We drove into Washington the next day and landed smack dab in wine country. I had hoped to see fields of onions since we were near Walla Walla, but the closest I came to that was a semi with an open cargo of golden onions. Hundreds of vineyards dot the Columbia River valley and I gave up writing down all their names. Apparently wine is a $3 billion industry for the state which doesn't include the tourism dollars spent exploring the region.
Another product of this area is hops and most are grown along the Yakima River. We saw the vines and instantly recognized them. I had often wondered where North American breweries bought their hops so now I know. The valley has 75% of the U.S. hops acreage and 2/3 of the crop is exported around the globe.
We couldn't linger in the area to explore as we wanted to reach Seattle by noon. Just north of Yakima, we left the I-82 which we began at the Oregon-Washington border. This road merged into the I-90 (this was the highway we drove from Butte to Billings, Montana). In Seattle, the I-90 highway meets the I-5 which travels from the Canadian border to Mexico. I had detailed instructions on how to reach our hotel, the Best Western Pioneer Square so we peeled off the I-5 at James Street and were there within minutes.
We were too early to check into this Victorian-style boutique hotel but the desk clerk directed us to the parking garage so we didn't have to park on the street. We'd had a quick lunch outside of Seattle so once parked and our bags stashed at the hotel, we walked down to the waterfront. The hotel is a block away from the ferry terminal and even closer to the refurbished historical district of Pioneer Square.
The area was reminiscent of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and Seattle's steep hills added to this impression. We wandered past restaurants, harbour tours, and shops until we came to Pike Street. Glen has always wanted me to see the Pike Place Market so that was our destination. We also wanted to check out the various seafood restaurants as possible dining places. Pike Place Market did not disappoint with a variety of booths selling everything from photographs to fish. The seafood displays fascinated me but we didn't see anyone throwing fish for which the fish mongers are famous. I guess that happens earlier in the day when they are setting up their wares.
In our search for a WiFi signal, we came upon the first Starbucks store (actually, it was the second version of the first store), a tiny place across from the market. A couple of folksingers entertained outside. The shop was packed with a line-up down the block so we decided to go to a place we'd seen on the waterfront. After a lovely iced Chai tea latté (me) and plain coffee (Glen), we headed back to the hotel for a shower and check of email, etc. Our room was huge with a king size bed and two large, old fashioned wardrobes--one for clothes, the other for the TV set. The bathroom fixtures were gold-plated and the shower stall of modern design. Our view was of the building next door but we had been in hotels like this in other large cities so weren't upset we couldn't see the harbour.
Dinner found us at Fisherman's Restaurant on the waterfront. We wanted to sit outside on their large patio and the hostess led us to a place where I could be in the shade of their bright blue umbrellas. Glen and I each enjoyed an appetizer of six Northwest Oysters on the half shell. It left us wanting more so Glen ordered swordfish and I had salmon. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of Old Seattle Lager while waiting for our meals. The servings were huge so I was stuffed by the end of dinner but Glen was game for dessert. The strawberry shortcake was the largest I've ever seen. He managed to 'choke' it down then we waddled back to the hotel.
I chose the title 'The Weedle on the Needle' for my blog as homage to Stephen Cosgrove who wrote a book with the same title in 1974. We had bought it for Geoff when he was young, probably around 1978 or '79. It's about a creature called the Weedle who ends up living on the Seattle Space Needle. The books ends with the poem:
There's a Weedle
On the Needle
I know just what
You're thinking
But if you look up
Late at night
You'll see
His red nose blinking.
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