Portland to Seattle
It was a pleasant but not particularly memorable train trip between Portland and Seattle. The most scenic part of the route saw the train travel along the banks of the Puget Sound. Another highlight was Winlock – the “egg capital of the world” – with its giant 544kg egg visible from the train.
Seattle
Arriving in Seattle, I was greeted by a bustling city. Seattle has a similar sized population to Portland, but here the streets were filled with locals hurriedly going about their business, and tourists exploring the sites. I enjoyed visiting the waterfront area with its gift shops and fish and chip stalls, as well as Pike Place Market which overlooks the waterfront, and is apparently the 33rd most visited tourist attraction in the world. The market is packed with stalls selling art, jewellery, chocolate, and seafood, with the latter a particular attraction thanks to the fishmongers who throw the fish that customers have ordered back and forth whilst chanting, much to the enjoyment of the visitors clustered around to watch. Apparently these flying fish performances were introduced to save the fish market from bankruptcy during the 1980s.
I also took a ride on the Seattle Monorail which carries passengers between Downtown Seattle and the Seattle Centre where the Space Needle is located. Much to my disappointment, the monorail’s total journey time was only about three minutes.
Whilst in Seattle I also saw the Amazon headquarters. Inside the three spheres pictured below lies an indoor rainforest which serves as a space for Amazon employees to work and collaborate. During the night, I enjoyed seeing the indie rock band Bad Books perform at The Showbox.
My favourite attraction in Seattle, however, was the Sky View Observatory. I arrived at the observatory when it was still daylight, and stayed to see the sunset and darkness creep in. It was only after taking in the view from the observatory that I properly appreciated Seattle’s beauty. The surrounding mountains, bridges, and famous Space Needle were all visible from this height. The pictures below show the view.
