Touring the Pacific Northwest: Sights to visit, things to do in Seattle

Tim Viall
·4 min read
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The greens, reds, purples and fiery yellow garden art of Chihuly Garden and Glass
The greens, reds, purples and fiery yellow garden art of Chihuly Garden and Glass

A recent 30-day tour of the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Island, Canada, afforded us three days in Seattle and time to revisit old favorites and find a few new destinations.

Seattle visitors would be remiss if they did not include the Seattle Center (site of the 1962 World’s Fair), containing the Space Needle, Key Arena, Seattle Children's Museum, Seattle Children's Theatre, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Chihuly Garden and Glass, Pacific Science Center, Boeing IMAX theater and much more. Seattle’s Monorail is just steps from the Chihuly Garden and MoPOP; hop the unique conveyance to downtown Seattle and its terminus, just three blocks from the ever-popular Pike Place Market.

The Alki Point neighborhood features fun shops and restaurants on the waterfront.
The Alki Point neighborhood features fun shops and restaurants on the waterfront.

A most wonderous place is the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit next to the Space Needle. Other-worldly installations include Sealife Tower, 15 feet tall exuding iridescent primary colors emulating the sea floor and Puget Sound. Another gallery features the Persian Ceiling, with overhead Persian glass art aglow in kaleidoscopic red, orange, ruby and yellow. Imagine, a life-size Glass Forest with ghostly blue and pink light glowing from the trunks. Step into the Glasshouse, and find, floating 30 feet above, a 100 foot-long art installation of a colorful palette featuring yellow, orange, brown and amber glass - framing the Space Needle towering 605 feet over head.

Glass Forest, dating to early 70s, exhibiting artist Dale Chihuly’s art.
Glass Forest, dating to early 70s, exhibiting artist Dale Chihuly’s art.

Take in a glassblowing demonstration, then admire four major installations that dominate a landscape that contains daylilies, dogwoods, camellias and a variety of trees to add to the Crystal and Icicle Towers and the installation of Reeds on Logs. At the center, backed by the Space Needle, is the giant Sun, bursting with oranges and yellows.

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop) is just a block from Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop) is just a block from Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Then wander the center’s Museum of Pop Culture, just a block away. Tracing its roots to birth of rock and roll, the museum with innovative galleries such as Sound Lab, Sky Church (a concert venue with huge LED screen and high-tech lighting and sound) and a huge collection of over 100,000 historical objects including about 75% of all music generated in the Northwest in the last 100 years. MoPop is housed in a flowing 140,000 square foot building designed by Frank O. Gehry – the building itself is memorable.

For a wonderful view and free photo-op, journey to nearby Queen Anne Hill in late-afternoon to Kerry Park to admire the view of Puget Sound, Elliott Bay and the busy waterfront, the Space Needle and downtown skyline and Mt. Rainier in regal splendor to the south, bathed in an alpenglow just before sunset.

Queen Anne Hill features a host of stately Victorian and Craftsman homes and the small retail district offers a variety of interesting restaurants.

A Seattle visit is not complete without a stop at Pike Place Public Market, located downtown overlooking Elliot Bay, with several blocks of unique indoor vendors, fish and meat markets, floral shops and fun restaurants.

Take a break at the Market’s Athenian Restaurant, this is where Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner met for lunch in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle." We sat in an upper-level booth, with a clear view of Alaska Way and Elliott Bay below, and watched ferry boats come and go.

For additional nearby Seattle highlights, journey to the Seattle Great Wheel, a 175-foot tall giant Ferris wheel at the end of Pier 57 on Elliott Bay. It’s a big tourist draw and offers great views of the Seattle skyline and Elliott Bay from its revolving gondolas.

For more flavor of Seattle, head to Pier 50, and take a Washington State Ferry across the bay to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton; the roundtrip offers marvelous scenery and a grand harbor tour as part of the ferry ride. Between Pier 50 and 57 are two fine waterfront restaurants, Ivar’s Acre of Clams and Elliott’s Oyster House, both excellent choices for fine seafood.

My spouse, Susan, was meeting a friend across Elliot Bay at Alki Point (also featured in "Sleepless in Seattle"), I took the time to explore this unique neighborhood, site of the founding of Seattle in November 1851 when the Denny party established a small colony.  I sampled delicious fish and chips at the Sun Fish Restaurant, while Susan and her friend enjoyed nearby Salty’s Restaurant, each with a stunning view of the Space Needle and Seattle’s skyline across the bay.

Seattle is knit together by waterways from Elliot Bay; plan a walking tour of the Hiram Chittenden Locks in Ballard (and adjacent Carl English Botanical Garden), the locks taking pleasure boats into Lake Union and onto Lake Washington. The lovely Burke-Gillman hiking and biking trail weaves through these areas as well as the stately University of Washington campus, helping make Seattle both biking and hiking-friendly.

How to get to Seattle: Fly into SeaTac Airport; or drive, from San Joaquin County, take I-5 north; it’s 810 miles and 13 hours.

For more information: Chihuly Garden and Glass, chihulygardenandglass.com, (206) 753-4940; Seattle Center, seattlecenter.com; Seattle, visitseattle.org; Washington State, experiencewa.com.

Contact Tim Viall at tviall@msn.com. Happy travels in the west.

This article originally appeared on The Record: The best things to do, see and eat in Seattle