Seattle - An Unplanned Charmer

Seattle rains. A lot. Locals may try and convince you otherwise. Every time I've made my way over to the "Emerald City" though, the skies seem to be perpetually gray and the climate unendingly gloomy. Yet somehow, I, a fierce despiser of precipitation, have developed an uncanny adoration for this damp Northwestern conurbation.

My most recent jaunt to Seattle came about somewhat serendipitously. A couple friends and I impulsively embarked on a weekend road trip. Our intended destination: Vancouver. Off we raced through the vast expanses of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. As we neared our target however, a slew of regrettable happenstances befell us. To be brief, Snoqualmie Pass, a torrential downpour, and water-logged roads conspired against our vehicle, which consequently succumbed to spastic bouts of hydroplaning that ultimately brought about a premature end to our Canadian conquest.

Slightly bruised, somewhat battered, and thoroughly dejected, we found ourselves stranded in Seattle without a properly functioning car. Given that we were sans vehicle, Vancouver was wholly inaccessible. It lay only a couple hours to our North, waiting just out of reach in an almost mocking comportment.

However, our spirits could not be deflated so easily. We consciously decided to make the most of this road trip gone awry. We were going to take on Seattle. This weekend was not going to be squandered.

After driving fifteen hours straight through the night, sleep deprivation had taken its toll on my two friends. But for some odd reason unbeknownst to me, I had absolutely no desire for slumber. Waiting around in the drab hotel seemed utterly undesirable, so I scribbled a quick note informing my sleeping comrades of my whereabouts. I was going to explore Seattle solo. I admitted to myself that although I had been to Seattle previously, the circumstances had been vastly different. For one, last time I had been with my parents, who were familiar with the city layout. For another, they had a car. I lacked both of these valuable contrivances this go-around, and consequently, embarked on a mission to get from the outlying suburbs of Seattle to the city center...using public transportation.

Donning a scarf to stifle the bitter sea breezes, I cavorted out of the hotel lobby and into the overcast, drizzly environment. My initial instinct was to take a taxi since I had no idea where I was in proximity to downtown. So, I hastily hailed the first one to drive past. When I naively asked the driver if he could get me to the Space Needle for less than ten bucks, I was met with an incredulous response of laughter and informed that forty dollars was a more realistic conjecture, and then only if the lights were green. Needless to say, I abashedly nodded my head and graciously asked the chortling driver for directions to the nearest bus stop.

And so I made the expedition all the way from the suburbs to downtown utilizing only public transportation. All in all, it took three bus transfers and roughly an hour and a half to travel about twenty miles. However, it was a character building experience, if nothing else.

As we neared what was presumably "downtown Seattle," I offered my appreciation to the affable bus driver as he dropped me off on the corner of Pike Street and Pike Place. He gave me a toothy grin and simply said, "Kid, follow the crowd."

Skeptical at the prospect of seeing any crowd at this hour of the morning and with these bone-rattling gusts of icy wind ripping through, I nonchalantly nodded my head and hopped off the bus. I meandered around the corner and was, indeed, met with throngs of people milling down the street. Having nothing to lose, I followed the mass of humanity toward a building exuding the less-than-appealing scent of fish, thoroughly confused as to why anybody was patronizing an open air seafood market at eight in the morning. This was definitely not the kind of smell I yearned for before breakfast, but I'd been around long enough to discover that crowds of people usually mean something grand is taking place nearby. So I continued to wander through the market until out of the corner of my eye I spotted something shiny, silvery, and long zipping through the air. It was a fish. Another whizzed past me on the left. The local fishmongers were just going about their casual morning routine, and in the process making an absolute spectacle of themselves.

The lighthearted merriment extended throughout the day. Nobody, it seemed, was too troubled by the impending murky storm clouds. Along Pike Pier, it was hustling, bustling business as usual. The flower market was a sensory inundation with its vast polychromatic arrangement of fragrant perennials.

From the pier I traipsed over to Pioneer Square and was met with a quiescent peace that juxtaposed the banter of the harried markets. My inner history geek surfaced as I learned about this heart of Seattle's past. Pioneer Square had seen its fair share of hard times, starting with the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Add to the mix gang beatings, earthquakes, and drug violence and, for a time, Pioneer Square became something of a notoriously viperous hang-out. A revamping has since supervened and the Square now boasts some of the city's trendiest cafes, hippest art museums, and a blend of bohemian coffee shops.

Thus, the weekend went. What I anticipated to be an international jaunt to our northern neighbor, instead turned out to be a domestic detour to the Pacific Northwest's largest city-a land of gleaming, sharp skyscrapers peacefully coexisting with viridian pine forests.

Make the most of your travels and don't get discouraged by changes in the plan. Make your next trip a unique experience and stay at a Bed and Breakfast, find the right one for you at Washington Bed and Breakfasts.

Article originally published at Destinations- Seattle.

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