Downtown Seattle

Leaving quiet Fremont behind we headed into Downtown Seattle and back across to the airport to check into our pre-Trek America tour hotel. Catching a bus into Downtown we then walked along 3rd Avenue to get the Link Light Rail to the airport. We were again greeted by people who were very willing to help us find our way around, our large backpacks giving us away as strangers in possible need of direction. After checking in and leaving our mammoth bags behind, we went back into Downtown.

We went to Pike Place Market where fishermen's catch from the Pacific Coast is displayed and sold to locals and tourists alike. A steady stream of people pass stalls of giant fish, crabs and lobsters along with fruits, flowers and art. Outside, the docks and piers lean into the bay, where ferries carry commuters to the suburbs and tankers bring in goods to be unloaded by the dock's cranes. Seattle's Giant Wheel (ferris wheel) stands temporarily vacant whilst the seawall is renovated. People sit out on the grass under the gaze of totems and the odour of cannabis drifts through the islands of friends and families.

We left the busy waterfront and walked along the avenues to the Seattle Centre. Originally built for the 1962 World Fair it is educational playground for the city and home to the landmark Space Needle and a collection of science and art exhibits. The line for the Space Needle was prohibitive enough for us to choose to walk back to the waterfront than spend hours in a queue.

Back at Pike Place Market we got dinner from Piroshky Piroshky, a Russian bakery that has been at the market since 1922. We ordered the trademark salmon pate piroshky, which is shaped like a fish and delicious, before wandering back through artisan shops and street musicians.

We got back to the hotel to ready ourselves for the start of our Trek America tour across the West of the U.S. that starts at 7:30am tomorrow. We also managed to meet a few of our Trek companions in the bar for a beer. However due to collective jet lag/general travel fatigue we were all in bed by 9:30pm!Read more