (short for the Museum of Modern Pop Culture). MoPop, the Space Needle, and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum make up a plaza area on the final stop of the monorail. You cannot miss the stop, as guests travel directly through this iridescent structure of MoPop before exiting the monorail.
The Museum of Modern Pop Culture offered several exhibits from Fantasy to Horror, Sci-fi, Nintendo, and Pearl Jam. As the first two visitors in the museum, we rushed to the Marvel exhibit. Original costumes, props, scripts, and interactive installations were awesome!
I became Iron Man, flying through an interactive video game. Viewing the Black Panther costume, including the intricately designed mask, we found a complete bust for Groot and posed with Spider Man.
After spending much of the morning in MoPop, we made our way to the top of the Space Needle. It was December and the cooler temperatures meant less cloud cover, which meant that we could see the snow covered peaks of Mount Rainer from the revolving observatory deck atop the Space Needle! Fun Fact: Mount Rainer is only visible from atop the Space Needle 100 days out of each year, on average.
Next on our iconic museum tour was Chihuly Glass and Gardens. I've never seen such beautiful blown glass sculptures. It's more common to find glass marbles, figurines, or vessels, but at Chihuly Glass and Gardens, the exhibits were entirely made of vibrant colors of glass.
Our final stop for the day landed us across town in Pioneer Square for the Seattle Underground Tour. A network of underground passageways located at ground level when the city was originally built in the mid-19th century. Due to constant flooding, the city streets were elevated one to two stories higher, leaving the original sidewalks and first floors enclosed underneath. At first, pedestrians were forced to climb ladders to reach street level or the sidewalks in front of businesses, until the sidewalks were paved over. Clear glass blocks were built into the sidewalks to create "pavement lights" a form of skylight to the enclosed sidewalks below. Touring the submerged sidewalks offers an eerie view into the past, especially when all the lights are shut off. This is one opportunity that you have to visit.
Deveny and I tried out an EMF detector app on her phone during the tour. There were a few strange anomalies picked up by the app, but for the most part we didn't get much activity. Few people have ever visited the Seattle Underground, but it is a part of history that should be remember.
Day Three: Goodbye Seattle
A brisk walk downtown to Biscuit Bitch, a recommendation by another friend. With no indoor seating, we enjoyed our hot drinks and piping hot biscuits with gravy on a metal bistro table outside their front window.
From there we ventured around the corner for one last stroll through Pike Place Market. Far less crowded in the morning, we tried pastries, delicious Greek yogurt by Ellenos (with so many flavors to choose from - you could select your favorites from a gelato cooler).
We made another pass to the ripest, tenderest, melt-in-your-mouth fruit and picked up some apples, pears, and a couple chocolate persimmon before heading to our next Washington destination. For more information about TreeHouse Point, please check out "To the Trees!" blog post - under the Short Stays category.
Travel Date: December 2018