Seattle Day 6 - July 2, 2009

Day 6 took us to Seattle. Billy and I packed up our room at Lake Quinault and grabbed some breakfast from our selection. There is not much to be said for the drive to Seattle; we drove through depressing little lumber towns. One high point was that we got to go through Aberdeen - where Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was from. Their city slogan is Come as You Are.

Once in Seattle, we tried to grab lunch at Salumi but it was closed. We settled on Central Station Deli. It reminded me of other generic sandwich shops like Panera Bread, Corner Bakery, etc. After our bellies were full, I made Billy stop by the Panama Hotel for a photo op. My book club had read On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, and the Panama Hotel is integral part of the story. I would love to spend more time at the hotel which has since been converted into a tea shop with Panama Hotel paraphernalia, but I did not want to bore Billy.
We then checked into Sheraton. Billy lucked out by finding street parking so we didn't have to pay to park at the hotel. After relaxing for a little while, we ventured out on the monorail to go to the Experience Music Project and Sci-Fi Museum. It is free on the 1st Thursday of the month. I was really excited because they were having special exhibit about Jim Henson at the Sci-Fi Museum. We got to see on the Sesame Street facade and I even got to be a Kurt Cobain Muppet. My favorite part of the Experience Music Project was the section on alternative music. The interactive area is probably cool, but it was too crowded for us to actually check it out.

On the monorail
Billy seating on the stairs of Sesame Street

Me with the Kurt Cobain Muppet
Experience Music Project - guitars

We then walked over to Sculpture Park and saw some great views of Elliot Bay. We spent a little bit of time walking down the path towards the waterfront. After checking out the sculptures, we took advantage of the free streetcar and headed south.

It happened to also be free entrance at the Seattle Art Museum that evening. We enjoyed walking through the galleries while hearing the band play downstairs. It had a very hip vibe to it.

It was now time for dinner at Serious Pie. Once we arrived at the restaurant, we had to wait for about 20 minutes for getting a table, but it was worth it. It is a very small space with large tables that seat 6-8 people; you are seated next to others at the same tables. The pizza is thin crust and quite yummy. I also partook of the gelato for dessert. Two thumbs up in my book! Back to the hotel for us to relax for the evening.

Daily Reviews
Central Station Deli - 4 stars
Pros: it was open, tasty sandwiches and cookies
Cons: had to get a key for the bathrooms

Experience Music Project & Sci-Fi Museum - 4 stars
Pros: FREE!, Jim Hensen special exhibit, interesting exhibits about all types of music
Cons: Crowded

Sculpture Park - 5 stars
Pros: well-groomed paths, great views of Elliot Bay, unique sculptures
Cons: none

Serious Pie - 4 stars
Pros: yummy gelato, tasty pizza pies
Cons: wait time, likely to sit as a table with others