Quixotic Journeys ...: Washington

Seattle:

What do you think of when you think of Seattle? Besides the rain, which we experienced most days, I think of Easy Street Records, Pike Place Market, Boeing and the Space Needle. So we set off on our Seattle adventure to experience these icons!

To really enjoy Easy Street Records, we got an early start and had breakfast in the café (part of the record shop).

We had lunch at a restaurant near Pike Place Market. It’s always fun to explore markets and this one has a great view of the waterfront.

We found a parking place where we could watch Boeing planes being flight tested.

To really get a sense of these planes, we took a Boeing Factory tour. Sadly we were not able to take photographs on the tour, but this is definitely an amazing facility to see!

The Space Needle Observation Tower is a great way to see views of Seattle…

but it’s not for the faint of heart (520 feet high)!

There is one level where the floors are glass so you can see the ground below. What is this strange building?

It’s the top of The Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP. What a fun museum this is! We took an architectural tour of this fabulous building designed by Frank Gehry:

The monorail even goes through it:

It has wonderful exhibits … from music icons to science fiction and fantasy:

The Seattle Art Museum has a very impressive entrance, outside …

and inside:

Middle Fork by John Grade

Here are a couple of my favorite works in the Museum:

Rhythm No. 2 by Robert Delaunay

A Country Home by Frederic Edwin Church

The Native American collection is outstanding:

The First People by Susan Point

I especially enjoyed the Porcelain Room, the way in which the objects are curated is absolutely stunning!

We did have one beautiful, sunny day! And we were lucky that it was the day we walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park, (a part of the Seattle Art Museum). This park is 9 acres, with a path that wends down toward the waterfront.

This piece, The Eagle, by Alexander Calder is striking! See the Space Needle peeking through!

This sculpture, Love & Loss, by Roy McMakin also shines with a backdrop of the Space Needle.

Another favorite piece is this one by Mark di Suervo, Schubert Sonata:

Although Seattle has many wonderful icons, I wanted to visit this city primarily because of the Chihuly collection here. I have always been a big fan of Chihuly’s glasswork and since his home is in Seattle, what better place to explore his work!

We started at the Chihuly Collections Café for lunch. Besides enjoying a tasty meal, this café showcases many of the artist’s personal collections. These are just a few examples from his collections: accordions that hang from the ceiling (above the glass paintings), vintage radios and colorful objects like shaving brushes and metal noise makers.

The Chihuly Garden and Glass presents a variety of the artist’s works in outdoor settings and indoor displays:

What a treat and way to end our last day in Seattle, Chihuly works with a reflection and view of Seattle’s Space Needle!

Anacortes:

We made our next home in Washington state near the town of Anacortes in the Skagit Valley. Not far from Seattle, Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island, just across the river from Canada. There are some beautiful views in this area, especially at Deception Pass where the tidal flow and whirlpools beneath the bridge connecting Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island move quickly.

The Cascades surround this area:

A trip to Diablo Lake in the North Cascades National Park provides beautiful scenery!

We spotted this tiny chapel while driving the scenic North Cascades Highway – isn’t it adorable!

Wildwood Chapel

Mt. Vernon:

Yes, there is a Mt. Vernon in Washington (state)! This small town is in the Anacortes area, and why would we want to visit it? Here’s a clue – see this view of Mt. Vernon from this overlook in Little Mountain Park?