Sleepless in Seattle

So the driving part of the journey ended in Seattle. However, we still had many miles to go before the trip was officially over. Though excited about Seattle, we didn't do many touristy things; we finally hit our wall on the trip and just wanted to relax. Thankfully, we booked a room at the Westin for 3 nights so we had a comfy room and nice view of the city. And thank goodness for room service! We got really spoiled with that on the trip, particularly having a pot of coffee delivered in the mornings. 

Like San Francisco and Portland, we knew we would be back to Seattle and didn't worry about hitting every famous stop in town. It's not going anywhere and there was no need to force ourselves to play tourist when we were tired. I did try to make reservations at the Space Needle for dinner (and lunch) but they were booked; that will be a definite plan for next time. We love rotating restaurants. :) I didn't make it to the Public Library or any of the museums either.

Fresh seafood

We walked along the waterfront a bit and watched sunset while dining on fresh oysters and mussels. Does it get any better? :) 

The next day we checked out the famous Pike Place Market. It was incredible! I love that it's was a real market with tons of fresh food and homemade goods, as opposed to a touristy spot with just t-shirts and junk. I would be so spoiled to have something like that nearby. It was just wonderful - the sights, the colors, the smells.

It was a tad crowded but we were still able to wander around and enjoy the market. It reminded us of what the French Market in New Orleans used to be - a place for day-to-day commerce, local foods and goods, and a place to shop as opposed to the store. I'm still extremely sad that the French Market never revived to its original glory after Hurricane Katrina; it's a shame to see the shell of what it used to be.

I'd be disingenuous I said our stay in Seattle was stellar. The hotel was excellent, the food was very good, and the city and views are beautiful. But we weren't thrilled with the service anywhere and were turned off by a slightly snobby, rude vibe. I don't want to dwell on the negative but we got the point of not even wanting to go out, afraid that we would be disappointed again. Granted, we were tired and at the end of a very long trip. Also, I was expecting the slightly crunchy granola, laid-back vibe of Portland and didn't find that at all in Seattle. It felt like another busy city and not an overly friendly one. 

However, I did make a very important stop in Seattle: the original Starbucks store near Pike Place Market. Yay! They were very friendly and my mocha was outstanding. Marshall joked that angels would sing when I entered the store and that I would be issued a super-secret customer card. You could say it was my coffee mecca. 

The Original Starbucks!

Seattle was a bit of a downer compared to other stops on the trip, but I'm going to blame moving jitters and tiredness from being on the road for a month. We will definitely visit Seattle again and hopefully have a better experience next time.

Stay tuned for updates from Bethel, Alaska after this!