Business Trip Part 2: 48 Hours in Seattle

Fog horns blared from cruise ships leaving port. Seagulls squealed and squawked overhead. This business trip left only a little time for fun, and I made the most of all I had.

I explored the winding indoor hallways at Pike’s Place Market, along with the open air shops selling gorgeous flowers and fragrant soaps. The market closed at 5 p.m., but I was still able to enjoy walking through as the vendors were closing.

The first Starbucks ever had a long line down the block, so I only poked my head inside. Instead, I stopped at a cute little ice cream shop, and enjoyed a chocolate covered sprinkle cone with a scoop of cookie dough ice cream on the pier.

Afterward, I took myself to the Space Needle, the most iconic puzzle piece in the Seattle skyline. I spent two hours up there, taking it all in. The thrilling, tilted glass bench on the top level, and the daunting, rotating glass floor on the bottom. 360 degrees of marvelous views: Puget Sound at sunset, Queen Anne Hill, and of course, the city skyline (minus the star of the show, my current residence in the sky). I dreamt of outer space and what it must have felt like in 1962, with very realistic hopes of reaching the moon “before this decade is out”.

The next day, I attempted to get a famous cinnamon roll from Sea Wolf in Fremont based on a recommendation from dear friends of mine. Now, these must be good because they were sold out by the time I got there. When I asked if there was anything similar on the menu, the guy at the counter denied it saying there was “nothing quite as special”. Dejected, I made my way back to the hotel, but I couldn’t resist stopping again at the pier.

It’s as if the water was calling me. And good thing, too. I parked and walked up Pier 66, to the landing. The day before must not have been all that clear because lo and behold, there was Mount Rainier in the distance. How did I miss that before? Has anyone ever been surprised by a mountain? Perhaps only a girl from the Midwest.