May 20
Today was a day for travel and a day for exploring. I have never been to the Pacific Northwest. So this seemed like an awesome chance to have a day to explore the Seattle area. So that was the plan. Took off from Sioux Falls with the early flight, and it was EARLY like 5:00am early. Which means getting to the air port at like 3:30am. Went out to an improv show the night before, so not a whole lot of sleep.
First stop. Minneapolis.
Not much to post here. The flight from FSD to MSP was a great chance to take a nap. However I will say the gate swap at MSP was perhaps the shortest I have ever experienced. We arrived at gate F13 and left at gate F16. Not bad at all.
Seattle.
Really wasn't sure what to expect. You know you have ideas of what a city is supposed to be like. I often thought Seattle was supposed to be this rainy cloudy city full of colorful characters challenging the concept of being normal. I had heard Seattle was a city run down and broken with challenges of poverty, drugs and homelessness. Yes there were moments of this but on the whole Seattle seemed to be a city hopping with activity and possibility. We explored a couple bike shops including one that was integrated with a café called Good Weather. It was fun to talk about where we were from and what we were doing. I mean I shouldn't be surprised when bike inclined folks talk to bike inclined folks, we tend to get excited about what each other is doing.
Another shop was full of very very expensive road bikes and cycling clothing. Now I know each shop has to have their niche, but I always find it a little frustrating when I feel that I don't exist to a shop due to either my height or build. Many cyclists don't fit a standard mold. And those of us are all wanting to participate in this exciting world, but if brands and stores aren't willing to see us, how are we supposed to feel welcome.
We explored Pikes Market and got to see the Famous Flying Fishmongers at work. Someone would buy a fish and they would call out a chant and then send the fish flying across the stand with an expert toss and catch. They had all sorts of options including some that are very difficult to find back in SD including whole octopus and red snapper.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Pikes Market. I know it's a pretty famous Seattle landmark. To some degree it felt like a big version of Wall Drug. Like, you can use it for your market shopping, but at this point it's kind of just become a tourist attraction. The market is almost stacked on top of each other with hallways, stairs, and balconies cutting in and out of the Puget Sound bluffs. Another highlight of the market is the original Starbucks. Now, the store front may look the same, but as we walked by I looked in and saw that any sense of a beginning was gone. It was just a modern Starbucks, and with a 100 foot line to get in. I certainly had no desire to wait. A pic of the storefront was enough for me.
We did a lot of walking but I never felt that things were overly far away. We also took the subway which was a fast and convenient way to bridge some of the larger gaps.
When in Seattle a trip to the space needle is a must. What a cool piece of architecture and they had a wonderful park setup next to it. Tried to take some artsy photos. I think they turned out pretty good.
The time change is still hitting hard so it was time for supper at 4PDT (6CDT) with some awesome pizza and then back to the hotel. We're right next to Lumen field where the Sea Hawks play though to be honest. I was perhaps a little more interested in the concert schedule banner. The stadium is HUGE (68,000 seat capacity). Amazing how these structures hold so many people
Ended the day with just over 20,000 steps.
Today was really cool chance to see the city a little. I would come back for sure. Hopefully that will happen some day.
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