I recently found myself in Seattle with some unexpected time on my hands.  I’ve been there before and enjoyed some of the major museums so I looked around to figure out what new things we could do. 

Of course, I had to make a stop at Pike Place Market.  While I had been there before, Pike Place Market at same time feels new.   A bit of crazy.   Lots of tourists.  Fish.  Weird stuff.  I like all the nutty things.   Unpredictable.  The total opposite of urban shopping centers. 

I was impressed with the gorgeous flowers at really reasonable prices.  Really gorgeous. 

And I did come across the Gum  Wall.  Yep.  An alley way with the walls covered with chewed up gum. Not sure how I missed this the last time we were there.     Rather odd and kinda icky, but interesting in its own way.  I watched people take photographs of themselves in front of the sticky stuff. 

I asK: what are you going to do with pictures of your group in front of chewed up gum?    

I stopped to listen to the performer who accepted tips in Pay Pal or Venmo.   Clearly he was trying to make it easy for people to reward his musical efforts.  I did laugh because I’m often with people who have no cash in their pockets.

Japanese Garden

We went to the Japanese Garden which was nice but nothing to compare with the one we have in Grand Rapids.  Really.  Ours is so great.

The one in Seattle was a nice walk.  And that’s it. A nice walk.   Nearby was the arboretum.  We wandered through there although parts were shut down for renovation.   I wonder what one renovates in an arboretum?  

I played with the double exposure on my camera and came up with this.   When I have my camera, I’m never bored.  Always something to try.  

International District

Most impressive was the huge Japanese Market in the area called the International District.  At one time it  was China Town.  The  historic gate has  been preserved to mark the history of this part of Seattle.

After poking around all things Japanese in the Market we meandered into the park where we heard a couple of dudes playing Bluegrass  seated in front of an Asian Tea Room.  Modern Cultural Juxtaposition.  

Head North of Seattle

North of Seattle, I enjoyed  exploring Edmonds, a community lacking  the grittiness of Seattle.   It’s overflowing with cuteness.    The main street and traffic circle were loaded with  charming shops, galleries and restaurants. 

We watched people head into the underwater park.  That’s a new one for me.  Yep.  It’s a park under water.  California has 20 of them.  

Edmonds Underwater Park

  Maybe next time I’ll rent gear and explore. An underwater park offers scenic diving and activities like under water photography and spear fishing.

 Here’s the web page if you want to learn more about it.

https://www.edmondsunderwaterpark.com

The ferry to Kingston on the Olympic Peninsula  was located at the end of the Main Street in Edmonds.  I’d like to take the ferry—have lunch in Kingston, visit my friend in Port Townsend.  Lots of possibilities.

Downtown Edmonds

The town of Edmonds looked like a fun place to live.  Lots of restaurants.  A charming Saturday market. Dogs, dogs and more dogs.    When we were there, the primary shopping streets were closed to parking and  filled with cars from all eras.

The Old Car Show  included an Elvis performance.  What more could you ask for?  

For more about Seattle on DesignDestinations.org:

Seattle: So much to see and do above and below ground.

Seattle: a creative place to be

Seattle: self-guided sculptural tour

Seattle: Mecca for Glass Sculpture

Seattle: a Sculptural Treasure