July 2018, Washington, Day 2

Day 2

Mile 2689-I needed the jaws of life to pry the sleepy heads out of bed this morning. We had to be up and at’em to get to Bill Speidel’s Underground Seattle Tour. I wasn’t aware that back in the late 1800’s Seattle actually burned to the ground. The city planners took this as an opportunity to rebuild it, and like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, modern Seattle was born! When they rebuilt, there remained a large portion of the city underground (where the tour takes place). This tour focused on such interesting topics as sewage flow of the Victorian era, ladies of the night and the men who loved them, houses of ill repute, prohibition and local scoundrels. Our tour guide artfully used hilarious euphemisms for the questionable topics so the adult themes went right over the children’s heads. I think. They looked puzzled when the adults would erupt in giggles.  It was fun to be underneath the streets looking at old storefronts while the nice folks of Seattle carried on above us.

This skylight was used to illumine the underground, you can still see them in the sidewalk up top. Hey up there, Seattle! 

Mile 2692-After our tour, we went to check out the gum wall. Named one of the Top 5 Germiest tourist attractions, this wall boasts thousands of pieces of ABC* gum piled several inches thick. It takes up a city block, is nasty, and smells faintly of wintergreen with a hubba-bubba finish. 

In the words of Jimmy Fallon. "Ew".

Right around the corner we headed to the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Largest Shoes. I would venture to say that it is the only collection of this genre. It wasn’t that impressive, but it only costs a quarter per look. 

What large shoes you have!

But, do you know what didn’t cost a quarter? Ye Olde Curiosity Shop! A looky-loo in this fine establishment cost zero dollars! It is a quirky collection of gag taxidermy (enter the 3-headed chicken!), native American artifacts, and of course, mummies. Like real ones. With names. Sylvester and Sylvia. I like a store with an identity crises. Nothing like keychains, t-shirts, and mummies. I could’ve stayed all day! 

That's totally a real head, y'all. Used for medical study back in the day.

Three headed chicken, get your three headed chicken!

Thank you for your loin cloth, Sylvester. You've saved my delicate sensibilities from your mummified man parts.

The children made a valid argument for the big ol’ Ferris wheel. They aren’t really my thing, but I HAD forced upon them the Seattle underbelly with a sordid past, taxidermy, and large shoes. We relented, and onto the big Ferris Wheel we climbed. It provided incredible views of the Puget sound, downtown, and the color draining from the face of Mr. Bullington. He doesn’t love heights, y’all.

Our next exciting stop was the bed. We were tired and needed to put our grumpy selves down for a little nappy-nap.  

Mile 2692- After awaking moderately refreshed, we routed ourselves through Olympic Sculpture park on the way to the Chihuly exhibit and Space Needle. Dale Chihuly’s sculptures grace many a museum across the globe. This collection was installed both inside and out. I love the way his sculpture interacts with nature. If you are in Seattle, it is worth a trip! And, no one tripped or toppled over a tower of priceless glass! #winning! We had some time to kill before we were scheduled to go up in the Space Needle and Mr. Bullington remembered something about a playground nearby. The “Artists at Play” playground was designed by artists and children. It was incredible! We can’t remember who told us about it, but it was a big hit! Even the 12-year-old climbed, jumped, and slid.

This big ol' head was a gift to the sculpture park from the guy who founded Build-a-Bear. 

Just a swangin'

You can see the playground behind Mae the outstanding hand stander!

The Seattle iconic tower was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi. No mas, but it is still pretty darn tall! The tower has been undergoing a 100 million dollar renovation this year and is mostly complete. A new feature includes glass that tilts out over the earth below so you can get a real good view of where you are going to fall to your death…..No thanks. Not surprisingly, Mr. Bullington opted out.

Zoiks! She's braver than me!

I reckon we lingered a little too long at the Space Needle because we quickly discovered that there were no viable options for dinner at 9:30 on a Wednesday night. Oh wait! Yes there is! We’ll just raid the mini mart at the hotel! Who wants chips** and Mentos*** for dinner!?!?

*Already Been Chewed

**A Vegetable

***A Fruit, and also the Fresh maker