Sleepless in Seattle?

Ever find yourself sleepless in Seattle? Fortunately for me, I didn't. But in case you do, here are some of the wonderful places you should see whenever you find yourself in the Emerald City.

If you need a doze of caffeine, don't fret, you'll find the first ever Starbucks coffee in Pike Place Market. No wonder Seattle is called the coffee capital. This is where all the coffee shops started. Just one reminder, you need to bring with you a lot of patience as the line is really long, even in the early hours of the morning.

On the same block, you will find assorted shops. We tried the Russian pastry with mouth-watering treats for breakfast. Piroshky, Piroshky... Of course, I ordered something with cinnamon - poppy seed raisin cinnamon. Yummy!

If you don't want pastry for breakfast, you can try any of the fresh produce on the various stalls. You can choose from cherries, to apples, to berries, to nuts. Take your pick. Whatever your taste buds crave, you can find it here. It's truly a feast for the senses.

They have fresh flowers and various greens too. Your eyes will have a grand feast of colors, smells and the feelings these sensations will cause.

If you are nuts, I mean if you love nuts like pistachios, they have a few stalls that sell all kinds of nuts. You will surely go nuts deciding which to buy.

If you want meat, fish, seafood, its here. 

In fact, one of the famous fish stalls here in Pike Place, or in the whole US, famous for its systematic way of cleaning, chopping and preparing fish ordered by customers. It's called the Flying fish. This stall is featured in Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as an example to emulate.

If you fancy art, trinkets, accessories, cards, etc. You can find it here, too. We found a Filipino store selling accessories that are made from the Philippines. Yes, we got discounts.

After getting dizzy with the sights and scents in Pike Place Market, we started our way to the waterfront. On the way there, we passed through Post Alley where the famous Gum Wall is. Yes, the Market Theater brick wall with thousands of chewed bubble gums! Yikes!

On the waterfront, you will be treated to more sights. More kiosks selling various knick knacks from local artists, enthusiasts and manufacturers. There is a ferris wheel, restos you can dine in, boutiques, shops and the famous Ye Old Curiosity Shop for something bizarre and for souvenirs. I bought a lot of magnets shaped like the different US states. You can also see street musicians displaying their talents for mere change.

After strolling and buying souvenirs on the waterfront, we walked to the city center and got on the monorail to the Seattle Center. Seattle Center is a park, arts and entertainment center. It is where the Space Needle is. Since it was a Saturday, there were also a lot of food kiosks near the needle. It was a good day for a picnic. We bought our lunch of pancit (noodles) and lumpia  (spring rolls) from a Filipino food stall and sat down comfortably on the grass to eat.

View from the monorail. The silver structure is the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPop. Formerly known as the EMP Museum or the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.

A beer garden right near the foot of the Space Needle. Yes, drinking starts early here. Just be sure to have your ID handy and that you are 21 years old.

The famous Space Needle. We didn't go up because the queue was too long.

Near the Space Needle is an incredible glass exhibit of Dale Chihuly. He went to China to study glass blowing and his pieces are really astounding.

It all starts with this. Simple, transparent and can be displayed on table tops.

Then there are fixtures for the ceiling. This is known as the Persian ceiling.

The Nijima Floats. There are multiple variations of this.

Below is the Sea Form Series. Featuring the flori of the sea. It occupies a really large floor space. Probably, one long corridor.

And then, there's the sun which is an outdoor sculpture.

Here's the Ikebana. Inspired by the Japanese flower arrangement. This is hanging from the glass dome which gives a different perspective of the Seattle Needle.

After all those treat of colors and hues. You can drive down to the Puget Sound to relax. Maybe do a little fishing or shrimping or just get some fresh air or just wait for the sun set. There are also some restaurants by the bay where you can have dinner. We ate at Anthony's.

Yes, on the way to the boardwalk. You will pass by a patch of really fragrant lavenders. Just beautiful!

And to top it all and wrap-up our day was a stunning view of the sunset. 

These are all during the day. Imagine them at night. It's a totally different scene. Probably, more festive and vibrant.



Some pictures of the gum wall were grabbed from Rudee and Arien.