Six Hours in Seattle

by Julie H. Ferguson

Six hours to see Seattle.... I crack one eye and the pearly dawn frames the drapes in my hotel room. I crack the other eye. Only eight hours before my cruise ship sails!

I whisk the drapes back and the hi-rises of downtown Seattle are tipped with the orange of sunrise. The streets are deeply shadowed still and the sun has yet to color the wine-dark waters of Puget Sound with cobalt and gold. To the north the snow-capped Olympic Mountains of Washington State are faintly pink.

 I present myself to the still-yawning concierge as he lays out brochures and maps for help. Over the years I've learned there is only one way to see a big city if time is short – a bus tour. I like the ones that you can get off where you choose to explore and get on a later bus. Many cities have adopted the idea and sure enough so does Seattle.

“You want the Pink Bus Hop-on Hop-off Tour,” says the concierge. “It goes to all the downtown sights. If you don't get off it takes an hour, but you can hop off in seven locations like the Space Needle, the waterfront, and Pike Place Market. Buses come by every half hour. There's a guide on each bus too.”

“How much?” I ask.

“Thirty-five and it stops right outside this hotel. I also recommend the one-hour harbor cruise if you've time.” He hands me Argosy Cruises' brochure. “The Pink Bus stops at their dock.”

With forty minutes to spare before the bus arrives, I savor a second coffee in Starbucks as office staff grab a cup on their way to work. Seattle is the birthplace of the first name in coffee shops and proud of it. The original 1971 Starbucks still serves the Italian lattés and cappucinos that inspired Howard Schultz to bring them to Seattle for a test drive ….

At nine sharp the tour bus rounds the corner. It's an original London double-decker painted bright pink – to an ex-Brit it looks ridiculous but familiar. I head upstairs for the best views. Every street in downtown Seattle is lined with leafy trees that give a country town feel to the spotlessly clean concrete jungle. We rumble through the main retail district heading for the Experience Music Project (EMP) and the Space Needle. Our chatty guide who sports a tiara gives an excellent commentary.

First stop is at Steve Allen’s brainchild, the EMP. Allen, formerly of Microsoft, is a passionate musician and he funded its construction. The building is extraordinary, one you either love or hate; it’s made with waves and swirls of colored metal symbolizes the energy of popular music. Inside are interactive exhibitions for those that love rock ‘n roll, blues, hip-hop, and many other genres. I could spend hours here, but not today.

Close by is Seattle’s leading tourist attraction – the Space Needle; today it soars into a sapphire-blue sky. I lie on the wet grass for some photos of this 1962 World’s Fair icon, then find out the cost to ride the elevator to the observation platform. I’m a complete wuss when it comes to heights and it only takes $16.00 a pop to dissuade me from going to the observation deck. Lunch in the 500 foot-high revolving restaurant, which the Washington Wine Commission named as a top restaurant in 2009, would be okay, however it’s only 10a.m. On a clear day with a strong head for heights, the Space Needle is a must-do. 

Truth to tell, my real reason for taking the Pink Bus is the next four stops. The historic waterfront, Old Seattle, and the famous Pike Place Market intrigue me and I get off at each one.

The first is Pier 66, one of Seattle’s two cruise ship terminals. Now called Bell Street Pier, it offers visitors eleven acres of modern plazas, restaurants, and a marina to explore. Here is the home of the Maritime Event Center, with an interactive nautical museum, that is free for the public on Mondays if you don’t mind sharing it with hordes of school students on field trips.

The next stop promises me the back-story of Seattle at three piers. Pier 57, renamed Miner’s Landing recently, was the making of Seattle. Tens of thousands of gold-frenzied prospectors sailed from here for the Klondike with hope in their hearts, provisioned by merchants also seeking their fortunes.  I liked the look of Seattle’s waterfront from a distance but close up I find it’s a tourist trap. I stroll past stores selling not-so-cheap, cheap mementos and restaurants seeking high turnover instead of serving exquisitely prepared seafood. However, Miner’s Landing is renovated well and a prettily restored carousel stands out amongst the banal. 

To get a better perspective of the waterfront I sail from Pier 55 on an hour-long  harbor cruise around Elliott Bay. The views of the port and Seattle’s skyline alone are worth the fare and the commentary about the city’s history is a welcome bonus.

Windblown and back on the bus, I head to Pioneer Square, Seattle’s historic district. It’s not a square but a hotchpotch of galleries, antique stores, bars, and cafes that moved into the old ’hood during the 1980s. The 1890s rust-red buildings contrast with the colder greys of the modern city, and an old sign advertising hotel rooms for seventy-five cents a night reminds me of its rougher past. But I’m here for what lies beneath.” Seattle rebuilt the old “square after the Great Fire in 1889 on top of the original buildings. I join The Underground Tour and roam the subterranean passageways that were once roads, hearing colourful stories about the town and its more outrageous characters. I peer into storefronts of yesteryear, a pub, and end up in the obligatory gift shop.     

I’ve saved the best for my last stop – I adore browsing traditional markets in Europe and hope Pike Place Market is similar. Known as the Soul of Seattle, it’s been operating for over a century in the same location and seethes with locals and visitors alike. Buskers abound. Energy is high.

I can barely see over the crowd in front of the Pike Place Fish Company but I can smell the sea-tang – their produce is just off the boat. Vendors shout. Fish are flying. Flash bulbs pop. I wiggle forward and spy the banks of crab, salmon, mussels, and more. Yum! Another huge salmon sails through the air and is deftly caught by a packer at the back. “For my barbeque tonight,” the customer says to me.

Strains of the Beatles’ tune “Love Me Do” has my ears twitching. I find three teens entertaining an appreciative crowd who throw ones and fives into the buskers’ guitar cases until they overflow. Slowly I wiggle through the bustling market. Not only do I see fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the orchard and field, but armfuls of spring-scented flowers, delicious baked goods, pretty jewellery, and funky clothes and hats for sale.

My watch urges me to hurry for the Pink Bus – my six hours in Seattle is over, but I’m eager to see the rest seven days later. Time to sail for Alaska.

IF YOU GO:

General info: www.seattletravel.com

Pink Bus Hop-on Hop-off  Tour: www.graylineseattle.com/sightseeingtours.cfm/mode/detail/product_id/1358 

Experience Music Project: www.empmuseum.org

Space Needle: www.spaceneedle.com

Maritime Event Center: http://maritimeeducationinitiative.org/index.php

Harbor Tours: www.argosycruises.com

Historic Seattle’s Underground Tour: www.undergroundtour.com

Pike Place Market: www.pikeplacemarket.org/

ALL IMAGE CREDITS: © Julie H. Ferguson 2011