I woke this morning to a beautiful sunrise just north of Marysville, WA about 80 miles south of the US/Canadian border.
My destination today was Seattle just 34 miles south. But before I left the small town of Marysville I stopped into Cee’s Barber Shop, home of the $7 hair cut! 🙂 Last year while I was traveling in Australia I got a great haircut so I had some high hopes as I walked in and took my seat. Well, unfortunately this wasn’t Australia. But hey, at least I left with less hair than I came in with (ha ha) and you just can’t beat $10 for a cut and a tip. 🙂 I sure Cee does better when he has a bowl to cut around. 😉
When I arrived in Seattle (images) my first order of busy was to replace the hiking boots that I lost last week. Oh, and as a side note, I did figure out how and where I managed to lose a pair of hiking boots on a hiking trip. After I finished my hike on the Hermit Trail (images) at Glacier National Park Canada (images) (click here to read the Hermit Trail blog post) I took off my boots and sat them on the ground outside my Jeep. I closed the door to change out of my hiking cloths and (I guess) I must of driven off without opening my door again and left them sitting in the parking area at the trailhead. Unfortunately I didn’t realize they were missing for 3 days. Of course I contacted the local ranger station (twice) to see if someone may have turned them in but unfortunately no luck. So this morning I headed to the REI Flagship store in downtown Seattle and bought a new pair…the same ones I had before. 🙁 On the bright side, the downtown REI store offers free parking for customers so I left my car there and set out to explore the downtown area.
I walked across town and down 1st avenue to the Pike Place Market (images) also known as the Public Market Center. The market was opened in 1907 and is one of the oldest farmers markets in the country. It’s still used as a public market for fresh fish, produce, crafts and restaurants and it is a prime tourist destination in Seattle. Three of the more famous sites within the Public Market area are the Pike Place Fish Market (images), the original Starbucks (images) and the Gum Wall (images)….yes, if you’re not familiar with it the Gum Wall is exactly what it sounds like (check out the web page and pictures). The city of Seattle has tried to remove but it just keeps coming back. 🙂
The famous “throwing of the fish” at the Pikes Place Fish Market…..
I spent some time wandering around and checking things out. For about 10 seconds I contemplated getting a coffee at Starbucks but there were about 150 people in line at the (seriously)!. As most of you know I wouldn’t stand in a line like that if they were giving it away…..with a years supply! (well, maybe for a year’s supply, ha ha)
Seattle, like many large cities, had its share of street performers. Being a musician myself I appreciate what they are doing and often stop and listen and leave a tip…if they’re good. 🙂 As I was walking around I came across this guy. I really liked him. Being someone who has a hard time chewing gum and walking 🙂 I’m always impressed by people who can do 3, 4, 5 or more things at the same time. Check out this guys feet….I think the one on the left is Bill Gates…or Paul Allen but I can’t tell who the one on the right is. Please leave a comment if you can identify him.
When I left the Pikes Place Market area I headed up the hill to Kerry Park (images). Kerry Park is a good place to get a great view of downtown Seattle and Elliot Bay (images).
I left Kerry Park and walked back down the hill to the Space Needle (images). Since I had just come from Kerry Park I knew I wasn’t going to have any better view from the Space Needle but I figured while I was in Seattle I had to go up….so up I went. The ride up and walking around the inside of the observation deck reminded me of being in the CN Tower (images) in Toronto several years ago. I went outside and walked around the outer observation deck.
The view as nice but the wind was crazy….
After I came down from the Space Needle I walked back to my car and headed to Fremont (images) section of town to meet someone at the Fremont Brewing Company. His name is Nate and he is a friend of friend from Pennsylvania. Nate is originally from Pennsylvania but moved to Seattle a few years ago for the same reason many others have….to be closer to the outdoor activities that he enjoys. Nate is a very interesting guy and we have a lot of shared interests. Two years ago he and a friend rode their bicycles all the way across the US…that’s cool! He and another friend are currently working to build a hostel in Bellingham WA (that’s where he currently lives). I had a great time getting to know Nate and 3 hours flew by as we sat and talked about everything under the sun.
Aside from having to buy a new pair of hiking boots (grrr 🙂 ), I had a good day in Seattle.
Until next time…..
“I do not know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody” – Bill Cosby
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