Seattle (Day Two): City Pass and All That Jazz

We woke up early feeling fresh since we got a good 12 hours in. We got ready to take on our first full day in Seattle (which *SPOILER ALERT* was my favorite of the days). It was very gray day and chilly which is exactly the selling point of visiting the glorious PNW. It was SO Seattle and we loved every second of it. 

First up was breakfast at Biscuit Bitch where we got to say the word bitch when we ordered which was super cool. Some of my favorite menu items are called 'Straight-up Bitch, 'Hot Mess Bitch', and 'Smokin' Hot Bitch'. I feel like Jesse Pinkman would have totally loved this place. Dustin got some basic bitch (sadly is not a menu item name, I just made that bitch up) biscuit with gravy and I got a biscuit with jam. We found two seats at the long table against the window and watched people start their Friday as they walked by. 

From there we walked back toward our hotel and stopped at Top Pot to get our PNW donut fix. We were way too stuffed to actually eat them so we dropped them off in our hotel room to save for later. We both got an apple fitter (because duh - it's a classic), I got an orange glaze, and Dustin got a regular glaze. 

Cue Vanessa Carlton's 'A Thousand Miles' or Copeland's 'Walking Downtown'...

We were walking all over downtown headed for the waterfront. 

And then Pike Place Market started to come into view. I no longer was seeing it from a movie's perspective or a friend's instagram account. I finally got to see it with my own eyes. As excited as I was to see that sign I wasn't really sure what to expect. Everyone raves about it but I really wasn't sure why. I mean I totally remember the Seattle Real World cast going there throughout the show which is how I always kind of pictured it. 

There is fresh food, seafood especially because obviously, everywhere! The guys even mess around with idiot tourists by making that fish with teeth below drop through the ice. He didn't get me but he did get another unsuspecting woman. Ha! There is every kind of food you can imagine throughout the market - sweets or savory, fresh off the boat or cooked and ready to eat. It's all there. One of my favorite parts was the flowers. There were so many beautiful fresh flower bouquets that were so inexpensive. If that same bouquet was at Publix or some other florist you'd be paying $50+ but these were all $15. FIFTEEN DOLLARS. A steal! I joked to Dustin "This must be a hot spot for all those asshole cheater men because I might just forgive someone if I was gifted these suckers." I mean, not really but almost. We strolled along just taking it all in when we got to the first Starbucks. We didn't actually go inside because it was a tourist madhouse so we just peered in the windows from the sidewalk. It was cool to see the original logo. Also, it's true what people say - there is totally a Starbucks on every corner. I'm serious. 

After a few twists and turns we found ourselves at the Market Theater Gum Wall which is both gross and fascinating. This wasn't even on our itinerary but it was still cool to see in person and I was glad we stumbled upon it. As I took some photos a friendly man offered to take a photo of Dustin and I in front of the wall. He joked "Now I've got your phone." which is like the worst dad joke ever. I nervously laughed and he thankfully gave me my phone back without issue. 

Just down the street was the Seattle Aquarium which was next on our list and first of our City Pass attractions. I bought the City Pass prior to our trip because it was such a good deal. It gives you entrance to a lot of places for a discounted rate. We were a few minutes early and the museum hadn't opened up yet so we walked along the pier and watched seagulls make nests while enjoying the cool air and beautifully gray skies. That shit gave me life. I know most people love the sun and heat but I'm not most people. I don't like to squint and I don't like to sweat so Seattle was perfection.  

We walked into the aquarium the minute it opened and got to see almost all of the exhibits by ourselves. The sea otters were most definitely our favorite. We watched as they got fed clams and one even used the glass of the tank to tap it enough so he cold open it up and eat the insides. We talked to a lot of the staff (because we basically had the place to ourselves) and got to learn a lot of little quirks about all of the current residents. I found it really neat that they use the sea water to fill up their tanks (which they were doing with one of them when we visited). They are located right on the pier so it makes perfect sense to use what's right there. Just as we were leaving a parade of 5 year olds were coming in and you guess it...acting like five year olds. It went from peaceful and quiet to very loud and Dustin and I couldn't dip out of there quicker. 

Our legs were killing us. It wasn't necessarily because we were walking so much but because we were walking up pretty steep hills on top of it. Who knew Seattle was so hilly? Not us. Because of our sore legs we got our very first Uber to the Space Needle. Yes, our first one ever. When you are a couple of two homebodies who don't drink you really don't have much use for that kind of service but we are totally a fan. We used it 2 more times during our trip and all were great experiences. 

We got in line at the Space Needle which only took about 10 minutes or so to get through. They are very big on security (so appreciated) which was the only reason there was any wait at all. Once we got through the bag check and metal detectors, they took our photo, and then we got right on the elevator and rode it to the top. When those doors opened I just let out the biggest "Wooooow!". We could see the view past the crowds of people and the Starbucks. That's right, there is a Starbucks at the top of the Space Needle. I told you! Dustin and I walked outside and got our real first taste and it was everything. The first thing I noticed were the glass benches which slanted downward. Some brave souls were sitting with their butts planted firm on the bench and their backs on the glass. I was not one of these people. I sat on the edge of the glass and was good to go. I don't need to prove anything. Also I'm a scaredy cat so yeah. We walked all around eventually making our way down a level. It was the glass floor level. And it was moving. I remember first seeing this couple both sitting on the glass while someone took their photo from above. I bet that shot came out pretty cool. I did not sit on the glass floor but I did walk on it. Can you even believe my scaredy ass self did that? I certainly can't. It was scary but also exhilarating. There were of course those annoying asshole type people who had to prove they were so much braver than anyone else. Meet the teenage girl to our right who was literally jumping up and down as hard as possible to prove how cool she was to her scared friend. Dude, that is not necessary. We went back down the elevator and exited at...you guessed it - the gift store. I mean, it is a pretty cool store. We bought shirts and magnets and other shit because we needed to remember this day and also it was all really cute. 

At the bottom of the Space Needle is a park with all kinds of vendors and more attractions like the Museum of Pop Culture, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Pacific Science Center which were both on our City Pass but we only ended up doing the Museum of Pop Culture. But before we went there we went to get some lunch at Mod Pizza which was located in this cool cafeteria/food court style building. It was really good. Like so good. So was there little hockey puck lookalike 'No Name Cake'. Mod Pizza is all over but is originally from Seattle which is why we saw quite a few when we were in town. I just looked on google maps and there is one in Orlando but it's way out by the outlets which is why I've never seen it. 

 



 

How cool is the outside of this museum? I feel like the photos show is coolness but definitely don't do i justice. We walked in and the first thing we saw was this giant room with this giant screen of musicians playing live. It wasn't ever anyone we had heard of but the sound and aesthetic of the whole room was super neat. Then the fountain of guitars caught our eye which lead us to all of these cool music rooms. We saw some cool stuff of Jimi Hendrix (including the hand written lyrics below) and Prince. The Nirvana room was extra cool. So many instruments were donated by the band and you could see how worn out they all were. I also liked how a photo was always included of the particular band member playing said instrument. This was the only thing Nirvana related we actually got to see during our trip. I read online that you can't see Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love's house from the street due to a big gate and trees so we didn't bother driving by. I also researched if there was a Kurt Cobain grave stone anywhere which there isn't because he was cremated. There is however a Kurt Cobain Memorial Park located in his hometown of Aberdeen which is a couple hours outside of Seattle and to us was not worth the drive as it would have cut into a lot of time of our trip. The exhibit in the Pop Culture Museum was perfect though. 

There was another area of instruments in sound proof rooms where you can play guitar, drums, etc. and turn that shit up loud. Each room was hotly contested and you really had to stake your claim. It was cool to see Dustin play a real drum set as loud as he wanted. I don't think he's done that since we lived in Palm Coast. 

There were also really cool Sci-Fi and Horror movie exhibits where we got to see props from Gremlins, Star Wars, Terminator, Back To The Future, Harry Potter, and a ton of others. 

We did a lot in one day. Like a whole lot! We came back to the hotel and took a nap. We then walked down the street to a fancy dinner at The Capital Grille where I felt completely underdressed and out of place. Oh well, the food was delicious so who really gives a fuck! We stopped at the Starbucks across the street from our hotel on our way back. I opened my donuts from earlier and enjoyed my iced caramel macchiato while staring out the window.

It was one of my favorite days ever.