“See Seattle in September” should be their new PR slogan. I must
admit that I am having a hard time reconciling my previous understanding of
Seattle’s ‘rainy’ weather with the wonderful upper-70 degree, sunny days that I
have just experienced. It has been delightful.
On our final day of being tourists, we did another morning of
walking the waterfront, re-visiting Pike Place Market (without all the weekend
crowds), enjoying coffee while watching the ferries zip across Elliott Bay, and
people watching the other tourists rushing about.
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| Outside the Underground Tour starting point |
The afternoon provided a humorous diversion with a slightly different type
of tour. The Underground Tour is offered
in Pioneer Square and is actually conducted underground. Initially, Seattle was built at water level
which led to periodic flooding and a pretty persistent muddy environment. Following a major fire, they re-built with a
higher elevation by moving the hillside dirt and rock down to raise the roads. This left buildings with an “underground”
layer and a street layer. Over time, the underground layer became unused and forgotten. The tour
walked us through the connecting underground channel between buildings while
telling us about the history of the oldest part of Seattle. The Klondike Gold Rush, ghosts, and dysfunctional
city characters all shaped the region and helped it grow. This was a fun way to learn some history and
wrap up our stay.
As we headed back to the hotel for the evening, it seemed natural to be
thinking about our next step on the journey.
We will be heading to Mt. Rainier National Park and have reservations at
one of the Park’s lodges for the night.
They clearly tell you – no cell phone or internet connections. So, no problem…I will tie the next couple of days
together or blog them separately at a later time. What I also learned was that
the low temperature is forecast for BELOW FREEZING…now that could be a problem
for a resident of Southern California!!!
I had no knowledge of Seattle's underground story! I hope you've packed multiple layers of warm and waterproof clothing and shoes. The weather might shock you a bit, but it will be memorable.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your journey vicariously, Cindy.
Thanks for sharing these adventures.
We have truly lucked out on weather...the winds which are causing the eastern WA fires kept the warm winds in the area. It did go from 40 degrees in the early a.m. to 80 by late afternoon...not bad at all!!
DeleteI am loving this trip blog! We are already planning our trip to northern environs!
ReplyDeleteI will share all my notes with you...I have found so many new places to love during our visit.
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