As our Seattle trip was drawing to a close, we had one last must-see attraction. The Seattle Underground. Years ago, I came to Seattle on a business trip, and that was one of the few things that I had time to do. Since I had an absolute blast last time, I knew I wanted to do it again.  So, we spent New Year’s Eve learning about the Seattle Underground and seeing a few more tourist sites such as the Gum Wall and the Fremont Troll. 

Seattle Underground Tour

Back to the Seattle Underground Tour. If you want a fun in-depth tour showcasing Seattle’s unique history, this is the tour for you. 

Before it was a city, Seattle consisted of trees, cliffs, and a deepwater harbor. So, I’m sure you can easily guess that it was first settled for logging. They would chop the trees down, slide them down the hills, and then use high tide to lift the trees to the boats. Seattle had sawdust/mud streets, buildings on stilts, and sewers that worked not-so-well with the high tides. Gross. But then in 1889, a carpenter’s apprentice accidently started a fire that burned 25 wooden city blocks. Just like the Chicago Fire, it gave Seattle the chance to rebuild. 

The fire also unintentionally gave birth to the Seattle Underground. They basically raised the new streets 1 story higher than the old sidewalks. But that took time, so store owners still created display windows and lobbies on the 1st floor which later became their basement. Then, as the new, higher sidewalks were built, the passageways of the Seattle Underground were created. And, that, my friends, is what you get to explore. There was so much rich history that went on in those passageways! Good and bad. 

Market Theater Gum Wall

We visited Pike Place Market several days earlier, but somehow we missed the Market Theater Gum Wall. So, of course, we had to make a second trip there to see it. If you are facing Pike Place Market, walk down the road to the left. The gum wall is at the bottom and to the left. Be warned, it is quite disgusting. In fact, in 2009, it was named one of the top 5 germiest tourist attractions. (The Blarney Stone was #1.) In 2015, the city tried to clean it up. They removed all the gum and washed the walls. You couldn’t tell that now though because it is once again covered. 

Pike Place Chowder

Since we were back at Pike Place Market and our bellies weren’t overloaded with an Indian buffet this time, we decided to check out one of the restaurants we saw during the previous visit. Pike Place Chowder. The line was crazy long and wound its way through the indoors of the building. We were determined to try the chowder though, so we stuck it out. The line moves really fast though, so even with the long line, it wasn’t too bad of a wait. (There is a second location with shorter lines, but they don’t serve every chowder every day.)

We ordered a medium smoked salmon chowder and a medium clam chowder, and they both came with a slice of sourdough bread. The clam chowder was average IMO but Nisheet thought that it was better than even what we had in Maine, but the salmon chowder was just freaking amazing. It was filled with chunks of smoked salmon, capers, and cream cheese. Paired with the sourdough bread, it was like eating a soup version of a bagel with cream cheese and lox. One of my all-time favorite flavor combinations.

[Medium (12oz) chowder = $7.95]

Seattle Waterfront

After lunch, we had about 45 minutes before we had to meet the family back at the car, so we quickly headed to the Seattle Waterfront. It has several parks, a Ferris wheel, an aquarium, and a ferry dock. We really only had time to wander down the street and look inside some of the souvenir shops. Just another thing that’ll be on our list of to-dos the next time we’re back…. if only to ride the ferry and the Ferris wheel! 

Fremont Troll

On the car ride home, we made one final stop to see the Fremont Troll. I wouldn’t necessarily go far way out of my way to see it, but it is definitely a fun attraction worth a 5-minute stop. In the late 1980s, the area under the Aurora bridge had become space for drug deals and other not so cool activities. So, the Fremont Arts Council launched a competition to create a better space and rehabilitate the area. The winner was the Troll created by a team called the Jersey Devils. And now, instead of watching drug deals go down, you can climb on a giant troll with a VW Beetle under his hand freshly grabbed from the bridge above. Pretty cool! 

Happy New Year!

After visiting the Fremont Troll, we headed home and relaxed at the house before a fun-filled Seattle NYE celebration. From far away, you could see the Space Needle all lit up in pink as T-Mobile sponsors the festivities. Right next to the needle, there were live concerts taking place inside the Seattle Center. At the stroke of midnight, BOOM! Fireworks were launched up & down and all around the space needle. It was really neat seeing how they used the length and the top disc of the Needle to create all kinds of patterns. Quite a sight to see! If you are ever here for NYE, be sure to catch an Uber or Lyft to the area instead of driving. Parking and traffic is insane! 

Emerald City Fish and Chips

New Year’s day was a chill day spent relaxing at the house with family, so I don’t have much to write about. It was also the day we flew home. On the way to the airport, we checked out one final restaurant called Emerald City Fish and Chips. Have you ever seen Buzzfeed’s videos where they eat a dish at a cheap place, medium place, and fancy place and then compare them? Well, one of their videos is about salmon in Seattle. The cheap place was Emerald City Fish and Chips where they had fried salmon and french fries, and they picked it as their favorite. So, of course, we had to try it. 

It is a tiny shop with a counter to order at, 1 tiny table, and a row of stools at a window counter top. The salmon is fried in a seasoned panko batter that is light and crispy and the fish is fresh and flaky. The best part is the homemade tartar sauce. It is delicious and really pulls the dish together. Thanks for the recommendation, Buzzfeed!

[Salmon & Chips (3 pcs) = $10.25]

Red-Eye Home

We flew a red-eye (overnight flight) on Delta from Seattle to Orlando because it was dang cheap and because it meant we didn’t have to fly out early on New Year’s Day. I have to say, Delta is stepping up their snack game. It’s no longer a choice between pretzels or cookies. Now they have a whole slew of snacks to choose from. I went with a yogurt granola bar, but since I also ordered a margarita, the flight attendant insisted I have pretzels also… Love It! Besides the snacks, I also love Delta for their onboard entertainment systems. We flew American to Seattle and had nadda. Delta had personal TVs for everyone. Although… that did mean I watched movies instead of sleeping…

All-in-all, we had an absolutely fantastic trip to Seattle, Vancouver, and the surrounding areas. We can’t wait to be back!