Today we managed to drag ourselves out earlier so that we could get down to the waterfront while the fog was still in the harbour.
We popped back to Moore Coffee because the coffee was soooo good yesterday, and then we were headed to Loa for breakfast again.
But we had an obstacle in between us and all of that.
Or rather, 6000 obstacles.
The UW Medicine Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon, Seattle’s original hometown marathon and the oldest marathon in the Pacific Northwest, was on today. We knew that, but hadn’t looked at the route beyond knowing that it was closing a section of the I-5 in the morning and that we’d hopefully miss that fun and games by hanging around Seattle until noon or so.
We failed to consider that it started at the Seattle Science Centre and took the runners through downtown along 5th avenue. Moore Coffee is on 3rd and Lola is on 4th….
When we walked up Stewart towards 5th we saw a couple, standing at the curb, turn around and walk back towards us. When we arrived at 5th we were confronted by what I think was the front end of 6000 runners.
Coffee and brunch were on the other side of that mass.
So we ran in a marathon, or rather across one. It was a little like a game of Frogger. But we made it. Coffee and breakfast were had (this morning’s coffee creation by our barista was a cute little dog), and we were on time for our reservation. This morning we were smarter about our breakfast order, we shared one of their fabulous Eggs Benny and that way we had room for an order of their freshly baked donut bites with silky mascarpone cheese and fresh blueberry preserves.
After breakfast, and after the crush of runners was somewhere else on their 26 mile route, we wandered down to the waterfront to enjoy the remaining fog. It wasn’t as foggy as yesterday morning, but definitely had a heavier chill in the air. It was nice to walk the streets before things were open, before people were about. The market wasn’t set up yet, a few coffee shops were open, but the city was still waking up on a Sunday morning. The deck above the waterfront was slick with frost and a chain across it warned of slippery conditions. We stepped across it anyway.
Down on the waterfront the sun was starting to burn away the fog and force it to recede back away from the harbour. The ferries brought people and their cars into the core, and the city felt like it was starting to wake up.
I wanted to revisit a leather shop to probably buy a handbag I’d been coveting since seeing it yesterday, but it didn’t open until 11am, so we had some time to go for a walk and explore a little bit of the other direction between Pike Street and the Seattle Science Centre. This end of town has a very different vibe.
The neon signs faded away, and the few that remained felt out of place.
The sidewalks are wider, there are more green spaces, bike lanes abound, and the buildings are newer or still under construction. It has a feel a bit like that of the Olympic Village in Vancouver. Even though there were few people about, it felt somehow fresh.
We’d walked through here on the way to TSO last night and noticed what we thought was a conservatory. When we returned in the morning we discovered that it was actually an Amazon office, called the Seattle Spheres. In a green space next to them were several large dome covered seats (cocoons) that rocked and provided a serene spot to contemplate whatever one felt like contemplating.
The closer to the Science Centre we got, the more new construction was underway. The recent downturn in the economy, COVID, other factors, have hit cities hard. Last year in Portland I was sad by how degraded the city felt and I don’t have a great desire to return any time soon. I wondered if Seattle would feel the same; it’s been ten years since we’ve been here. Parts of the city that used to feel historic were sketchy at night back then, now they are sketchy during the day. Pioneer Square and the surrounding district feel sad and abandoned. Many of the shops and pubs that we’d frequented in the past are gone and boarded up. The area around Pike Place Market if full of life during the day, but is sketchy at night now. But the area towards the Science Centre, particularly along 5th, feels more vibrant and growing….”To be determined”….
As the clock ticked closer to opening time for the shops we wanted to revisit (Leolo and World Spice) we smiled at the fun light fixtures on the stairway down from Pike Place Market to the street below.
After emptying our digital wallet in those two shops it was time to head back up to the hotel, collect the truck, and head home….admiring the elaborate graffiti on our walk back up Pike Street.
A “quick” visit to the closest Trader Joe’s to pick up some treats first, and then a crazy route to get back to the freeway. We probably should have chosen a different Trader Joe’s if for no other reason than it might have been easier than having to get back to the I-5 through the University District and a day when there still remnants of a crazy number of people around for a college football game, but it was still more interesting than the freeway for that section. We stopped in at the Seattle Premium Outlet Mall and bought absolutely nothing; really need nothing so not sure even why we bothered. Grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at a pub, a quick run through Costco for a few things and to do some price comparisons (not actually all that different for most things we’d buy, once you factor in the exchange), and then did a straight shot for home.
We’d intended to stop at the Duty Free at the truck crossing, but had then opted not to since we thought the border would be too busy, and then discovered that the border was absolutely dead for the Nexus lane, but made a quick decision to say to hell with it and get home. We literally drove right up to the window had a 10 second convo (How long have you been away? (three days), total value coming back? (Me $600, him $300), have a nice evening), with the border guard, and were back in Canada.
It’s been so long since we were down in Seattle, we used to go a few times every year. When Trump was elected we stopped going. After a conference in late 2016 just south of Seattle we did one more motorcycle ride in 2017 and I just said “nah, I can’t” and then COVID…. But it was so nice to visit again; to refamiliarize ourselves with the city, to visit new parts, to lament losses in the old parts, but to also find places we loved still operating.
We will be back again soon ❤️