Within the first month of his new job at Amazon, my husband was invited to attend training at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. So the Breyties were off to Seattle – hubby to work and meet the rest of his team who are based in Seattle, and Emma and myself to explore the city.
Of course our trip to Seattle involved many new “first times”. Apart from it being our first time in Seattle, it was the very first time we had actually entered a new country by car instead of by airplane. We crossed the Canada/US border at night so it was quite difficult to see most of our surroundings, but it was the first time we got to drive at speeds higher than 80 km per hour – so that was fun! (Canada has very strict speed limits on all public roads).
From past travel experiences, I can tell you that the best way to orientate yourself in a new city, is to take a tour of the city within the first day or two of your arrival. Not only do you get a good overview of the city’s history, but you also get the highlights package of what there is to see and do.
So of course this is what I did. I took Emma on a bus tour of the city and within 3 hours, our tour guide Keith, made me fall in love with Seattle. I need to mention that Seattle has always been on my bucket list – for the most obvious of reasons: Pike Place Market. And of course, the market met and exceeded my expectations. But more about the market later. What I have to mention here, is that there is lots to see and do and we consider ourselves lucky that we are only 3 hours’ drive from this beautiful city, because we simply have to go back.
So what do you need to know about Seattle? I will divide the important stuff into three broad categories: (1) Interesting things to know about the history of the city; (2) Best attractions to visit; (3) What the vibe of the city is like.
INTERESTING THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SEATTLE
SILICON FOREST
Seattle is in the US state of Washington and is considered one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. It is considered part of Silicon Forest – which is the nickname given to rapid growing high-tech cities in Washington and Oregon – i.e. a mini Silicon Valley. The first European to visit the Seattle area was George Vancouver, in May 1792. George Vancouver, is of course who the city of Vancouver is named after.
THE GREAT FIRE OF 1889
Seattle was founded in 1851 and logging was their first major industry. It was a thriving city until the The Great Seattle Fire. The Great Seattle Fire destroyed the entire central business district of Seattle, on June 6, 1889. The fire burned for several hours, destroying 25 blocks and causing as much as $20 million in damage ($527 million in today’s dollars). What is interesting about this, is that when they decided to rebuild Seattle, they built the new city on top of the old city and to this day you can take an underground tour of the old Seattle city and view the remains of shops and buildings from the old city.
MOVING MOUNTAINS
Something else that you might not know about Seattle, is that it is a very hilly place, but that people literally moved hills to make way for roads and buildings. Following the Great Fire, City Engineer R.H. Thomson took the opportunity to spearhead a wide-ranging effort to tame the terrain around the city and prepare it for a century of growth. Canals were dug, rivers were diverted AND hills, ridges and mountains that separated neighborhoods from the downtown waterfront, were physically moved. From the 1890’s through the 1920’s, more than 50 million cubic yards of earth were scraped away with pick axes, water cannons, steam shovels and conveyor belts. Much of the displaced earth was used to create the flats that now form the waterfront of Seattle.
GREAT BEGINNINGS
Some of the biggest companies in the world, had their beginnings in Seattle. These include UPS (1907), Boeing (1916), Microsoft (1975), and of course Amazon (1994). UPS and Boeing no longer have their headquarters in Seattle.
I am told that the The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour is one of Seattle’s most-loved, premier attractions. It is the largest building in the world by volume and it is the only place in North America where you can witness the assembly of commercial jets. It is a unique opportunity to view 747, 777, and 787 Dreamliners being assembled on the Everett production line before they take to the sky. Each tour is approximately 90 minutes long and includes fascinating facts about Boeing and the planes that bear its name. We weren’t able to visit Boeing on this trip so it is on our bucket list for next time.
UPS left the inhabitants of Seattle a little gift on their departure, the UPS Secret Garden in the city; which Emma and I had a chance to visit. It is wonderfully fragranced from blossoms growing in the garden – even in the middle of winter – and there is a breathtaking waterfall on a rocky cascade.
Half of the city of Seattle now belongs to Amazon and the other half belongs to Microsoft Co-Founder, Paul Allen. Amazon owns 22 buildings in Seattle. Every building has a unique name and a story that explains the origin of the building’s name.
Both Paul Allen and Bill Gates also started their charities in Seattle. Paul Allen funds the Allen Institute for brain research that does research on Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. They have managed to successfully map the brain of a mouse in 2017 and their aim is to eventually map the human brain and find cures for both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. And of course Bill and Melinda Gates own the Gates Foundation which focuses on health care and education, particularly in developing countries.
BEST ATTRACTIONS TO VISIT
SPACE NEEDLE AND CHIHULY GARDEN AND GLASS
So what are the main attractions to visit in Seattle? I suppose it depends on how much time you have in the city. A one day trip should definitely include the Space Needle, which will give you panaromic views of the whole city and the harbour, and the Chihuly Garden and Glass, which will simply amaze you with what is possible with glass. Dale Chihuly is an absolute magician with glass. And on Sunday mornings, you can do yoga under the glass at the Chihuly Garden and Glass. These are the main attractions in the city.
You could perhaps include a museum or two or the 3-hour City Tour or a combination of these. The easiest museum to visit, would be the Museum of Popular Culture (or MoPOP), since it is at the same location as the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass. Founded by you guessed it, Paul Allen, this museum has gone through 5 name changes. It started out as the Experience Music Project. Then it was the acronym EMP. Then Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (“EMPSFM” for short-ish). Then EMP Museum and now MoPOP. Some locals actually call it the The Jimi Hendrix Museum, because it was originally dedicated to Jimi Hendrix and the genre of rock music. Today however, it includes pop music and other cultural exhibitions as well.
PIKE PLACE MARKET
If you have two or three days, then definitely include Pike Place Market and the harbour. What should you see and eat at Pike Place Market? Do NOT miss the fresh fruit stands. They are AMAZING. They offer fresh pieces of fruit to taste and they make THE BEST full-cream Greek yogurt I have ever tasted. It is simply delicious!! They hand out samples of the yogurt at the fruit stands.
You HAVE to visit Pike Place Fish Market for their fish throwing demonstration and to see all the fish. It is truly a sight to behold. Do not forget to try the clam chowder. Coming from South Africa, clam chowder was something we have never eaten before. In South Africa we have bunny chow. In Seattle, they have clam chowder, which is basically a thick, rich and creamy seafood soup that they serve in a round bunt-shaped bun. It is definitely somehting you should try if you are not allergic to seafood!
Every stall in the market is unique and offers hand-made and home-made delicacies. You do not realise how overly processed things are in the US until you hear the Americans rave about the freshly prepared food at the market. This is the only place they can go to get a meal freshly prepared. It is insane and it reminds you of the wonderful blessings we have in South Africa where freshly prepared food is still a commonplace occurrence in our restaurants.
If you are at the market in winter, then definitely get yourself some hot apple cider. And if you can handle spicey food, you should buy a samosa (pronounced as it is written and not how we pronounce it in South Africa – i.e. samoosa) from Saffron Spice. For something cooler, I can recommend the frozen yogurt and gelato from Bottega Italiana.
THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT AVIATION CENTRE
As already mentioned The Future of Flight Aviation Centre is worth the visit. So depending on how much of a fan you are of aviation, this might be on your must see list or not.
RARITIES AND ODDITIES
THE FREMONT TROLL
Something that is a bit more rare and would probably not be included in the main sightseeing brochures and books, is the little town of Fremont. Why is Fremont so important? Because they have a troll. In 1990, the Fremont Arts Council launched an art competition whose partial goal was to rehabilitate the area under the bridge in Fremont, which was becoming a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. The idea was to build a piece of art under the bridge to attract visitors to the bridge and prevent drug traffickers from hanging around under the bridge. It not only worked to deter drug dealers, it also became a pretty good reason to visit Fremont when you visit Seattle.
The Troll is a mixed media colossal statue, located on N. 36th Street at Troll Avenue N., under the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge (also known as the Aurora Bridge). It is clutching an actual Volkswagen Beetle, as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. The Troll is 5.5 m high, weighs 6,000 kg and is made of steel rebar, wire, and concrete. He is interactive—visitors are encouraged to clamber on him or try to poke out his one good eye (a hubcap).
FLOATING HOMES
And then there are the floating homes… For immigrants to Seattle who are legally not allowed to buy property, a floating home is actually a viable option. You build your house on a barge and then launch into the harbour. There you go, you own a house in Seattle. They even have an association that will inform you of the procedure and the rules regarding ownership of a floating home – The Floating Home Association. And these days tourist can rent a floating home through Airbnb for their stay in Seattle.
WHAT IS THE VIBE IN THE CITY LIKE?
Lastly Seatlle is a techy city. It is fast-paced, but with a kind of open-mindedness towards the way work is done. Many businesses have opted for open-plan office spaces with large open windows where passersby on the street can actually peer through and have a look at what people are up to. People in Seattle love their dogs. In fact, most people take their dogs to work and you can even drop your dog off at playcare at a dog lounge…
They are less child-friendly though than Vancouver. Most places either do not cater for children or do not allow children, which is kind of a bummer when you are travelling the city with a toddler.
So in closing on a very long blog post, Seattle is a beautiful and vibrant city with a rich history and lots of interesting places to visit. We are definitely going back for more. So watch this space for more stories and photos about Seattle in the future.