See The Flying Fish At Pike Place

Some of you were still probably in diapers when Real World: Seattle came out, but "back in the good old days...." when Real World was still in its single digits, I would obsessively watch the Real World: Seattle season.  I mean...how could you not love the Stephen & Irene bitch slap heard 'round the world.  Anyways, I digress, back to the topic at hand, in the intro of Real World: Seattle the most memorable part was when a fish from the Pike Place Fish Market was thrown towards the camera.   The Pike Place Fish Market was founded in 1930, and they haven't always thrown fish.  In 1986 when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, one of the employees thought of an idea to have games and throw fish around to attract the customers.   Now they entertain thousands of people each day with their fish throwing skills. 

So of course, when visiting Seattle I just had to see the Flying Fish for myself.  Thankfully, the market was just a mere 10 minute walk from our hotel.  My sister and I first made a pit stop at the first Starbucks, and grabbed some French pastries at Le Panier.  We parked ourselves with our bag full of goodies in front of the fish market.  We stood and patiently waited for someone to purchase a fish so we could see some fish acrobatics.  To kill some time we also took a photo with Rachel the pig who stands right under the iconic Public Market Center sign.

After nearly waiting thirty minutes staring at dead fish, I finally got to see the Flying Fish!  It didn't last too long, but it was pretty impressive to see Fishmongers throw those slippery little guys across the air. Pike Place in general is a great little spot to visit in Seattle, and you can't say no to a free acrobatic fish show.  :)

Date Accomplished:  June 5th, 2008

Have A Coffee At The First Starbucks

Prior to becoming a nurse I hardly EVER drank coffee...even in college I would rarely drink a cup of coffee unless I needed an extra few hours of studying during finals week.  I remember one year I drank one of those Starbucks Doubleshot drinks in a can, during the test I started having heart palpitations and became extremely fidgety.  Till this day my friend who was sitting next to me during that exam still makes fun of me.  I seriously felt like my heart was going to pop out of my chest.  I swore off coffee for a few years, but then I started night shift!  7PM to 7:30AM.  Starbucks became my friend through the long nights, and then it became my friend during the day when I would try to readjust to being a "normal" person on my days off.  Thankfully I am now on day shift, and I normally only drink coffee on days I work (typically 3-4 days a week, but lately due to picking up extra shifts it has been 5-6 days a week!).

So of course when visiting Seattle I had to visit the place where Starbucks started!  It was conveniently located at Pike Place Market.  Besides the fact that "First Starbucks Store" was etched on the front window, it really looked like a plain old Starbucks (even smaller than others I have visited).  Thanks Starbucks for keeping me awake and alert when I have needed it the most! 

Date Accomplished:  June 5th, 2008

Visit The Space Needle In Seattle

How could I not visit the Space Needle during my first visit to Seattle? It is one of the most famous landmarks in the USA!

To get to the Space Needle (I was staying near Pike Place), my sister and I took a bus that dropped us off right across the street from the needle. The Monorail was down that day, which would have been the more convenient option for us, but nevertheless we made it.

I like to think that we saw the Space Needle on a typical day, in other words, gloomy, rainy, and cold. Thankfully the wait to visit the needle was no more than 10 minutes, I certainly have waited more than an hour in some cities to visit these high rise monstrosities (ahem...Empire State Building). If we had beat the busload of school children to get into line then we wouldn't had even needed to wait.

The elevator ride up was about 40 seconds. There wasn't much to do on the indoor portion of the observatory deck, and it was much too cold and wet on the outdoor part (don't forget I'm from San Diego so I'm a baby when it comes to crummy weather). We stayed no more than 30 minutes, but even though it was less than impressive, I am still glad I did it. Check! Knock that one off the list.

Completed: June 5th, 2008