Pacific Northwest and Alaska 2022

Seattle

John and I left behind the oppressive heat wave in Texas and arrived in Seattle with highs in the upper 70’s, and in one of the few times of year with plenty of sun. 

We didn’t get in until midnight, taking the Skylink train from the airport to the Chinatown/ International/ King Street station for only $5 for the two of us ($4 adult, $1 Senior). I still woke at my normal 6:30AM (my body is set to that time). Our AirBNB was above the “oldest bar in Seattle” – a couple of blocks from the water, across from Pioneer Square, the oldest section of Seattle.

Our first full day found us walking the extensive waterfront, past a ferry terminal, shops, cruise ship terminal, restaurants and up to the Olympic Sculpture Park,

then on to the Seattle Center, where we took our requisite photos of the Space Needle,

and visited my favorite Seattle attraction – the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum ($31.50pp). 

Acting as if we only had one day to visit – we proceeded to Pike Place Market to watch the fishmongers toss a large fish through the air.

My favorite part of the market is the flower stalls where you can buy a large bouquet for $20 or a single stem dahlia for $2. I had visited Pike Place with my sisters a few years ago, and there seemed to be a lot more seafood stalls then, but we did find one, who performed as expected, with many people waiting for the show. 

We spent the evening with my cousin Rolf who lives in the beautiful Queen Anne area, chatting and enjoying a light breeze on his back patio. He recommended doing one of the underground tours which base themselves in Pioneer Square, so we booked one for the following morning. 

Which leads me to a brief history of Seattle (partly as learned from the “Seattle Underground” tour – $30pp). The California Gold rush (1848-55) brought people to California, but the Oregon Territory needed further enticement – so in Sept. 1850 the US Government offered land grants of 320 acres to white male citizens 18 years of age or older willing to settle and improve the area. The Denny party arrived in Sept. 1851. Initially, they settled what is now West Seattle, then a year later moved to the present location of Pioneer Square. The local native tribes (Duwamish and the Suquamish) no longer inhabited the lower lands and settled the hills above for very good reason – tidal flats. What seemed high and dry in low tide could easily be covered in salt water at high tide. This was not conducive to farming, but with the surrounding hills covered in old growth forests it was the ideal spot to start a lumber mill and with easy access to deep water, the lumber could be quickly loaded onto ships bound for booming California. This created Seattle boom-town #1.

Early Seattle had a few serious problems. Problem #1 in an area with wide tidal flats – sewage. (It did not help that the sewer lines were constructed of wood). When the tide was out – no problem flushing the new invention of Thomas Crapper. When the tide was in – anyone living near the bottom of the gravity driven lines had a problem. The backflow at high tide also led to significant health issues.

Problem #2 was the town was made of wood. Wood burns. On June 6, 1889, an unwatched glue pot ended up destroying over 29 city blocks – the entire business district. 

The rebuild was rapid. New zoning laws required structures to be built of brick or stone, and the city’s streets were raised over 12 feet to stay above the tide– but that occurred after the buildings rose throughout downtown. This made crossing the street an interesting endeavor, since the front of your business and sidewalk was now looking at the side of the raised roadway.  Eventually, the sidewalks became underground passages and sewer line access, and lower floors were filled in or became basements. In the early 20^thcentury, most passageways were sealed, then “rediscovered” decades later, providing a basis for interesting tours. The purple glass panels in the sidewalks allow light to stream into the passages below so tourists can explore and get a better “look” at early Seattle. 

And the other Seattle “booms” – Seattle became the main place to acquire needed supplies for the Klondike Gold rush in the 1890’s, then the shipbuilding boom in WWI, the Boeing boom from the 1940’s-70’s, and then Microsoft and the tech industry in modern day. Starbucks, Boeing, Nordstrom, Weyerhaeuser, Costco and Expedia were all founded in Seattle. 

As to why they named the new settlement Seattle is unsure – apparently the area was named Dewamps initially after one of the native tribes but over the next couple of years the name of Chief Seattle was taken for the settlement in 1853.

After our tour and wandering on the second day, we rejoined Rolf for dinner at Chinook Restaurant where we dined on excellent clam chowder and fish overlooking Fisherman’s Harbor followed by a personal tour of the many beautiful parks – Discovery Park, with its beaches and public waterfront – including a classic lighthouse

and a monument to Leif Erikson honoring Scandinavians and their descendants who helped settle and develop the area (including some of my ancestors – the Stallcops – who emigrated to North America in 1641).

We stopped by the locks with their steps for the salmon to make it upstream to spawn. Then on to Lake Washington – a huge freshwater lake that offers a relaxing place to take in views of Mt. Rainier or go for a sail.

We thanked Rolf for a great visit, then returned to our lodgings to do a load of laundry and ready for a travel day. 

With our ArriveCan ap loaded and registered, we set off for our northern neighbors. Next stop – Vancouver!