when in Seattle

On a clear day you see Mt. Rainier in the distance of course (well I think on a clear day you can see this beautimous place from 150 miles away), and hopefully you see Safeco Field and Qwest Field (as in the photo below for you Joshua and Patrick, and did you notice Frick, I've changed the map above the posts now that we are here in Oregon).

Word has it that one of the "must dos" in Seattle, is Pikes Place, and well "dah" yeah of course  we did ...

As seems to be the way of late,  I (no, we) didn't really do our research and find the "must do" list if you have limited time because you have a four legged pal at home!  Anyway, I assume (shame on me) anyone going to Seattle does Pike Place right?  Well that was top on my "to do list" - the very top on my list.  Why would anyone want to miss flying fish (the kind you can't possibly capture on film - huh what's film?)

I really had no idea what to expect when we got there.  I did realize from the map(s) that I had of Seattle that Pikes Place was not an outside venue and it encompassed more than one building (unlike the Haymarket Square  area of Boston (outside) - no NOT Faneuil Hall Marketplace, but when we entered the first building from the elevated walkway that connected the multilevel parking garage to the markets, I think all my senses were assaulted all at once - what I saw, what I smelled, what I felt, what I heard .... 

Unfortunately, the photos I took of the first flower stall were not blog worthy - as in, I think, I was so darned over whelmed I couldn't keep the camera still enough through a dozen photos to get a decent one!  As you may remember from a previous post or ten, I truly truly miss the gardens I had when we had a "stick home" ... sometimes I even miss mowing the lawn (but never ever have I missed shoveling snow).  So to see bunches and bunches by the thousands of bunches of bouquets in front of me with prices ranging from $5. to $12. just blew me away - I'm talking HUGE HUGE HUGE like an arm load of flowers at those prices .... how could I possibly keep a camera still enough to properly focus?

It seemed we walked passed about six or so of these flower "stalls" on the left then I look right and I see these stalls with all this gorgeous fresh produce (photo above) - Oh man .... 

Then come the seafood stalls .... one upon another and we hear some commotion and yup, there were the flying fish .... 

How could I possibly capture it?  No way, no how ..

I had no idea, absolutely NO idea that Seattle was a city of hills leading down to the docks.  What the heck is with this lack of knowledge as we are going into new cities  lately? 

The photo below truly doesn't do the incline justice, but it reminded me so so much of San Francisco and those HUGE hills.   I had no idea!

When touring Pike Place you must stop at the "original" Starbucks.  Well as I learned from what little research I did, this was not the original, but it is the oldest of the Starbucks locations that are still in operation today ... confusing I know, but as I write this I can not find the blog or the name of the book that referenced this - therefore, I guess I am a very UNreliable source of non information.  Chad, do you know the name of the book - something about the building of Starbucks "empire" ....

After we left the Pike Place area ~ I left very reluctantly ... (I could have spent an entire day and many dollars enjoying all the baubles, trinkets and treasures ~ none of which were anything I needed but it sure was eye candy for this fat old woman) we went to the Space Needle.

When I realized we were going to be in the Seattle area there were two things I wanted to do - Pike Place and the Space Needle. Well I do have my limits and $18.00 to go to the top of the Space Needle was far beyond my limits - seriously, I know I've gotten a bit "cheap" about some things lately and this was surely a case in point, it just didn't mean that much to me I guess.  $18.00 come on is that absurd?  There was something a couple days after the space needle "experience" too that I just thought was insanely priced so I didn't bother .... hmmm I'll let you know when I remember it.