We haven’t been to Seattle in about ten years. It both seems like a lifetime…and like yesterday. We came down for a show, it’s tonight but we decided to make a full weekend of it and came a day early. We both very much needed a change of view, a change of pace, something to make us think about other things.
We needed a break.
It’s really only a bout a three hour drive to get down here, but we took about eight hours to do it. We went the back roads, noodled along, stopped a few times. All we had to do was get checked in at around 4pm, park the truck, and get to our restaurant reservation at Purple at 6pm. It was a great evening, and this morning we had a nice slow start and then went wandering looking for a good coffee and a good breakfast, preferably some Eggs Benedict.
There was a restaurant that we ate at a decade ago for a late morning coffee and snack. I remember that they had housemate donut bites with mascarpone cheese and fresh apricot preserves. They were fabulous. Unfortunately I had no idea where it was, or what it was called, and although I have a photo of the donut bites and the coffee from that day, I didn’t document the name of the restaurant.
I did a search online, “best places for breakfast in Seattle”….a few came up, number 2 said “Best Eggs Benny” so we were sold. The place was called Lola, on 4th and Virginia. Pretty close to where we were staying so off we went. As we walked towards the monorail line, a little twitch started in my brain….this felt familiar. We turned the corner and walked up to the restaurant…..a wave of Deja vu.
Lola….this was that place we ate at all those years ago…we were sure of it. But SO BUSY! The wait time was about 45 minutes to an hour. Sure, we’ll go for a walk and get a coffee, we were set on that Eggs Benny.
A block away, around the corner, we found a coffee shop and waited a looooong time for an amazing coffee! And when the barista handed me my latte, my morning got so much better and my face lit up with a huge smile.
Some things seem the same here, some things are shiny and new, some things have had major facelifts, and some things have gone downhill int eh wake of the pandemic. Pioneer Square was always a little sketchy after dark; now it’s a lot sketchy during the day. A few shops I used to like are gone, the wonderful bookstore has moved elsewhere, the square has a surprising number of security patrols. We didn’t stay long before heading back up towards Pike and Pine.
One of the biggest changes around Pike Place is the demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. When we were here last, the removal of the viaduct was imminent, but it still existed. It was an awful thing, a double decked freeway that cut the waterfront off from the downtown. It was demolished in 2019, replaced by a tunnel. What a difference its absence makes. The waterfront is being revitalized, there is a view from the deck of the market that doesn’t involve a noisy freeway. Pedestrians can walk down the stairs and cross the street without having to navigate a dark and unwelcoming stretch of layers of concrete carrying heavy traffic. The city has created bike lanes, and is working on a new ribbon of welcoming green space. Walkers, cyclists, runners, all wandered the waterfront on this crisp and sunny day. Some of the buildings that used to have the viaduct attached to their walls have been daylight for the first time in 60+ years and one can see old faded lettering on the walls in places. Other buildings were built after the viaduct and have odd shapes that stand out now that there is no structure against them. It was fascinating to see what is, and remember what was.
A visit to the indoor carousel, more neon signage (I love the signs!) more walking along the waterfront, some shopping, a gorgeous sunset with a ferris wheel that wasn’t here the last time we visited, a light dinner at the hotel (we were still digesting that massive Eggs Benedict from this morning), and then it was time to head for the Climate Pledge Arena for our show; Trans Siberian Orchestra. We hadn’t walked this end of town and the closer we got to the Seattle Science Centre the newer the buildings were and the more it felt like Olympic Village in Vancouver. Wider sidewalks, more landscaping, more green space, more street art, less neon. It was an inviting area.
We initially thought this was a small conservatory, turned out to be an office called the Spheres, owned by Amazon.
And then it was time for the show…Trans Siberian Orchestra. How do you explain this group to someone who has never experienced it. An orchestra that tours at Christmas and plays Christmas music that smacks of a KISS concert in many ways. An orator telling a Christmas story, members of the local symphony orchestra, singers, laser lights, indoor falling snow, flames, smoke, harps alongside electric guitars….It’s kind of crazy, and it’s kind of awesome. I shot a video of one of their well known pieces…from the second half of the performance when they typically let a bit loose.
And this was the sum total of my shopping today. A 50 cent sticker that made me laugh, and a tiny little plastic moose for some future silly photograph, valued at 85 cents. Big spender today. But I fell in love with a leather bag…so I’m probably going o make up for it tomorrow….
A walk back to our hotel at 8th and Olive, and a glass of wine while perched in the window 24 floors above Seattle.
A very good day.
