Today I am writing all about day two in Seattle. Just reliving day two through pictures is exhausting. We sure packed our days full of action.
Our first stop Friday morning was Kerry Park. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. Not only was the neighborhood absolutely picturesque but the view was so stunning that it didn’t even seem like it could be real. Keep in mind that I’ve lived in the flat lands of Illinois my entire life so seeing cities with mountains, hills, or any type of elevation takes me by surprise. On a clear day you can see Mount Rainier but because we were there so early in the morning the fog made Mount Rainier a little hard to see. Even still, we got a fabulous view of downtown Seattle.
Because it was such a cute area we looked up what houses went for in the neighborhood…you know…just in case. They were about $2.99 million out of my price range. Wah Wah.
After a quick stop at the playground at Kerry Park we drove straight to Pike Place Market, a stop that was on the top of my list. It was CROWDED but so awesome. It reminded Kara and I of the Ferry Building in San Francisco except we both thought it was bigger and better.
The fresh fish at the market were obviously impressive. I saw jumbo scallops the size of my fist and I wanted to buy 10 pounds so bad. But we had a whole day of traveling ahead of us and lugging around fresh fish would have been a little smelly.
The fresh flowers were beautiful. There were rows upon rows of every flower you could think of.
There was also lots of fresh produce. We bought Winnie a pound of red grapes and she snacked on them the whole day. We also saw a huge selection of pastas and fancy oils. It was our kind of place for sure.
We got freshly baked mini doughnuts from Daily Dozen. We chose cinnamon-sugar and they were so warm they melted in our mouths. SOOO GOOD!
We stopped at Pike Place Bakery and chose several sweets to take home for dessert. After all, desserts travel better than fish. 🙂 We got a divinity cookie, a coconut danish, an Oreo trifle and a custard cup. I think everybody agreed that our favorite was the coconut danish and our least favorite was the divinity cookie. You can see massive doughnuts in this picture; we didn’t buy any but they were literally the size of my head. #prettyawesome
I’m not sure how many selfies were snapped on day two. Perhaps 50 by 11am? I kid I kid.
This is me riding Rachel the Piggy Bank. It was suggested I hop on for a photo opp and I specifically remember saying I didn’t think I’d be able to climb up. I was assured by my group that I’d be able to and sure enough I got one leg over and had to be hoisted up the rest of the way. Oh well! She is gold and awesome and your donations to Rachel go to the Pike Place Market Foundation.
We couldn’t go to Pike Place without visiting the original Starbucks. Unfortunately this is as close as we got, there was a long line to get in.
One restaurant that was on our list was Biscuit Bitch. Kara and I had been drooling over the menu for months. This is as close as we got though. It was a bummer. We just ran out of time. I’m not missing this place next time though.
Luckily we got our biscuit fix at Honest Biscuits. We got 2 big, dense biscuits: Pike Place (Beecher’s Cheese only) and The MacGregor (Beecher’s cheese, caramelized onion and bacon). We ate our biscuits for breakfast the next morning, toasted and slathered with butter. The lady offered to toast them right there on the spot but we were getting ready to go to lunch. I think they would have been better if we had eaten them right away.
We couldn’t go to Pike Place without visiting the gum wall. We have no idea who these girls were but considering we all forgot to bring gum they provided the best photo opp.
I think the gum wall is definitely a must see if you’re at Pike Place. But to be honest it’s pretty gross!
Finally it was time for lunch. As if we hadn’t eaten enough already. 😉 We hit up The Pink Door and it was absolutely perfect.
We started with appetizers; they were AMAZING. This cheese board was complete with taleggio, gorgonzola, drunken goat and a red wine soaked cheese. Each one was my favorite and I’m not exaggerating. The cheeses were paired with a fig and chianti compote, dark chocolate chunks, walnuts and a balsamic drizzle. Oh ma gawd..there are no words to do this cheese board justice.
We also got an antipasto platter. My favorites were the bean salad, fresh mozzarella and cauliflower but everything was tasty.
Cliff and I shared Mama’s Meatball Panini served on rustic chiabatta bread. It was perfect for splitting after pigging out on appetizers.
Kara and Deb split the Risotto with fresh dungeness crab. I tried a spoonful (or ten) too. Wow!
Our next stop was Fremont Troll. After taking a couple wrong turns we found Troll Avenue, we found the bridge (George Washington Memorial Bridge, I think) and we made it to this famous landmark. Winnie fell asleep in transit. We left her in the car and headed to the troll. Just kidding! Deb stayed back to watch Winnie while we went to climb the troll.
The Fremont Troll is a roadside attraction that you shouldn’t miss, in my opinion. I mean how often can you climb an enormous troll under a busy bridge?! If you look closely you can tell he’s crushing a Volkswagon Bug in his hand. It’s pretty hilarious. Two lessons I learned courtesy of the troll…1. don’t wear your Tieks and 2. don’t forget your purse there.
Next up were the Ballard Locks. The purpose of the Ballard Locks is slightly beyond me. I know this makes me sound like an idiot but I’m just being honest. I know they move the boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of the Puget Sound and I know that they prevent the salt water of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the lakes from mixing. But how this is actually achieved I can’t figure out. Anyways, we crossed the bridges, worked our way downstairs and got front row views of fish through large glass panels. It was kind of like being at a zoo or aquarium except this was the real deal.
Here are the locks in action. I watched intently but still left confused. Don’t judge. It’s beautiful though, isn’t it?
Winnie looks so boho-chic. As my Mom would say…she’s so cute I can’t even stand it.
Winnie was mesmerized by the different kinds of salmon swimming right up to the glass. You can’t see any in this picture but there were lots of fish!
After the Ballard Locks we visited the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. This might have been my favorite neighborhood. Cliff went to a bar for a beer while the girls shopped. It was in this neighborhood that I spent $15 on a solid brass heart the size of a quarter. But honestly that was money well spent. And I’m staying optimistic that it will find me love. Haha. Anyways, there were lots of cute bars and boutiques in Ballard. There was even a cupcake place, Cupcake Royal. Of course we stopped in and split a Meyer Lemon Drop Cupcake.
This sums up day 2 of Seattle…I honestly can’t wait to visit this city again. We’ve still got more for you so stay tuned!
