Sleepy in Seattle

The long Labor day weekend gave us a chance to take a trip up North-Seattle, Washington. We flew out on Friday night and reached SeaTac airport at midnight, all thanks to the delayed flight. A half an hour drive from the airport took us to our hotel. Since my hotel booking was just a couple of weeks before our trip, I couldn't find anything close to the downtown and had to settle for The Extended Stay America in Northgate.

Day one agenda was quite light mainly because I knew we weren't going to wake up in time for an early start. So we left the hotel only around 11am, headed out to a nearby restaurant for breakfast and then caught the bus to the downtown. Interestingly, all the touristy places are in or near the downtown and can be easily explored on foot. So, I didn't see a point renting a car. We traveled everywhere mainly by public transportation.

Our first spot was The Olympic Sculpture Park- a waterfront park which was originally an industrial site that is now transformed into a park with a lot of open air sculptures. There are plenty of chairs for people to sit and enjoy the beauty of the Olympic mountains and Puget Sound. To be honest, I wasn't quite impressed by the sculptures but the view of the waterfront was beautiful. We then continued walking along the waterfront that had a feel similar to Fisherman's Wharf in San Fransisco. It is buzzing with activity, seafood, small trinket stores, memorabilia, ice cream shops, games arcade and a lot more.

One major attraction at the waterfront is the Seattle Great Wheel-a 175feet tall ferris wheel overlooking the Elliott Bay. It is the largest observation wheel in the west coast. The gondolas are fully enclosed and temperature controlled. One can see the pier, downtown, Space Needle and even Mount Rainier. I can only imagine how beautiful the view must be at night!

View From The Wheel-1

View From the Wheel-2

A little walk into the downtown lead us to the famous Pike Market which is spread across 9 acres and is the country's oldest farmer's market. Vegetables, fruits, fish, cheese, bread and fresh produce is available. It is a different experience walking through the historic arcade of the crowded market taking in the various sights, sounds and smells.

Inside the Pike Place Market

Fresh flowers at Pike Place Market

It was a lot of walking for one day and we were completely wiped out. We stopped by at an Indian-Nepali restaurant to sample some Nepali cuisine and were pleasantly surprised by the delicious food, after which we headed back to the hotel very tired and sleepy. Rest of the adventures in upcoming posts. So stay tuned!

Food at Kasturi Restaurant