All content & photos: Copyright© 2008,
Jan Hight. All rights reserved.
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1997 Jan's Journeys West Coast Roadtrip! Sat. afternoon 9/6/97 thru
Mon. morning 9/8/97 Sun. Sept. 7 What a terrific time we’ve been having in Seattle...which explains why this entry to our on-the-road journal is a bit delayed! To make our visit even more special (besides the fact that the weather spirits have smiled upon us and provided clear blue, sunny skies and warm temperatures!), some very good friends of ours are on a roadtrip of their own and arranged to meet us here in the Emerald City. The following are just a few of the highlights of our Seattle sojourn.
>>Next Stop -- The Palms Guest House, Vancouver, BC
Copyright © 1997 - 2008: Jan Hight
Published -- September 08, 1997 |
A trip to the Pike Place Market is practically mandatory. This unique public
market has been around almost 90 years, and its fame has spread year-by-year (with other
cities no doubt trying to copy its success and appeal). From the first few steps (past
Rachel the life-sized brass piggy bank whose hoofprints lead the way inside), it becomes
obvious that this is a singular shopping, people-watching, and marketing experience. Be
sure to duck as the fish mongers of Pike Place Fish toss their customers' fishy selections
over the heads of the always-present crowd of fans (signs warning of "low flying
fish" are the initial clue that these aren’t ordinary vendors; their
orchestrated chants and refrains are the second hint!). 
Continuing through the many levels of the
Market you’ll find rows and rows of fresh (and dried) flowers. These colorful and
fragrant displays would bring a touch of sunshine to even the grayest of days, and when we
returned later in the afternoon we discovered that most of the colorful bundles had
already been purchased to brighten homes all over Seattle. Other stalls offer fresh local
produce of every variety, as well as other products of the area (honey, jellies and jams,
nuts, etc.). Interspersed between all of this bounty are tiny stores, novelty shops, and
street entertainers...a vivid slice of Seattle!!
There are several sets of steps trailing down from the Pike Place Market to the
waterfront below...so many, in fact, that the stairway is dubbed "The Pike Place Hill
Climb" which brings to mind the "Pike’s Peak Hill Climb" auto race on
the Colorado mountain which shares the Pike designation (the similarity becomes much more
apparent when ascending back up those deceptive little risers)! The waterfront is home to
several restaurants, shops, the Seattle Aquarium, an IMAX theatre and many other things
water-related. We took the Argosy Boats harbor tour, which departs from one of the piers
in the midst of all of the action. It was a pleasurable way to view the city skyline (and
the skyline formed by the mountains) from the waters of Puget Sound. The captain’s
very engaging narration provided a lot of historic facts and amusing tidbits from
Seattle’s past, and the portion of the cruise that passed the huge container ships,
immense dry-dock and active shipyard of the Port of Seattle was quite interesting.
A famous icon that has symbolized Seattle since 1962 is the Space
Needle. A monorail (which was also built for the ’62 World Fair) travels in less than
2 minutes between its downtown terminal and the Seattle Center location of the Space
Needle. Elevators make a speedy 43-second climb to the observation deck at the 520-foot
level, and the
guides use their brief moments to pass along condensed stories from the Needle’s
chronicles (my favorite concerned the employees who made a panicked and hasty retreat down
the multitude of emergency stairs during an earthquake in 1965; called later to request
that their final paychecks be mailed to them; and never returned to their jobs or to the
Needle!). The views from the observation deck are spectacular, as would be expected...and
earthquakes are very rare!!!
An excursion
that definitely should not be missed is the 
Our home for this Seattle visit has been The Hotel Vintage Park, downtown in
the Rainier Square area. Surrounded by fine shops and restaurants (conveniently -- just a
few blocks from the Nordstrom mothership!), this elegant hotel has as its theme the wines
of Washington State. Guestrooms and 
suites are each named for a particular winery and have custom
cherry furniture, tasteful decorating touches, armoires containing TV/VCR, columned
headboards or canopies above the beds, and complimentary exercise equipment (exercycle or
stairclimber) which will be delivered to the room upon request. We peeked out the window
from our 11th floor room on our first morning here and were greeted with a
beautiful view of Mount Rainier in the distance and the lively retail and financial
district below us. A new feature being tested is a complimentary in-room 
terminal offering
access to the Web and to e-mail (of course, with it and our two Notebooks, we ended up
with 3 computers...overkill, perhaps?!). Tastings of local wines are offered to guests in
an intimate parlor in the lobby in the early evening, and there’s an excellent
restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner (as well as
room service 24 hours a day).
We’ve received caring and personalized service and attention, and the Vintage Park
has been a charming base for our Seattle expeditions. The phone number is 206-623-0568,
and you can visit their website at
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