Travel Agent Thornlands

After 22 hours of travel and not much sleep, we arrived in Seattle just before lunchtime. Knowing we would be feeling quite shabby, I organised a driver from the airport to take us to some attractions outside the city centre before going to our hotel.
Our first stop had to be one of Seattle’s most famous institutions – Microsoft Headquarters. My dear computer enthusiast husband was crushed as the visitors centre at Microsoft was closed the one afternoon we were there. Needless to say, he was sleepless and devastated. We continued on to see another side of Seattle – the dead side. We visited Jimi Hendrix’s mausoleum and the grave sites of the famous martial arts father and son, Bruce and Brandon Lee. Next destination was our hotel, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle, our retreat for the next two nights. Classy and elegant, the Fairmont Hotel was welcoming and sleep came easy in the comfortable heritage furnished room with the pillow top King bed. After our power nap, we relaxed in the lobby bar, enjoying the famous Key Lime Martinis and a light meal.

Saturday morning we walked the short distance to the Pike Place Markets in search of breakfast. We were firstly distracted and amazed by the famous fish markets and the “flying salmon”, before finding a gem of a waterview café overlooking Puget Sound. I wished I wasn’t just a tourist as the fresh food and flower markets at the markets were unbelievable and so cheap. Next we walked through the drizzle up to Seattle’s most famous landmark – the Seattle Space Needle and the surrounding Seattle Centre. It’s about a 45 minute walk through Belltown, which really only comes alive at night time. Be warned – Seattle is hilly – more than I expected! For the next couple of hours we explored Experience Music Project, a history of the Seattle music scene, and the adjacent Science Fiction Museum – unbelievable for enthusiasts! The monorail connects this precinct to the downtown shopping area and we strolled through retail heaven (Macy’s, Nordstrom!) before returning to our hotel to freshen up. We had dinner plans!
Seattle’s waterfront position means the selection of seafood restaurants is endless, so we took the complimentary Fairmont town car down to the wharf and tried crab cakes and Seattle oysters, both which were wonderful.

On Sunday morning we enjoyed a gourmet Fairmont breakfast before we took a city tour which took us out to Gasworks park, with fantastic views of the city. Next stop was the Ballard Locks, designed to let ships cross from Lake Washington to Puget Sound. On the way to our final destination, the Seattle Cruise Terminal, we drove through the beautiful residential suburb of Magnolia to appreciate the beauty of North American housing.

If we had more time, I would definitely have made time for more crab cakes. All in all, I liked Seattle. It’s got a unique edge to it that just has to be experienced.