Hey, y'all! Welcome to Alaska Month! Like many Alaskan tales, my story begins in Seattle, Washington: The Gateway to the Pacific Northwest... or at least that is how it was advertised at the start of the Gold Rush in 1896. You see, one the founding fathers of Washington was a total schmuck. He "mined the miners" and swindled the gold-hungry pioneers out of their money before they trekked more than 1,500 miles to The Yukon where gold was discovered.
A majority of the Gold Rushers were ill prepared for the harsh terrains of British Columbia, Alaska, and The Yukon. Eventually, the Canadian Mounties moseyed into town and said, "Listen, eh, we are tired of digging graves for all of you Americans. We are going to instate a new law, eh, that mandates you gold rushers must have 2 tons of supplies in tow so you have a better chance of surviving, eh."
This was HUGE for Seattle. Storefronts popped up everywhere selling everything from dynamite to pack mules. Seattle was finally on the map!
Seattle has grown from being a town full of swindlers into being a bustling metropolis. For us, it was love at first sight!
Some of the highlights from our stay in Seattle were:
Pike Place Market
What once started as a Farmer's Market has now grown into a vibrant neighborhood populated by farmers, artists, crafters, small businesses and even residents. We wandered through six floors of shops featuring things like antiques, crafts, jewelry, comic books, flowers, baked goods, and, of course, sea food. It was absolutely incredible! There are some really neat hidden gems at the market!
Coffee
Ashley and I are huge coffee drinkers. It's a horrible habit, I know, but you can't go to Seattle without having coffee! It is the birthplace of Starbucks (and Seattle's Best) after all!. Depending on who you ask, there are 2 "original" Starbucks locations, both in the Pike Place neighborhood. The top left photos is the Pike Place Starbucks Store, located at the Pike Place Market. The store has maintains it's classic (and historic) look and has been opened since 1971. The 1st and Pike location is also referred to the first Starbucks location. We visited both, for good measure :)
Another incredible place that we visited for coffee was Biscuit Bitch. We had the best biscuits and gravy I've had outside of the south (it even crushed a lot of our local places!) and the prettiest coffee I've ever had. This place is incredible!
Other Rad Stuff:
Meredith Grey's House (from Grey's Anatomy Fame)
Many of you know that we are huge Grey's Anatomy fans. The show is set in Seattle, although it is filmed in LA. The exterior of the title character's house is an actual home in the Queen Anne district. Isn't it lovely?
Art
We did a ton of walking in Seattle. Let me just say that those hills are freakin' insane. I'm pretty sure that folks that live or work in Downtown Seattle have the best calves in America. We saw some pretty great examples of art scattered all around the city. One example is the totem pole from Pioneer Square.
Mt. Rainier
You can't visit Seattle without hitting up Mt. Rainier. It's a must. Can we just take a second to admire how incredibly gorgeous the hike is?
We have just one more stop in Seattle before we our journey takes us to Alaska! Be sure to like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or subscribe to the blog so you don't miss what's to come here on Alaska Month! See you soon!