Emerald City

 I arrive before 9:00 a.m. in Seattle. I want to have four full days to explore and get familiar with the Emerald City. I have been wanting to do this for several years and now the time is right. 

 I put on my explorer hat and off to begin my journey. My first stop is the Pike Market. This is the original farmers market that dates back to 1907! It’s amazing that they have been operating at the same spot for so many years - 362 days each year!

 The city has an excellent public transportation infrastructure so I decide to put it to use at its full capacity. I take the train and I arrive near the infamous Pike Market. I walk and marvel at the hustling and bustling at every corner. Visiting farmers markets and small local grocery stores is a fun activity for me and makes me feel alive. This is heaven to me - a large playground! I marvel at fresh fish of all sizes and shapes, the local fresh fruit and vegetables and the many beautiful flowers. Flowers lift my spirits so I am quite happy! All of my five senses are working non-stop. I pass by the original Starbucks Coffee, take photos and continue strolling. I don’t stop ‘til I reach one of Tully’s coffee shops.

 I buy my coffee along with my favorite pastry – almond croissant - and eat it while sitting at a park overlooking Puget Sound near Pike Market surrounded by many homeless people; a reality of any big city. I realize that it’s how we process this reality that makes the difference on how we feel about it… and what we do it about it.

 Lunch is at Jack’s fish shop, one of the many eateries within the Pike Market. For the first time I have fried salmon, but I have to admit, I prefer the baked or broiled version of it. I still like what I am having. I can taste the freshness and the smell of the sea! While waiting for my order I can’t help but overhear a conversation going on behind me. I turn my head. I have to see who is so inquisitive. It’s a teenage boy talking with his father. I suspect that the boy has autism but he amazes me with all the details he showers his father with in every single sentence. I am intrigued and strike a conversation with the dad. I can tell that Max is a gifted boy. He has memory like no other – it’s as if I am reading computer search results on sports! Once again I confirm that we all come to this world with our uniqueness and our individual and very special gifts.

 Next, I am sitting on a bus leaving Seattle behind me and crossing Puget Sound. The city’s skyline is beautiful and the blue color of the water complete the picturesque journey. I see luscious green everywhere, such thick vegetation. For a moment, it all looks familiar to me … but then I have never been here before. I quickly realize that I am back in Connecticut 30 years ago. Living in a small town buried in thick vegetation and surrounded by tall, mature trees. The Emerald City gives me the sense that I am somewhere on the East Coast – the deep green color I have only seen on the East Coast is also in Seattle and its surrounding areas. We cross Mercer Island and then quickly enter the city of Bellevue. I see upscale neighborhoods and tall modern glass buildings. Everything I see is beautiful – but how would I feel though if I am living here and it rains ten months out of the year and it’s dark and gloomy? I quickly conclude that I would not last very long!

 I stay at Kim and Alan’s Airbnb, a clean, friendly and spacious place in a beautiful Bellevue neighborhood, walking distance from Lake Washington. I am pleasantly surprised to learn that fresh fish is ample in this part of the country and since I am a big fish enthusiast that’s what I have for dinner. I choose fresh orange crusted Ono – from the Hawaiian word “ono” which means “good to eat”, served with sweet vermouth sauce and roasted potatoes along with green beans. I love the firm texture of the fish and its mild sweet tasting flesh. I pair it well with some Argentinian Malbec even though I am a bit apprehensive since fish usually calls for white wine. I wine and dine by myself at the Big Fish Grill restaurant in Kirkland. I eat and enjoy the cool fresh air thinking how lucky I am to leave the Californian heat wave behind me.

 For a few days, I roam the streets of Seattle from Pike Market to Pioneer Square to Westlake Center on Pike Street to the Space Needle. All I see is a modern, fast growing city! The city brings back my adventurous self who got lost in the years but it’s reemerging again and it’s darn refreshing! I take photos, lots of photos, with my new camera and try to capture the moment with my amateur lens. I feel safe and secure in Seattle. I don’t feel I’m home but I feel relaxed and humble under these tall glass, modern buildings. I stroll the winding paths of the Olympic SculpturePark and admire the modern sculptures displayed there and all of the art creations along the bay.

 Standing next to the huge face of a woman overlooking the water is just breath taking. I take my time and enjoy and take more pictures of the city’s skyline with the Space Needle popping up everywhere in my photographs!

 My quest for breath taking views is not over so I head over to the Space Needle. I hop on the city’s modern monorail and arrive at the city’s landmark since 1962 – the Space Needle. The city is defined by this structure. 

 I take many photos as I marvel the steel structure before I go up 520 feet to the observation deck then take twice as many photos while at the top. I’m told that it’s a typical Seattle day - overcast and chances to rain. The weather doesn’t bother me, in fact, I find the clouds and all of their formations beautiful and I soak in the experience. I can’t believe that 52 years ago this innovative structure was built! It’s another confirmation that this city is all about innovative ideas! The EMP and Chihuly Garden & Glass museums at the base of the needle are confirmations to the creative and transformative nature of this city! 

  I get on a ferry and travel to one of the many beautiful islands by Seattle and I take photos and walk for hours. I visit the Bainbridge Island.

 

 I love the small shops intertwined within the small local restaurants situated by the water. Flowers everywhere! There are so many different colored flowers and so many smiles. The flowers make me smile! – I love Bainbridge – Musicians playing everywhere!

 Eating at Fork & Spoon after a summer shower. Listening to live Irish music sung by a middle aged couple brought me back to New York at Washington Square. My thoughts race back to 1982 living in the Village. As a young girl, I am wandering the streets enjoying the street musicians and performers and not caring about the humid weather or the unbearable heat. I am 19 years old and wondering what life has in store for me. I am thinking of that today while sitting at the small cafe in Bainbridge. 

 What does life has in store for me? I am always in awe and with gratitude, welcome everything that comes to my life. I feel calm and restless at the same time. I take the ferry back after spending a few hours on the island. I try to capture the breathtaking Seattle skyline views from the ferry. It’s like a postcard in different sizes and different angles yet all beautiful views. I stroll back to the bus station and make a stop at the quintessential Pioneer Square. I talk with a local cop and get some of the history of the Square. I capture the locals with my lens since many of them regulars to the Square. I want to absorb all of it in. I want to get intimate with this city and I want to come back.