Seattle, the city I nearly didn’t visit
What do you know about Seattle? I have to admit before I started researching for this trip, i knew very little about Seattle. The only things which sprung to mind were the hospital series Grey’s Anatomy and the movie Sleepless in Seattle. It seemed to be a US city I was content to miss; I am so glad I didn’t!
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The primary reason for my trip was to visit British Columbia. Fights from the UK into Vancouver are expensive, however after some research I found flights in and out of Seattle Tacoma International Airport were substantially cheaper. With Seattle located 2 hours south of the Canadian border, it was a no brainer!
5 Must-Sees in Seattle and Beyond
Visiting all 50 states of America is on my bucket list, so this was an opportunity to notch up another state. Seattle is in Washington State and due to the high amount of rainfall, it has become known as the Evergreen state.
Space Needle
The Space Needle is a prominent building on the Seattle Cityscape, built-in 1961 and standing at 605 feet tall. It has two observation decks which can be reached in 41 seconds by the elevators which travel at a sedately 10 Mph.
The outdoor observation deck is 520 feet up and provides fantastic 360 views of Seattle, Mount Baker and the Puget Sound. The lower indoor observation deck has a rotating glass floor, providing visibility to the long drop below. Stand on it if you dare!
Photographer Tip
To get the picture postcard photo of The Space Needle with the Seattle Cityscape and Mount Rainer backdrop, visit Kerry Park.
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is situated in the historic district of downtown Seattle along the waterfront at Elliot Bay. The market is over 100 years old and is open 363 days of the year, 19 hours a day. Originally a farmer market, it has now become a tourist attraction famous for the excellent quality of fish, food, crafts and other goods.
The market spans 4 floors and retains its historic feel and original decor. On lower floors, there are some very interesting specialist collector shops including comics, books, magic trick stores which are worth a browse.
Chihuly Garden & Glass
Close to the Space Needle, you can visit Chihuly Garden and Glass museum which exhibits exceptionally impressive sculptures. The bold and bright glass displays have been created by Dale Chihuly and demonstrate great detail and amazing workmanship.
The Gum Wall
The Gum Wall is located underneath Pike Place Market. I had read about this tourist attraction but expected it to be a small wall with various colours of “Hubba Bubba” stuck to it. In fact, it is a long alley with an overpowering stench of bubble gum and actually very yukky. It needs to be seen to be believed!
The Boeing Factory
The Boeing assembly factory is situated 25 miles north of Seattle and is a must-see for anyone interested in planes or the manufacturing industry.
I was really excited to visit a working assembly plant and was blown away by the scale and size of the facility. One of the buildings holds the Guinness World Record for the largest building in the world by volume (13,385, 378 metres squared). Unfortunately, we were not allowed cameras, so I am unable to share any photos with you.
As a visitor, you are taken on a 90-minute tour of the Boeing plant where the Boeing 747, 767, 777 and the 787 Dreamliners are assembled. My arrival into Seattle had been on a 787 Dreamliner, so it was a real eye opener to see these planes in various stages of assembly.
I wish I had stayed longer….
Seattle is a fun and vibrant city which exceeded my expectations. Somewhere I had never considered or visiting, but would love to visit again.
