Last Monday, we packed up the pups and ourselves in the car and headed to Seattle. We booked an AirbnB in the Beacon Hill area for four nights and took in the sights and sounds of the big city. Years ago we had both been to Seattle on brief business-related trips so it was nice to take our time and play tourist this time around.
Pike Market Place and the Waterfront
Entrance to the Market
Mouth Watering Pastries
Seattle Waterfront
During our visit we checked out the famed Pike Market Place. We wandered by the iconic Pike Place Fish Market and listened to the hawkers tout some of the freshest, sustainably fished seafood you can buy. The fish market is known for its custom of hurling customers' orders behind the counter to be wrapped. We didn't see any fish throwing going on so moved back into the throng and made our way out into the open air along the cobblestone streets.
We bumped into an exceedingly long line of tourists waiting patiently to buy a cuppa joe at the original Starbucks coffee shop (opened in 1971). A hard pass for us. We continued on and immediately smelled a heavenly aroma wafting out of La Panier, a french bakery that sells goodies from fresh-baked bread to macarons. We stood in a long line and purchased a few savory tarts for dinner that evening.
Hunger pangs called so we stood in another long line at Pike Place Chowder so we could sample their award-winning clam chowder. Like many others, we deemed their chowder to be some of the best we've tasted...and we've tasted a lot.
After lunch we walked along the waterfront passing by the Seattle Great Wheel and docks where you can take boat tours in the Salish Sea and the Puget Sound or hop a ferry to nearby Bainbridge Island.
On our way out of the market, we happened upon the germ-infested Gum Wall, which was as icky as you would expect. We weren't chewing gum so didn't add ours to the mix (nor did we take any). Blech.
Fish Market Display
Chowderlicious
Gum Wall
Wine Tasting in Woodinville
Of course, we couldn't take a road trip without sussing out some wineries in the area. Woodinville, about 20 miles outside of Seattle, is a beautiful river valley known for its 130+ wineries that showcase wines from grapes grown in Eastern Washington. Some of the more well known labels are Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery. In addition to wineries, Woodinville is home to several craft breweries, cideries, and distilleries.
The wineries in Woodinville are divided into four wine making districts: Hollywood, Warehouse, Downtown, and West Valley. We only made it to two, Airfield Estates and Dusted Valley, in one district because their pours were quite hefty. Airfield Estates sources their grapes from the Yakima Valley and Dusted Valley from Walla Walla, Washington. We enjoyed a tasty lunch in between winery tastings and then made our way back to Seattle. This is an area that we will need to revisit.
Country Bumpkins at the Grocery Store
Before heading back to the island, we decided to do some grocery shopping. Close by our AirbnB rental is an Amazon Fresh grocery store. Now, we're not sure about the rest of you, but the grocery stores in our small town of Jackson are nothing like this one so we felt like like Jed and Granny Clampett. "Holy smokes, Cliff! I feel like I'm shopping in the future!" Yes, that actually came out of Anne Marie's mouth.
When we arrived, we had to ask the young folk how the heck to shop there. They told us to download the Amazon Fresh app onto our phone and log in to the store using a QR code. After signing in, we grabbed a "smart cart" and were off and running. The cart is a trip. It is equipped with a screen and cameras and uses computer vision AI (artificial intelligence) that can identify which items you put into your basket. The cart also has a built-in scale to weigh items once you place them in the cart. You grab an item off the shelf, wave it in front of the camera lens, and place it in the cart. The cart automatically lists the item on the screen and keeps a running total of your bill. If you remove an item from the cart, it is removed from the list on your screen. When we were finished shopping, we were shepherded through a special lane, and our Amazon account was automatically charged. No checking out was necessary.
Now we wish we had an Amazon Fresh in Jackson. Never going to happen.
Thoughts from Olivia and Chester
Chester: Why are we here?
Olivia: What are those big noisy silver birds in the sky?
Chester: Why are we here?
Olivia: I really like playing at the Blue Dog Pond Park.
Chester: No, really. Why are we here?
Olivia and Chester: OMG, THERE'S A RABBIT IN THE BACKYARD!
Home Again
It was good to go but good to come back. By the end of the four days we were ready to get back to our new happy place... Anderson Island. We are charmed by the island and its inhabitants and have grown to appreciate the quietness and serenity.
Now we are gearing up for the long holiday weekend of gate opening and closing at the park.
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And of course you returned home in your George Jetson flying car!
We loved flying over the city traffic and it was really convenient to moor it to the Space Needle.
Way to add a vacation to your vacation! Thanks for sharing. We haven’t been to Seattle (to spend time) in many, many years, either. Sounds like great fun. But we agree, a little of a big city goes a long way (except Paris—Paris is ever exciting.)
Enjoying your updates!
Totally enjoyed reading this! We also visited the Seattle area a few years ago! Loved it!
Oh the pups! Their thoughts made me laugh!
wonderful
I guess you got bored enough that you were finally motivated to get off your duffs and do something exciting. Keep it up! Doing laundry is just not cutting it.
There’s always a critic. 😆
Glad you had a good time. Thanks for sharing the Amazon Fresh overview - very cool!