This trip started in Seattle, WA. First up was the Space Needle because it was a sunny day and it turned out to be the only sunny day while I was there. There are incredible views from the top and it's worth every penny in my opinion. On one side of the needle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass with a collection of glass art by Dale Chihuly. Some of the pieces are truly magnificent! There are indoor and outside exhibits to see. On the other side of the needle is the EMP (Experience Music Project) museum. The bulk of the exhibits are music related obviously, however there are additional exhibits for Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction costumes and props.
The next day I went to a handful of random places as well as the Pike Place Market. The Market has tons of eateries and vendors, most notably the first Starbucks. Be prepared to stand in line to order a drink but know that they are excellent at moving people in and out as quickly as they can without losing the quality of service. I then headed to Kerry Park for arguably the BEST view of Seattle. The park is about 10 minutes from the Space Needle or from Pike Place. It's street parking only but it wasn't difficult to find a spot. Next was the Fremont Troll which is a huge sculpture under a bridge in the Fremont neighborhood, then it was off to the house featured in Harry and the Hendersons. It's someone's residence so you can't tour it but it was worth driving by for nostalgia's sake. Lastly I went to see A Sound Garden which is within the NOAA Art Walk at the Warren G. Magnuson Park, and the inspiration for the band of the same name. A photo ID Is required to enter because it's a restricted area, however I had no problems getting in.
Then I swung by the Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton (30 minutes south of downtown) to see Jimmy Hendrix's grave. Also south of downtown is the Museum of Flight which is part of one of Boeing's facilities (not the main one). There are so many planes it's a little overwhelming, however there are a lot of cool ones including the Taylor Aerocar III-the 1st flying car!
One of the coolest things I did on this trip was a tour of Seattle Underground which starts in Pioneer Square. It's essentially an underground city that's no longer used, but was actually ground level Seattle in the mid-19th century. After the city burned down they regraded the streets two stories higher, causing the "underground city" to be formed. The tour guides are so full of information you are almost disappointed when the tour is over!
Redmond, WA was on the agenda for the next day to see Microsoft, and next door to the Microsoft campus was the Nintendo headquarters. It's about 35 minutes from downtown Seattle. You should know that Nintendo does NOT offer tours and also does not like if you try to take pictures in the lobby. Microsoft on the other hand has a visitor center and gift shop. Unfortunately they were closing early for a private function so I wasn't able to see everything, but what I was able to see was very interactive.
About an hour north of downtown Seattle is Everett which is where the main Boeing facility is. They are serious about privacy and security so they provide lockers to store your phones, cameras and other belongings. The grounds are so big they use charter buses! You get to see the production line for the 777's which is really quite impressive.
On the way to Portland, OR I decided to take a detour to see Mount St. Helens which is about 3 hours and 15 minutes from Seattle. It was unbelievably foggy to the point of hazardous so take caution while driving up the mountain. Unfortunately it was too cloudy and overcast to see St. Helens once I got to the top, but there was a cool Bigfoot souvenir shop on the way back down! From there to Portland is about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
I only had one day in Portland but was able to get in a few sites. I stopped by Cathedral Park to see the St. John's Bridge, then went to the International Rose Garden Test (beautiful and worth visiting) and lastly but definitely not least is Voodoo Doughnuts. It is seriously worth the wait to get in to order. I recommend the Mango Tango (made with Tang. Yes Tang), the Old Dirty Bastard (they have awesome names if you hadn't noticed), and the classic Voodoo Doll doughnut, complete with a pretzel stick stake through it's heart. Oh, and you can also get married there complete with a doughnut cake!
There is still so much more to see and do in both cities, I'll definitely be planning another tip!
Comentarios