Sleepless in Seattle: A Foodie Fun Visit of the Emerald City.

This past week travelling here in Canada, my dear friend Janett Schindler (aka “The Part Time Traveller”) and myself have decided to be spontaneous. Spontaneous as in … Why not go to Seattle when already in Vancouver? At least, this is our European point of view, as in saying: “We’ve already made it this far. Why not go ‘all the way’ south, and right into the ‘Emerald City’!?” Her and I simply loved the fact that we just played by ear on this trip, in turn resulting in many a great travel story & tipps for your next visit. It all starts with the journey itself as …

… our trip to Seattle took off at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver: Did you know you can actually enjoy a first class travel experience along the Pacific for just over $70?!

We loved our train journey, and have been completely blown away by just how relaxed it was to go from Canada to the United States this way. To travel first class was only $20 up from the original price at about $50. This saved us queuing lines and got us food vouchers for the train restaurant, too. What a journey …

… one we started in style, too: Sunset over the Pacific Ocean, as the train quite literally hugs the coastline for most of its way south!

Lovely to take a relaxed trip with one of your best friends on the train …

… arriving at the historic downtown station right in central Seattle later that night.

For exploring the city of Seattle, we got ourselves a CityPass which combines admission fees to seven different attractions …

… and right after arriving, we were able to feel it, the open-minded, laid-back “vibe of Seattle”: Don’t you just love this huge Street Art Graffiti here?

Seattle Space Needle & Chihuly Glass & Gardens are worth the journey alone. Check out why you should visit both …

… they are right next to each other, and of course Seattle Space Needle has the views, but Chihuly Glass & Gardens has impressed me even more: Now I do know glass art from my home country Austria, or many other countries I’ve travelled to. But to make glass “dance, sing & swing” in this particular form, creating tremendous yet incredibly delicate pieces of art at the very same time, is unlike anything I have seen before. Wow. I would have loved to meet the artist right then and there. Hopefully on another visit to the city!

Seattle’s Space Needle …

… offers an interesting exhibition featuring its daring construction some 50 years ago …

… and of course has the views over the “Emerald City” that every first-time visitor loves and enjoys looking at.

Not far from there, a small park is home to the glass art created by master Chihuly …

… with a particular focus on this piece that has impressed me the most out of the entire exhibition: “Glass art” on another level altogether, I daresay!

Cheers to our shared experience: Janett and I are getting ourselves glass rings from the Chihuly Museum, quite overcome with emotion!

If you happen to arrive hungry in Seattle, go make for the culinary heart of town: Pike Place Market is the No. 1 Foodie place!

For sure, Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle has long passed from being an insider tip to a popular hotspot for foodies of all sorts. There are “flying fish” (beware of the locals’ techniques for advertising their catch!), there is the very first Starbucks Café dating back to the year 1912, there is the stimulating ambiance of lots and lots more small cafés, eateries & market halls. All of it turn Pike Place Market into a true “Must-See” or “Must-Eat” while in Seattle.

If you, like us, are looking for yet another way to explore the city altogether, be sure to make for the “Underground Tour Seattle” and ask them about the “Adult Tour”. As its name implies, it is only offered for night owls and starts several times a week at either 8.00 or 9.00 p.m. Taking part in the tour, we learned that the historic town of Seattle has been (re)built based on the success of prostitution – one of the only flourishing trades in decades of ups & downs around the turn of the 19th/20th century ..!

An exciting night-time (and historic) view upon Seattle: Taking part in our Underground Tour Seattle starts right underneath Pioneer Square …

… very close to other all-time foodie favourites, such as this “Pulled Pork Sandwich” that we enjoyed at Hole in the Wall BBQ on James Street …

… speaking of food …

… let’s head over to Pike Place Market …

… which has Janett and me leave full of impressions (as well as food and drinks) …

… of course not without a visit to the world’s ever, most historic Starbucks Café …

… free chocolate cake, by the way, is available from Storyville Coffee just round the corner! …

… I did like my freshly roasted coffee tasting experience at Starbucks Tasting Room & Roastery a lot too, though!

If you are still looking for a shopping insider tip, check out recently opened “Eigth Generation” very close to Pike Place Market …

… where charming entrepreneur & creative spirit Louie Gong has successfully made a name for himself and his team through his Native Art Prints on Merino wool blankets from New Zealand, as well as many other beautifully hand-crafted souvenir items.

Hard to say goodbye after all of this, really. So we decided to turn our goodbyes into yet another experience: A ride with the speed boat ferry back to Canada on the Victoria Clipper!

It only takes three hours for the Victoria Clipper speed boat to leave Seattle Harbour and reach the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria on Vancouver Island. Not only do their services run twice a day, making it a convenient option for international commuters like us, it also throws the experience of a possible whale & dolphin watch into the ferry ride itself.

What a nice way to say goodbye to Seattle: Both Janett and I loved our stay there very much. “Seattle, now that’s a town to come back to anytime”, we would both continue saying again and again. Warm & welcoming local people, all the way to great value for money, have left us with a desire to go back any one time – sleepless or else!

Bye bye Seattle …

… the view from the water is something every traveller should experience …

… thanks for such a great ride, Victoria Clipper …

… thank you too, my dear Janett: Our girls’ trip together, what a beautiful time in our lives!

Check out even more travel photos here:

Disclaimer: We have been supported by the City of Seattle with their CityPass, as well as hosted on the Victoria Clipper. All opinions are my own.