Seattle: Miners Landing and Piers

Upon arriving in Seattle our first stop was Miner's Landing, or Pier 57. 

The name refers to a time when Seattle was the launching point for prospectors lured to the Yukon by the discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1896.

This is very much the tourist part of the waterfront. Go North a little and you find the Seattle Aquarium at Piers 59 and 60, plus Pier 62's Waterfront Park. Then there are cruise ship terminals and points for loading grain. 

Going South brings you past shops and restaurants. Then Pier 53 has Fire Station 5, the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal on Pier 52, and then it gets industrial.

That's a little bit simplified, but you get the gist. The point is that in the middle, it may not be clear that you are traveling between piers. There is a kind of blending that happens. I was a little worried about having things to do that were not on the same pier; it simply was not a problem.

In that section, there is eating, shopping, and boarding boats.

Besides the aquarium, the things that you do are mostly on Pier 57. Wings Over Washington will get its own post, as it is the one we actually did. (Spoiler Alert: We loved it!)

Pier 57 is also home to the Seattle Great Wheel, Salish Sea Tours, the Sasquatch Mountain Virtual Reality Ride, the Klondike Arcade, and a carousel.

 Sasquatch Mountain is fairly new. We have seen some good reviews, but don't really know. 

The arcade was definitely overpriced, and we have been on big Ferris wheels before. Apparently some days it closes early due to lack of interest. I did think we would ride the carousel.

I mean, it didn't exactly look closed, but there was no one there. The weight limit posted indicates that it may be mainly intended for children.  

That mainly leaves Pier 57 as a dining destination. We went to the Alaska Sourdough Bakery. It was fine, but with tourist trap prices.

We went there because a common theme with the other restaurants made this place the best option. See if you can pick up on it.

I heard heavy praise of The Salmon Cooker, but we are not the target audience. Yeah, why were we there?

That being said, while I was in line at the Bakery, a woman in front of me was asking if they had any fish. If she had gone into any other restaurant there...

As it was, their Lucky Swedes sandwich does have smoked salmon, but they she wanted a Snickers latte, and that was not on the menu. 

We're not mad we saw it; some of the decor is quite nice.

It is very easy to be in that area due to everything else. In addition to Wings Over Washington and the Aquarium, we also departed for a cruise of Elliott Bay from Pier 55. Those are all other posts.

COVID: A lot of it is outside, but in addition to the inside parts, there are people everywhere. Exercise caution.

Accessibility: Navigation is pretty good and for the two story part there are elevators. 

I can't speak to the individual attractions that I did not do, but I will treat the ones experienced in their own posts. 

https://www.minerslanding.com/

Seattle Overview

After roughly 22 years, we returned to Seattle! Given how long it had been, we wanted to fit everything into this trip. 

We were focusing on tourist attractions, which for most of the time put us in two areas: around Seattle Center or down by the piers.

Individual attractions will be covered in a series of posts that looks like it will go into August. We did so much! When we described our daily exploits to other people, they said they could not do it.

Honestly, that was kind of important, because we find we don't like Seattle that much. There are cool things to do for sure. That's why we went and went hard.

There are interesting touches, especially with architecture. They may be remnants from the Space Race focus at the time of the 1962 World's Fair. That is not limited to the Skyglass apartments, but would include them.

I am not sure it includes the Museum of Pop Culture. I know they say it is supposed to look like Jimi Hendrix's smashed guitar, but when it was first built someone said that it looked like impacted molars, and I think I am going with that.

Plus, they think this looks like Chris Cornell.

There were good statutes, but they were not of people. 

 

Comparisons to Portland are easy, but the comparison is that overall it is bigger, snootier, and less friendly. It was packed with people... possibly worse due to it being a holiday weekend and due to preparations for upcoming World Cup games.

People are getting priced out, and while it is the tech industry, residents keep blaming immigrants.

And it's expensive. Granted, we were in tourist places, but the only meal that did not feel ridiculously overpriced was Great State Burgers on Pier 54. 

I don't know if we will go back.

 We did have good weather; the mountain was out. (That was also familiar.)

I will say that one great improvement they made was adding a working elevator and walkway to get you from the aquarium to Pike's Place. In 2004 that was a much worse prospect. 

But then we didn't go to the Market anyway.

Beaverton: Donut King

Crossing the road from Ome Calli (and slightly East from Mexicali Express), Canyon Road apparently remains the place for coconut.

You can get coconut atop chocolate frosting or a cream-filled doughnut, and those are usually not options.

It is an impressive selection, with high quantities available, even later in the day.

This may be at least partly due to their staying open until 9 PM, unusual for a doughnut shop.

They also have their own parking, which is becoming a bigger issue in Beaverton all the time. 

Some of the flavors can be a little bland, especially with the buttermilk bars and the pistachio doughnuts. That is a matter of taste. (Of course, I think the sudden proliferation of pistachio flavors everywhere is an ill-advised trend anyway.)

Where they really shine is the fritters, with lots of different flavors and good sweetness and texture.

If you want savory instead, they also have kolaches, as well as breakfast sandwiches and beverages. 

They also have muffins.

While for doughnuts in general I probably prefer Donut Day, if I wanted doughnuts later in the day, was worried about vegan or gluten-free options, or if I really wanted fritters, I am glad that this is an option.

COVID: There are not outdoor eating options on site, but it seems like most of the business is takeaway. I was masked while ordering and it was not a problem.

Accessibility:Navigation inside the shop is fine, and that there are gluten-free options may be good for some digestive issues. 

https://donutkingdonuts.com/