Seattle: Before the Alaska Cruise

Seattle is really a great place to explore before your cruise.  So if you go on a cruise that departs from Seattle be sure to plan time to soak up a little of all Seattle has to offer.  Make sure you have great walking shoes because everything seems to be uphill. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Hotel Monaco has a complimentary wine reception at 5p.m. each afternoon.  So for you wine connoisseurs, local Seattle wines are there for you to enjoy.

Everywhere we walked around Seattle my husband kept pointing out all of the hanging flower baskets and planter boxes.  The flowers were beautiful and they were everywhere; hanging in the trees, on railings that might be a block long, everywhere.  We wondered how they watered them all and we were told that is rains almost everyday a little; so mostly God waters them.  Seattle has 40 annual inches of rainfall but luckily most of the rainfall is in the winter.  So the summer is a great time to visit Seattle before your cruise.

The morning of our cruise we got up early and walked down to Pike Place Market.  For some reason we kept ending up there.  But this morning we were there bright and early and the vendors were still setting up their booths.  No crowds this time.  We were able to talk to them and taste and sample fruit, chocolate pasta, smoked salmon, many different kinds of jelly, and vegetable chips and ..well..more things than I can remember.    Then we wandered across the street from the market and discovered a Russian bakery, Piroshky’s on Pike Place.  The line was super long, but it was definitely something we would have regretted if we hadn’t checked it out.  And the wait was well worth it!  We ordered the sausage piroshky and apple/cranberry piroshky and went across the street and sat on a park bench, watched the water and pigeons and ate a scrumptious breakfast while once again being serenaded by street musicians.  What a great morning.

Then we strolled back down to Pioneer Square and to the Smith Corona Tower.  This tower is almost as tall as the Space Needle but about half of the price to go to the top.  The Smith Corona Tower was built from the fortune made from the typewriters and rifles sharing the same name.  The tower was Seattle’s first skyscraper opening July 14, 1914 with 42 stories.  This building was the fourth tallest building in the world and remained the tallest building west of Chicago for almost 50 years.   

The crown jewel of the Smith Corona Tower is the Chinese Room on the 35^th floor, originally furnished by the last Empress of China as a gift to Mr. Smith.  I got to sit in the hand carved wood Wishing Chair.  The story goes that if women sit in the chair and make a wish to be married; their wish will come true within one year.  You will also see 17^th century works of art and hand-carved wood ceiling with porcelain-inlay.  And the views of Seattle from the complete wrap around outside deck of this 522’ tall building are amazing.  The brass elevators that take you to the observation deck are still run by elevator operators.  And that is something you don’t see anymore.

We board the Zaandam next.