Touristing in Seattle

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Being a tourist in your own town can be such fun!

When Sheri and I first moved to Seattle in 1979 we did just about all the tourist attractions there were to do. That list included a tour of the Underground of Seattle. Though we were not sorry we took the tour, we were not terribly impressed with it. My friend Lynne said she had read that the tour has been tremendously improved and has a lot more to it. So -- we put this on our list for something we wanted to do in Seattle.

Though we were not sorry we took the tour, we were not terribly impressed with it. Wait -- did I already say that? No -- that was 35 years ago, this is now, but with the same semtiment!

 

Tour starts at Doc Maynard's bar. There is a lot of history here about the bar itself. We recall hearing (something) about that in the years past, this year there was no mention.

 

Our animated and entertaining guide, Dean.

Some of the lectures about all the history of Seattle were interesting, but were long and rather repetitive.

 

Debris decades past

 

Nothing is planted here - old tools and implement left long ago

 

Wooden water pipes -- everything was made of wood which contributed to the great "glue" fire that destroyed Seattle in 1889.

We were not really "underground", just under the sidewalks of Seattle. And much of the display we remembered from the past were no longer there -- bay windows set authentically as they would have looked or a hotel, a bar, a house of ill repute. Now there was simply a long boardwalk along the walls of a basement.

 

Decorative...

 

Functional...

 

Many sidewalks in town have these glass "bricks" that we all walk across.

 

These are those glass bricks viewed from underneath -- they allowed light into the areas below.

After our hour and a half tour, we were ready for lunch and our next adventure. We had a delightful sandwich and Borscht soup at Delicatus, a place that Lynne had on her list of places to try. A very popular, busy place with great food.

Then it was a walk up to Capital Hill for a visit the Starbucks Roastery where we would have our tea and (decadent) crumpet.

 

Lots of copper in this place

 

Lots of people in this place

 

Lots of bags of coffee beans in this place

 

Lots of good crumpet choices in this place, and tea served elegantly (for a coffee place)

This is the one and only Starbucks Roaster in the ... world actually ... and will remain the only one as I understand. It is a beautiful place and nice ambiance as well as good tea, coffee and food choices. Lynne and I sat by the fireplace on this somewhat blustery and chilly afternoon and had a grand time.

Ending our tour for the day we walked to our respective bus stops -- Lynne would get to her home in about 10 minutes, I would get to mine in about an hour and a half.

 

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2015 Teaneuring Wrap-up

#1 Without Walls -- Village Center, Mukilteo WA

• Thursday 10/8/2015
• 18 miles
• Sencha Tea

 

 

#2 Without Walls -- Elementary School Garden, Mukilteo WA

• Saturday 10/10/2015
• 7.5 miles
• Kukicha Tea

 

 

#3 Legendary Grind Cafe, Middlebury, Indiana

• Wednesday 10/14/2015
• 35 miles
• Earl Grey Tea

 

 

#4 Riverdale Tavern, Riverdale, Michigan

• Monday 10/19/2015
• 40 miles
• Lipton Tea

 

 

#5 Without Walls -- Lake Serene, Mukilteo WA

• Sunday 10/25/2015
• 20.5 miles
• Kukicha Tea

 

 

#6 Biacha Tea Room -- Edmonds, WA

• Thursday 10/29/2015
• 30 miles
• Refreshing Tea and Pouchang Tea

 

 

#7 Gere-A-Deli -- Anacortes, WA

• Wednesday 11/4/2015
• 30 miles
• Dragonwell Tea

 

 

 

I am a bit sad to see the end of the challenge as I so enjoy doing the riding, stopping for the tea, and reading about everyone's adventures. For a little more info about my tea stops -- there is some detail within the blog. A big Thank You to Mary, Queen of Coffeeneuring!

 

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Teaneuring #7

Number 7

• Gere-A-Deli, Anacortes WA
• Wednesday, November 4, 2015
• 29.5 miles
• Dragonwell green tea

On our Woman Tours bike tour, my friend Bette-Ann and I formed a nice friendship with Jeanie. Jeanie lives in Colorado and has a daughter who lives in Seattle that she visits. For this trip to Seattle the three of us were able to coordinate a day to ride together. We did one of our favorites -- the Anacortes loop. We were fortunate with weather (one never know around here) and even had a few sunbreaks. Lunch (and tea) at the Deli was great as usual and we had some nice views and sights along our route.

 

mmmmm, yes, lunch was great

 

Some interesting signs in the Deli

 

I watched "Hoppy" (along with The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry) on t.v all the time as a kid

 

Great Blue Heron held a pose for us

 

Old train car has character

We said our goodbyes to Jeanie with hopes that we will do this again when her visits with her daughter bring her back. Thanks for joining us Jeanie.

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Teaneuring #6

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Number 6

• Biach Tea Room, Edmonds WA
• Occtober 29, 2015
• 30 miles
• Shared "refreshing" and Jasmine Pouchang tea (a new tea for me that I like a lot -- another to put on my list of favorites!)

 

Tea and tea sandwich party!

I beat the rain (again) that was forecasted for the afternoon. Riding from home it was looking "iffy" as to whether the weather would catch me or not! Five of us enjoyed a little tea party at Biacha -- a very favorite place of mine. It is a little far from home to get there often, but when I do, I load up on the delightful tea choices to take home with me.

It is a small place with lots of ambiance and a delightful young woman who is so welcoming and accomodating (Ann or Anna, I can't recall). There is no actual bike parking, but plenty of room in front of the windows to put a bike and be able to watch it if you don't want to lock it.

 

Seating outside in good weather, bike parking in bad ;'-)

 

Behind the counter where Ann usually is...

 

Look at all the choices of tea we have!

 

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Cemetery ride for "Halloween"

Friday October 23, 2015

The ride started and ended on the Centennial Trail. Our leader, Astrid, took us off the trail a few times and onto some quiet neighborhood roads. In the "spirit" of Halloween, we visited a cemetery.

 

1896

 

Babies

 

Very Halloween-looking

 

They died young back then

 

Unlike some, I have not thought of, or felt that, cemeteries and graveyards are spooky. They are a quiet and calm place to spend a time of reflection, and visit the site where there may be the memory of a loved one.

This was a great ride on a cold and cloudy day that warmed up just as we pulled into the restaurant at the end!

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Ending our time in MI

Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20 & 21, 2015

On Tuesday Gerry and I got to ride our bikes into town while Vickie took hers to the bike shop to get untangled (it's a story). The ride to town is short but very pleasant on these flat, traffic free roads, and we got the bonus of riding along the Chippewa Nature Center Trail for several miles into town. We crossed the Tridge (photos in our last Midland visit) and entered town to find the coffee shop.

 

Best coffee/tea shop in town

My "office" set up for blogging

As we started our ride home, it rained! It lasted for about the first mile and a half of our ride, and returned for the final mile. It was not cold and the ride in some rain actually felt good. There are some hints of Halloween sprouting up.

 

...ashes, ashes, one fall down

Wednesday is a day for Vickie to finish up the last of the list of things to do for her dad as she heads back to her home on Whidbey Island. As well, we would need to return the bikes, pick up the car rental for our trip to the airport, and stop at the library to print our boardaing passes. All this, and we would get in at least a short ride. On this day we took the longer route into town, thus, connected to yesterday's ride, completing the circle to and from Len's house.

More spookieness in evidence...

 

Ghosts wedding? Blue Beard's wedding?

 

A closer look...

Half of our route, the last part into town, was on the Pere Marquette rail trail and brought us to the Tridge (the three pronged bridge), a short ride up to the bike shop to return bikes we had rented.

 

Then, home and packing for our departure .... today (Thursday) actually. Another fine visit in Michcigan thanks to Vickie, and to her dad, Len.

 

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The Heartland Trail -- Michigan

Monday, October 19, 2015

What a day of great cycling. We drove to a new trail (I do think that Michigan has the most trails of any state). After all those days in the 30s and low 40s, today we had 70 degree weather and sunshine.

 

The trail began in the college town of Alma MI

 

It was soon warm enough to shed a layer or two

 

Interesting stone building in Elwell, one of several towns along the trail This one like a ghost town

 

A forgotten church

 

Grain elevators in what must once have been a thriving town

We got a little hungry about halfway on the trail and the Ice Cream sign looked promising. We didn't really wnat ice cream, but maybe that meant other food as well. Entering the town of Vesterburg, we stopped in the ice cream store to ask if there was a Main Street. "You're on it" they said. This was the ONLY business in town and fortunately they had grinders as well as pizza and ice cream.

 

We did save half for later ;'-)

The trail was basically empty except for us and one racoon! We had a delightful day on our bikes.

 

A typical Michigan framstead

Half way between two Great Lakes

 

We found our tea stop ... at the tavern in Riverdale.

 

 

 

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