Glass Museum & Sky City Restaurant

Today we woke up to rain and decided to go to a Glass Museum in Tacoma. When we got there, we were surprised at the unique architecture of the building. Before we went in, we got brunch at a little sandwich shop and took pictures of the glass fountain outside. Once in the building, we were astounded at the beauty of the glass sculptures! They really were exquisite. There was a children section where kids drew pictures and then sculptors created the pictures out of glass. At the museum there was also a Hot Shop, where they make glass art. A visiting artist was there making vases. It was really interesting how the different levels of glass are created and blown.

After the museum we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at the Space Needle. As we were driving back into Downtown Seattle the sun came out. We went back up the Space Needle for Dinner at Sky City (Jacqueline kept her eyes open on the ride up this time, while crushing Mike's hand). The 360* view was spectacular. As we ate we got to see the city beneath us rotating. The food and the experience was great, well worth the expense. 

As we drove back to the hotel we said good bye to Seattle. We are now getting packed for our trip down the coast to Portland. Talk to you when we get there!

The Space Needle & Seattle Center

Today when we got up it was warmer and a 'sunny' day in Seattle. Our first stop was the Seattle Space Needle. Jacqueline conquered her fear of heights to make it up the 610 foot trip up the glass elevator. From the top there were spectacular views of the city and harbor. Tomorrow we will be back tomorrow to dine at the Sky City restaurant atop the Space Needle.

Following the Needle, we then went to a fair that we stumbled upon. It turned out to be the 40th Annual Folk Life Festival. We grabbed lunch from the booth, listened to 'different' music and people watched at the fountain.The Seattle Times estimated that 235,000 people attended the festival... and we could tell! It was packed! There were many interesting characters and we were entertained during lunch watching them all.

After eating, we then headed into the Experience Music Project where we found the extremely odd curvilinear building constructed by the famous architect Frank Gehry more interesting than the exhibits. Just like in other Gehry buildings the spaces were cool but you got lost very easily. (Even Michael got lost once!) One of the really neat parts was how the building was constructed around the monorail.

The exhibits were about Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, which Michael's Aunt Peg and Jacqueline's dad would have loved! There was an awesome Guitar tree. It also offered the chance to experiment with different instruments and genres of music which we played around with. Next, we decided to take a round trip on the monorail just we are dorks. :)  After 50 years a lot of people were still using the two stop monorail to connect downtown and the Seattle Center.

The next stop was the Pacific Science Center. The most interesting part was the Butterfly Sanctuary. The 85 degree room was filled with many different exotic plants and flowers and hundreds of butterflies. After the Pacific Center, we then walked down to the Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park, which Michael had done a case study on while studying Architecture. The park zig-zaged over a road and a rail road track. The park really gave you the feeling of being out of the city whilst still in it. We stayed there for awhile relaxing and taking in the beautiful view. It was interesting how you felt like you were not in the city even though you were surrounded by it.

We walked back up the HUGE hills, got the car and drove through Pioneers Square. It was a historically quaint with a lot of restaurants and shops in old brown stones. We then got caught in Safeco Stadium traffic after the Mariner's game. Dinner was at Claim Jumper where Michael got HUGE ribs!

That was all for today so until tomorrow... good night! :)

Welcome to Seattle!!!!

We landed last night around 9pm (West Coast time) and picked up our beautiful red hybrid Toyota Camry from the airport. After the co-pilots impeccable navigational skills lead us astray, we checked-in to the Larkspur Landing Hotel in Renton, WA to settle in for the night. Unfortunately, the teenage basketball team is in the room next door and was a little rowdy. Dorm rooms again?

This morning, we woke up and drove into Seattle (handling a detour like CHAMPS!) finding parking for only $10 for the whole day! We picked up our Seattle Go Passes and ate at Alaskan Sourdough Bakery on the waterfront. The bread was awesome!

After lunch, we boarded the Spirit of Seattle to cruise the harbor and hear about the history and sites of Seattle. We also saw a few seals soaking up the few rays of sun Seattle had to offer. Following the harbor tour, we walked up the hill (who knew Seattle was so hilly?!?!) to the Pike Place Market. We saw the famous fish throwers, beautiful bunches of flowers and bought a few peaches for a snack. The market was bustling with so many nooks and crannies that you could walk into; it was almost like a huge maze! The crowds were New York in style and we felt right at home :)   It was a very eclectic place and a must see when visiting Seattle.

Next we went to SAM, or the Seattle Art Museum, where we saw some very... um... interesting art. Really there is just no words to describe it... you can just look at this link and judge for yourself: Center of the Earth Exhibit. Our favorite part of the museum was the 'Crashing Car' exhibit below:

Right below this exhibit, we also saw a couple taking their wedding photos. it was really pretty even though the location was a tad strange.

Following SAM, we then marched further up the hill to the Seattle Public Library. This building was designed by the famous architect Rem Koolhaus. The building was really inventive with many different colors and spaces created but did not give off the warm feeling you would think a library would. It had a cold and industrial feel to it. Not somewhere we would want to read or study. You can see for yourself below:

Back down the hill we picked up Starbucks and the car and headed off to go-karting. We had a blast there and Michael came in third in our race and Jacqueline beat someone! How do we say he was a dorky Indian without actually saying it? Even his friends were laughing at him! After our exhausting day, we decided to grab Chipotle and head back to the hotel.

Our first impression of Seattle is that it is a 'grubby' city but that may just be the lack of sun it receives. The people of the city also seem to be lacking a little sunshine and gave off a distant feel. It was surprising the large Asian influence however we were expecting that on the west coast.

We still had a great day and are looking forward to getting to know Seattle a little more tomorrow.

Itinerary

May 28, 2011- May 31, 2011
Seattle, Washington

June 1, 2011- June 4, 2011
Portland, Oregon

June 5, 2011- June 6, 2011
Sacramento, California

June 7, 2011
Yosemite National Park

June 8, 2011
San Fransisco, California

June 9, 2011- June 13, 2011
Santa Cruz, California

June 14, 2011- June 20, 2011
Los Angeles, California

June 21, 2011- June 23, 2011
San Diego, California

June 24, 2011- June 25, 2011
Grand Canyon, Arizona

June 26, 2011
Hoover Dam, Nevada

June 26, 2011- June 28, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada

June 29, 2011- July 1, 2011
Denver, Colorado