Updated on April 23, 2022
Day Tour of Downtown Seattle
The third day for the Seattle trip as I explored attractions of downtown Seattle.
Downtown Seattle
Marking the end of exploring nature near Seattle, I returned the rental car at the end of previous day. It turned out to be a quite smart move as city of Seattle had been drizzling for the remainder of my stay.
So the plan of the day was to visit a few attractions in the downtown area, starting from Frye Art Museum to Seattle’s waterfront, then Pike Place Market and Kerry’s Park.
Frye Art Museum
One of the few museums in Seattle with free admission.
Norwegian Girl by Hans DahlHans Dahl’s Norwegian Girl conveys a nostalgic longing for an imagined simpler time. The girl wears a folk costume from the Hardanger region in western Norway that, by 1905, would have been worn only on festive occasions. But Dahl presents her as a timeless vision of a young, working peasant girl. Though the nineteenth-century stereotype of Norway emphasized its harsh climate and stoic peasants, Dahl conjures here an idealized femininity that stresses connection to the land, tradition, and a cheerful disposition. This outlook was indicative of his body of work as a whole. As art historian Richard Muther wrote of Dahl’s work in 1895, “Everything is sunny, everything laughs, the landscapes as well as the figures.”
It wasn’t a very huge museum to begin with (three quarters of a street block and one floor). Even worse, during my visit half of it was closed for renovation, so there’s really not much to see that’s to my taste.
I did bump into a dance performance accompanied by Jazz music, which I couldn’t quite comprehend.
And for the first time, I saw bathrooms separated by “general neutral with/without urinal”. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising this happened in such a liberal city.
St. James Cathedral
On my way to waterfront, I passed St. James Cathedral, mother church of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
The Cathedral was open to the public, but interestingly, a note by its entrance said for “security reasons” its bathrooms were closed to the public.
Interior
Dome Openings
There was some organ rehearsal going on, as the entire place was resonated with harmonious music. A peaceful shelter from the bustling and raining world outside.
Altar
After crossing a few blocks among skyscrapers, I was at Seattle’s waterfront.
Waterfront
The Seattle Great WheelThis Ferris Wheel was spinning fast but empty, probably because it’s a business day in the low season of winter.
Downtown Highrises
View of Elliott Bay from Pier 57
Corner of Pier 57Where I took the previous pano photo. Not hard to tell that wind was pretty strong.
Ferry
Harbor
Wind was high and navigating through puddles of water wasn’t pleasant, so I quickly moved onto higher grounds of nearby Pike Place Market.
Ducks
SteamworksLooked like remains of some factory.
Pike Place Market
Gum Wall
As the name suggested, it’s an alleyway with walls full of gum. I had no idea how such a filthy place became a tourist attraction.
Gum Wall
Alley near Gum Wall
Container Ship in Bay
Then it’s Pike Place Market with its famous fish-tossing stand.
Fish StandProbably because there weren’t any customers, there’s no fish throwing.
And many other stands selling produce or artifacts.
Market StandConditions were harsher than it seemed for these stands, with a thin layer of plastic separating them from the elements outside.
Gull
Market Sign
Market Entrance
Market Sign
After that, I got word from my friends that we were to meet at Kerry Park in an hour. So I search on Google Maps and among the highest rated restaurants, picked “FOB Poke Bar” for lunch.
LunchI was pretty content with this bowl. It’s like a glorified version of Subway, with more exotic choices and fabulous sauces, plus two very-friendly associates always asking in the sweetest possible voice “anything more?”.
Kerry Park
A park on a hill in a residential area that’s famous for its views of Seattle skyline.
Unfortunately, it had been raining steadily since an hour ago, with gusts of wind making things worse. In one arm, I was holding an umbrella that’s about to be blown away, and in another holding a camera taking photos, while making sure the lens hood was pointing at the right direction so as to keep raindrops from lens.
Seattle Harbor from Kerry Park
West Seattle across Bay
But the view was nonetheless stunning. Even a traffic cop in his tiny tricycle joined us in admiring this impressive skyline.
Downtown Seattle
Downtown Seattle
After that, my original plan was to head for the observation deck of Space Needle. But, my friend at University of Washington suggested that views on a rainy winter afternoon won’t be great on top of Space Needle, and UW’s “Area 01 Community Center” with PlayStation and billiards were a better idea.
So that’s end of the day’s city tour.
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