One Short Week in the Emerald City

The University of Michigan (and really all the universities in Michigan) does this funny thing where students get a week off in late February or early March called 'Spring Break.' Its funny because its almost always still really stinking cold. This year Janel and I were lucky that our door wasn't frozen shut.

We were also lucky this year because for 'Spring Break' we hopped on a plane and flew away to Seattle to visit Janel's parents and to enjoy the Emerald City in all its splendor!

Janel and I were both looking forward to a week off. We were both looking forward to a week away from the apartment and to see some beautiful places. We were both excited because we want to move to Seattle in a year's time and were planning on doing some investigating. We were both excited because when we stopped for our layover in Minneapolis the air temperature was -3 degrees while in Seattle it was a balmy 45.

View from Janel's Parents' Condo

Janel's parents are very gracious hosts. They have a really cool condo on the shores of Lake Washington in Kirkland across the water from Seattle. From the living room in the condo, you can see the buildings of downtown Seattle and the very top of the Space Needle just barely over the hills. Its so relaxing to sit on the couch and watch as wind surfers and boats zoom around the lake.

As you can see from the photo, Seattle is a short trip from Janel's parents, but we were able to walk one block to the bus stop and take the city bus all the way to the buildings in the distance. It worked pretty well for the days when we were going to be staying in one place.

Pioneer Square

Our first day in the city was Monday. We started by jumping out of the bus in Pioneer Square. Pioneer Square was recently made famous by the celebratory riots of the Seattle Seahawks winning the Super Bowl. It is the oldest part of the city and the location of the famous Underground Tour.

If you haven't heard of the Underground Tour, I suggest you look it up. I had read about it several times when looking at Seattle things and figured it was one of those silly tourist things to do. It sort of was, but it was also totally worth the time and money. First off, if you don't know, it rains sometimes in Seattle, and this trip was no exception. But on the Underground Tour, you're UNDERGROUND! So it doesn't get so rainy!

Anyway, the tour takes you through the old city of Seattle. As I learned, Seattle is built on a tidal basin. The geniuses who built the place really didn't care that water would show up twice daily and flood the city, they built anyway. It was muddy and gross and the sewer system the city built did this cool thing where when the tides came in pressure would build in the pipes and sometimes when you flushed your stool it all came shooting back at you. Doesn't that stink! Hehe.

Bank Teller in the Seattle Underground

Anyway, like any good American city, Seattle had a big fire that destroyed most of the town. And like any good American city, Seattle decided to rebuild almost immediately in the same exact way. No wait, that's not right. Seattle actually decided that they wanted to fix their flooding problem. So, they started to raise the entire city, in some places as much as 30 feet, to ensure that flooding would no longer be such an issue in the city. Since it takes a lot to build a city, they ended up building the roads and sidewalks (the only city owned property) up to the height they wanted, and forcing the businesses to build to that height. During the process of raising roads and sidewalks, an entire community thrived with storefronts underground, and voila! the Seattle Underground was created. The tour takes you through a small section of the city where the underground storefronts remain (no longer in business).

The experience of traveling in a formerly functioning underground city was pretty cool. Janel and I were hungry so we grabbed lunch and then meandered around the downtown as the sun poked out of the clouds and made for a nice afternoon. We visited the Klondike Gold Rush National Park, which is actually just one building in downtown Seattle that shared the history of the gold rush in Alaska. Seattle was the trail head where people got supplies and boat rides up to Alaska. We both reminisced about the computer game called the Yukon Trail which was a lot like the Oregon Trail, but instead of dysentery you got gold.

We had both agreed that we wanted to see things in Seattle, but that we didn't want to be exhausted after vacation. So, like all other days during the week, when we got tired, we went home instead of pushing ourselves too hard. It was early in the afternoon, but we hopped on the bus and went home to take a nap and visit with Janel's parents.

Seattle Transit Tunnel

I did however snap a really nerdy picture of the Seattle Transit Tunnel, something that I think is pretty clever, but apparently wicked expensive. The transit tunnel looks a lot like the metro in Washington DC or a regular subway, but the cool thing about the tunnel is that both busses and the light rail use the tunnels. So instead of busses clogging the roads above and getting stuck in traffic, they use the tunnel and make sure people get where they are going on time.

Tuesday we went to Pike Place Market, which was a great idea because it was rainy and a Tuesday and that meant that we could actually walk around the market and see things in the stalls. If you've never been to Pike Place, its a typically market with flowers and food and those guys who throw fish around. Its nifty because there are lots of artists selling cool things and you can see Elliot Bay and Puget Sound and you can eat a lot of good food. I got some postcards and then we ate some good food.

At the end of this road is the Sculpture Park.
Janel really hated me for climbing this hill.

It really started to rain so naturally we decided to stay outside and see the Olympic Sculpture Park. Neither Janel nor I are particularly interested in sculptures, but like many industrial cities, Seattle cut off their waterfront with roads and rails and industrial docks so the Sculpture Park is one of the few places to see the water. However, like I said it was raining and pretty chilly so we didn't stay long. Instead we decided to climb Queen Anne Hill.

Look! She was even smiling! 

I didn't know this, but Seattle, like Rome, is built on seven hills. Most of the neighborhoods are named after the hill that it sits on. I had read about Kerry Park, a small park on Queen Anne Hill that has some of the best views of Seattle. On clear days, Mount Rainier sits just behind the skyline. I forgot to tell Janel about this view before I marched her up the hill. I could feel the resentment boring into the back of my head all the way up the hill. But the view at the top was totally worth it.

On Wednesday we drove around a lot of neighborhoods in Seattle, stopping in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Magnolia, and Ballard. Our favorite was Queen Anne, but all the neighborhoods had their charms. Ballard was certainly the place for nightlife. However, we needed lunch and that's where I found this tasty beer.

Thursday and Friday, Janel's mom was able to come hang out with us. So we did a few things downtown like an awesome Lego exhibit that had scale models of famous buildings around the world. And we also saw the Chihuly Glass Museum. I could probably write an entire post about the Glass Museum but I'll restrain myself. The glass is all hand blown by a guy named Chihuly. My guess is you've probably seen his work and might not even been aware of it. 

  

Finally, on Friday, we took a quick look around the University of Washington's campus and investigated the quirky neighborhood of Fremont. Personally, Fremont isn't really my style, but it was as strange as many people had said it was. Friday was a beautiful day in the city as Mount Rainier showed itself through the clouds. I leave you with a parting shot of Rainier from the 520 bridge going back to Kirkland. 

The trip was a great chance at some respite and an opportunity to investigate neighborhoods that fit Janel and my style. There is of course, much more to do to make the move happen, but Seattle sure is a place that fits for us. Hopefully this time next year, I'll be telling you all about our move!