Monday, October 13th
Today I woke up at 6am, and headed downstairs to Tully's to get a regular coffee. Out in Seattle, a regular (non latte, cappuccino, etc.) coffee is known as a drip. Funny how it seems different to me but normal for the folks out there. At any rate, I had a coffee and then hit the gym for about 45 minutes.
Our first stop today would be at the Pike's Place Market. We were hoping to see them tossing the fish, but unfortunately, we never once got to see this while we were there. We also discovered not only do you have to pay for parking everywhere in Seattle, their pricing strategy is not convenient. Most places only allow you a max of 2 hours, which is difficult to adhere to when you are sightseeing.
We wandered through the market and found the fresh fish section, but didn't get to see them tossing any fish around. I did witness them scare the heck out of a lady by pulling on the tail of a monk fish and going grrrr at the lady.
The guy who did the scarring, the monkfish
Intersection of Pike and Pike, the outside of the market
The first Starbuck's location (its a ghost town at 7am):
Ana wanted something different for breakfast so she stopped in the Russian eatery Piroshky Pirosky and had a brocolli and cheese piroshky. She said it was pretty good. I was trying to watch the carbs, so I skipped the pastries so I could have a bagel with breakfast.
Coffee Stop: Cafe Umbria
We stopped at Cafe Umbria for coffee and we weren't disappointed. I inquired about a more
carb friendly breakfast and the waitress pointed us to Bacco on Stewart and 1st
We walked up the hill to Bacco and Ana and I shared an egg, cheese, and sausage
croissant and I had a delicious
bagel and cream cheese (I haven't had one in months). Service was great as was
the location.
At this point we wandered around the market for a
bit and then along some store fronts a block over on First. It was at this point
we decided to go back to the hotel to get Zertec (forgot to take it) and Ana's coat,
as it was a tad bit cooler out than she had anticipated. We were also planning
to do the Underground Tour, and felt it may be even colder underground.
Pioneer Square District:
Pioneer Square was where the historic fire of
1889 took place in Seattle. This is also where the term Skid Row comes from, as
Yesler Way was formerly "Skid Road". Skid Road was named aptly this
because the timber harvesters would use Skid Road to skid logs down to the
sawmill located at the base of the hill. Other historians claim that the Skid
Road term was also used for a local area where the law tended to turn a blind
eye to prostitution and other sins of the flesh.
Coffee Stop: Zeitgeist
Art and Coffee
This coffee shop was on Frommers Seattle Itinerary
of places to visit. I have a feeling though that they had been a victim of
commercial success - they felt like a commercial coffee shop and not a local
coffee house with years of tradition behind them. I had a tall dark mocha and a lavender shortbread cookie. Ana had a drip and a chocolate chip and
apricot cookie. Our coffee was really good, but the lavender cookie was amazing.
The only bit that put me off here was that they "did us a favor" by
not charging us for using a credit or debit card for purchases since banks were
closed due to the holiday. I guess they don't realize that both Visa and MC
forbid merchants to charge for using their cards.
We walked down to 1st Street to the Seattle
Underground tour starting point for a 1pm tour. This was probably one of the
best parts of our trip. It cost us $15 each, but I think between the personality
of our guide Jim and the spectacle of the old city, it was far worth it. I will
give a brief history lesson and synopsis from the tour.
For more historical information on Pioneer Square, click here.
In the late 1800's, most buildings in Seattle were made of wood, and buildings in the Pioneer District were also below tidal level, meaning that twice a day the streets flooded, often with sewage coming back into town as a result. In 1889, there was a fire that started in a wood smith's shop when glue caught fire then spread quickly through its building, and then into the some 20-30 block area that surrounded it (and is today's Pioneer Square).
The local government at the time forced landowners who wanted to rebuild to make their buildings from brick and concrete to prevent this kind of scenario from happening again but were unsuccessful in forcing them to raise the level of the area with fill dirt.
This lead the early Seattle government little choice in how to solve the drainage, sewage and flooding problems. First the streets were walled off. Next the roadway filled in, next plumbing installed, finally the roadway was repaved. 2 years later, using I-beams and brick arches, the sidewalks were brought up level with the streets, creating the underground.
The underground tour is divided into 3 sections - this is due to the way Seattle created the
underground. Because each block was basically walled in at the street, it formed
small underground cells. The only way to get to the next cell was to go back
above ground, cross the street, the descend back into the next
section.
Enough of the history lesson, onto the pictures:
The 1st floor of the Northern Hotel, which in the photo on the right, would have been first floor of the building attached to the Bank. When the underground was built, more or less all buildings 1st floors became basements, and the second floors became the 1st floor.
This is one of the few remaining original skylights that were in place in the sidewalk to help light the underground when it was constructed. The teller cage is where gold prospectors would exchange gold for cash and was added on because there was not enough room to store all of the gold that was being brought in.
The original toilet was designed by a man named Crapper and was designed by Thomas Crapper. The wall on the right is all that remains of painted walls inside a speakeasy located in one section of the underground.
Junk strewn about in the underground.
The picture on the left shows part of the original Seattle water supply system, hollowed out logs, similar to the system that was originally used in New York and other cities of the time. At right, pieces recovered from sections of the underground.
The original toilet was quite ornate. With this much decoration, men rarely missed the bowl...
Sights around Pioneer Square:
On the left, the Smith Building was the tallest building west of the Mississippi until 1962 when the Space Needle was built. The monstrosity of a garage replaced the Seattle hotel due to poorly sold "urban renewal projects" of the 1960's. At right is a picture from 1917 showing the Seattle Hotel.
Totem Poles in Pioneer Square, Pioneer Building
Note the date on this building 1889 - it was one of the first buildings reconstructed after the fire - of the same year! The Pioneer Pergola (trolley stop) was built in 1914.
Lunch: Maharaja
After the Underground tour, we were pretty
hungry, and Ana had really been craving Indian food, so we ended up at
the Maharaja at 1st and Yesler. Now, I have to be honest, I only agreed to go
here because I didn't want to have to stop for Indian food another time on this
trip, as I really cannot stand the taste of the spices they use. Ana had the buffet, which included
Tandori chicken, naan, salad and rice. Feeling somewhat adventurous, I ordered the mixed grill which was chick and lamb bolti and naan.
People who like Indian food would probably would have enjoyed this
(Ana loved her Tanodori chicken) but there want enough naan to clean my palate of the flavor of this food.
To say it was poorly put together is an understatement. In reading the reviews
after the fact, it looks like my thoughts aren't alone here.
Continue onto the part 2 of Monday, where we visit the Space Needle.
