Trail head: Travelodge by the Space Needle
Hike Info:
Type: Walking
Distance: 10.39 miles
Start Time:10:01am
End Time: 7:27pm
Travel Time: 9:26
Elevation Rise: 1,150'
GPS Tracks
Description:
Places Visited:
| GPSMyCity – Exploring Seattle |
Our Walk |
- Waterfall Garden
- Columbia Center
- Seattle Central Library
- Seattle Art Museum
- Seattle Aquarium
- Pacific Science Center
- Space Needle
- Experience Music Project Museum
- Center for Wooden Boats
|
- Started at Travelodge by
Space Needle
- Space Needle-did not go up,
only checking on prices and menu
- Starbucks, close to Westlake
Center-to get Sherri's coffee and added points. Problems with
card so Sherri did not get credit.
- Note the clothing store with
sewing machines in window
- Note interesting building
with a narrow base, but goes up high
- Columbia Center
- UPS Waterfall
- Seattle Central Library
- Lunch-Pike Brewing Company
- Pike's Market
Starbucks
Center for Wooden Boats
- Columbia Center, at night
- Monorail
- Travelodge
|
 |
| Space Needle |
his was a comfortable night sleep.
Got up a bit before Sherri and read some. Breakfast is pretty good
and filling at the Travelodge. We do the “what do you want to do”,
“what do you want to do” routine. We take a look at an app
called
GPSmyCity
for Seattle. One of the walks is called
Central
Seattle it goes down into downtown Seattle and hits the major
points there.
We actually leave the Travelodge at
10am. Of course the first thing you have to see is the
Space
Needle. We have seen it already last night and
you cannot fail to see it from the hotel. But we make a stop so we
can find out a bit more about it.
 |
| Strange Building |
After browsing around the gift shop
at the Space Needle, we start on our Central Seattle trek. As we get
into the Westlake area, Sherri is on a lookout for a Starbuck's.
After we are in Seattle aren't we? Sure enough, there is a Starbucks.
So we stop in, and this is the start of our week long woe with
Starbucks. She uses her gold card, but the store says it is not
registered. After talking a bit with the store, then the 800
numbers. She thinks she has it resolve, but maybe not.
 |
| Seattle Under Constructions |
Now we are back on the track. We have
our heads looking up at all of the tall buildings, even more are
going going up. There is one building, which I cannot get a good
picture because it so tall. But the interesting part is the base of
the slants inward before taking off to the sky. But a few blocks
down is a building which stands so much taller and that is the
Columbia Center.
 |
| Columbia Center |
 |
| Columbia Center |
I will confess that going up in a
tall building does not hold too much attraction for me. And then to
pay for the privileged?! But the cost is $9 a senior person. I guess
that is not too bad-particularly when compared to the Space Needle.
There is a security person on the ground flour who makes sure you
have bought a ticket before letting you onto the elevator which goes
up half way. There, you go around the corner to finish up the ride.
These elevators are quick, but you do not feel bad on acceleration.
Once you reach the top floor, well the top as far as us peons can
ride, you are greeted by another security person before being
admitted to the observation deck on the 73
rd floor.
 |
| Clipper Ferry docking |
 |
| South Seattle from Columbia Center |
We continue to make our way along the
Seattle walk. Our next stop is the
UPS Waterfall Gardens. After we
found the place, we realized we passed by it last night-we are not
that far from the King Street Station. What is interesting is that
this is a small little park, no bigger than a little pint size city
park. But this park has packed into it a great deal. First the floor
is below street level, but it is well planted with trees giving a
nice quiet, meditative scene. Then you have the waterfall, just
excellent. All of this is because UPS started in Seattle as the
American Messenger Service and they wanted to give back to Seattle a
little something.
 |
| The Red Floor |
Our next stop is the
Seattle CentralLibrary. You may wonder, why a public library? It is beyond anything
which we have seen. A million books, a large map room, several
special collections, 11 levels and 400 computers. Just the physical
layout is impressive. The building form is shaped like a stack of
books-at least that is what they told us. You can sort of see that
in some pictures. But the real magic is inside. You go up a couple of
stories and you get to the red story-a floor all in red. I am
thinking this is a play on words between red and read. But then we
keep going up and up to the top. When you look do the spiral steps of
books (it is not a spiral, but each floor has tons of books.). Each
floor has its specialty. We spent at least an hour just wandering
through. If you go, take a look at look at the
things
to do before you go.
 |
| Looking Up |
 |
| Looking Down |
By this time it is around 2:30 or
3:00pm and we have not eaten yet and are getting a bit hungry. So we
go down and see this gigantic statue called the
Hammering Man. Then
we realize it is outside of the
Seattle Art Museum, one of the places
we want to see. But after discussing things with our stomachs, we
decide to go on and find someplace to eat. The Seattle Art Museum
will have to wait another day.
 |
| Sherri and her Friend |
We go down First Street until we see
a couple of places to eat. We choose a place called
Pike Brewery. Not
a bad place to eat, but I will say it is nothing special. It is also
a good place to rest our legs and enjoy a rest and reflection on what
we have seen so far. After getting filled up, we head out again for
what we think is the final place to go today.
We do go through the building which eventually makes it way to the
Pike Market and all of the various shops.
 |
| Seattle Great Wheel |
That would be the
Center for WoodenBoats on Union Lake. We are interested in this because of our book
group read
The Boys in the Boat
which takes place in this area. So we walk down and Westlake Ave.
Doing so, we find a couple of interesting places which have potential
to eat at, such as Serious Pie (pizza) and Sam Choy's Poke to the
Market-well not really. Sam Choy's is one of my brother's place.
Sherri settled for another Starbucks.
 |
| Center for Wooden Boats |
Then
across the street, at the the Allen Institute there is a couple of
interesting statues-sort of gets one to thinking. After looking at
them, we continue on to the Center for Wooden Boats. By the time we
get there, it is closed-I don't see why, even though it is after 5pm.
It was fun walking around seeing how boats are crafted-there
are classes given in created boats. This area is out in the open
where we could look. Then down we go to the docks and walk down and
enjoy the feel.
Now, it is time to go back to the
hotel room. Neither of us are looking forward to this walk, but we
still are good for it, just barely. When we pass by a clothing store,
I could swear there is a Dalek in there from Doctor Who. So we hurry
on. On the way over, Sherri had commented that she wanted to ride the
monorail before we leave Seattle. With it being late and all, this
seems to be the perfect time. So we get to Fifth Street and climb up
tot he third story and purchase our ticket. The ride is relaxing and
smooth. But I will say for myself, it lacked the pizzazz of the rest
of the day. That is until we came out at the Space Needle. With the
Fall colors, the Needle just stood out. A fine way to end our day.
 |
| Space Needle in Fall at Night |
 |
| From Columbia Center looking West |
We continue to make our way along the
Seattle walk. Our next stop is the UPS Waterfall Gardens. After we
found the place, we realized we passed by it last night-we are not
that far from the King Street Station. What is interesting is that
this is a small little park, no bigger than a little pint size city
park. But this park has packed into it a great deal. First the floor
is below street level, but it is well planted with trees giving a
nice quiet, meditative scene. Then you have the waterfall, just
excellent. All of this is because UPS started in Seattle as the
American Messenger Service and they wanted to give back to Seattle a
little something.
We do go through the building which eventually makes it way to the Pike Market and all of the various shops.
Then
across the street, at the the Allen Institute there is a couple of
interesting statues-sort of gets one to thinking. After looking at
them, we continue on to the Center for Wooden Boats. By the time we
get there, it is closed-I don't see why, even though it is after 5pm.
It was fun walking around seeing how boats are crafted-there
are classes given in created boats. This area is out in the open
where we could look. Then down we go to the docks and walk down and
enjoy the feel.
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