Exploring Seattle – A Walk Through Downtown

Today, we continue exploring one of my favorites cities. We’ve already taken the ferry over from Bremerton, seen Pikes Place Market, and visited the Space Needle.

Now we get to visit Pioneer Square, some beautiful downtown buildings, a little more Pikes Place (again), and grab some delicious late lunch. Are you game?

I managed to find a more quiet street as I left Seattle Center and headed south towards the rest of town. As I walked along, I passed many neat little shops and restaurants. I wouldn’t mind trying Belltown Burger or Dos Amigos next time that I’m in town!

And many old buildings were admired as my walk continued. I loved this one in particular. This thing could be getting close to one-hundred years old! It just makes me imagine life back then. What was it like?

And can I please live here?

5th Avenue ended up being the perfect street to explore. I loved the peace and quiet…for a few blocks, anyway. Aren’t these tree-lined streets just gorgeous! You really can’t beat Seattle in the summer.

Not that I’m planning on making any permanent changes or anything, but this is probably where I could shop for some groceries a few times a week. You know. To supplement the forty-pounds of veggies and fruit purchased at Pikes Place.

No fish purchases will be made, mind you.

Alright, now we’re getting back into some of the action. The quiet has disappeared into some busy downtown streets. I love it. And I love the shape of this building. I wonder what it would be like to live in a big circle?

And this building on the corner reminds me of that one in New York City not too far from Central Park. Oh, how I love NYC.

This was a nice little outdoor park, which was packed with people. The Duck Tours also made a stop here, so it made for some pretty good people-watching while I waited for the light to change to allow me to cross the street.

Another Starbucks. They are everywhere up here!

Just for the record, Seattle’s Best has way better hot chocolate.

I actually sat here on the corner on a cement ledge near a building. It felt great to give my feet a temporary rest while enjoying the variety of people who live in and visit Seattle. It was such a wide gamut of people! Very entertaining!

It wasn’t until after I stood up and continued my walk that I saw the tiny “No Loitering” sign above where I had stopped to rest. Oops!

While sitting to watch people, I thought about how funny it would be to run into my boss. Not five minutes later, I heard a, “Micah?” as I walked down a street. My boss and some friends had come into Seattle to explore today, and we just-so-happened to bump into each other.

Isn’t that crazy? This gigantic, busy city, and I run into the only people I know. It was actually kind of fun. And I got to thank them for my wonderful job, yet again, which was allowing me to explore Seattle on-foot today.

This was a busy part of town, but I loved every second. I also loved how they framed out the street corners with the cross street names. One could never use the “I got lost” excuse here!

Some more pretty buildings. I would ditch my car if I moved to a downtown like this, but this place also obviously houses car parking, too. Who needs it?!

I’m lucky to not be a person who needs a Hard Rock t-shirt in every city visited. Otherwise, I would have a scary amount of t-shirts at home! But here was Seattle’s Hard Rock.

For those who have always needed to see it.

And now we know…that living here truly could be a reality for me. A Target in downtown Seattle?! I’m set!

I walked down to 1st Avenue once again and got pretty close to Pikes Place Market. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as it was this morning.

So I got a few more quick pictures before heading out again towards Pioneer Square.

I love this picture.

I don’t know why this place is so magical for me, but it is. I really love being here. Not like Disneyland-magical. But it is special to me nonetheless, and I’m so glad that I could visit it today.

OK, enough sentimentality. As we near Pioneer Square, lots of neat buildings border the streets. And I love all of the mature trees, too!

This is Café Bengodi, a famous eatery located in the city. While waiting for my crosswalk, I snapped a shot of it for you. I was on the look-out for a yummy place to eat right about now, but Italian didn’t sound good to me. So I plugged along, looking for something special.

I thought about stopping here at Merchants Café. They claim to be the oldest restaurant in Seattle. I even checked out the menu outside. I always feel kinda silly eating in pub-like restaurants, since I don’t drink alcohol.

As a result, I decided to pass by this place for a late lunch as well.

I loved this old lantern that had been updated with neon. Who would have thought that combining old and new could be so cool?!

This is what I always imagine when I think of Pioneer Square. It is a very fun, hip, and eclectic part of town with lots of shops and eateries. My stomach was growling right about now, so I was on the look-out for somewhere to grab a bite.

You can even get married in Pioneer Square, if you so desire. Their sign cracked me up. I don’t know who would find this inviting enough to actually see what’s inside, but I’m sure many people do!

Glory glory! I think that I’ve found where to eat my late lunch! It is called Delicatus, with an emphasis on the “cah” in the name. I had to see their website for help on how to pronounce it.

I knew that proper pronunciation was necessary in honor of the delicious food.

Since the weather was so beautiful, I opted for an outside table. It was fun to talk to people as they wandered past. This part of town wasn’t quite as busy as the Space Needle or Pikes Place, so it was actually an enjoyable scene to eat my meal.

I love their sign, too. Check out their menu. Can you see why it was such a hard decision to pick what to eat? And when you’re hungry, everything sounds better. But I knew that I wanted to try something new.

So I got the Gypsy Rose Lee, which had prosciutto, mozzarella, sweet balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes. It was a twist on a Caprese Sandwich, and I loved it.

Even the chef/owner came out to ask me how I liked it. I had to tell him the truth…that I was coming back every day, for the rest of my life, forever.

I also got their mustard-seed potato salad, which was good but a little too spicy for me. Maybe I’m just getting old? The entire meal was incredible, and they wrapped half of my sandwich up for me to enjoy later.

With a happy tummy and tired feet, I knew that it was time to start moseying towards the ferry station. I kept smiling as I thought of all the fun had today.

Man, I love my job.