I’ve been wanting to write about my travels for some time now but I don’t quite know how or where to begin. I’ve always admired those who can write eloquently about their travel adventures as they have a way of making you want to immediately pack your bags and hop on to the next flight to start your very own travel adventures. This is my first attempt at writing about my quests for discoveries and I hope that my photos can at least compensate for my poor travel writing abilities. So please bear with me 😀 .

Anyway, how many of you have seen the movie Sleepless in Seattle? I’m sure a lot of you have :). Since I’m a fan of the movie and Tom Hanks I figured I’d share my little adventures in Seattle first :D.

Seattle aka Emerald City  has been in my list of places to visit for many years. My fiance and I planned on visiting the city back in 2009 and we were also going to do a side trip to Victoria (British Columbia) but unfortunately things didn’t go as planned. Luck was on our side the following year though because his sister-in-law gave birth to his very first niece and we went to visit them to see the baby. We were there for about a week and had the chance to explore downtown Seattle just before heading back to San Diego. Good thing the weather was nice that day although it was a bit chilly. Another family member who was residing in the city took us to see some of the most well-known landmarks in Seattle. We couldn’t contain our excitement that day as we’ve been so eager to explore the city for quite some time and it was finally happening :). I think my photos can best describe our little adventures that day 😀 so here it is .

Ferry ride from Bremerton to Seattle and the Space Needle

Inside the ferry en route to Seattle from Bremerton.

As usual we had to do our “signature” jump! Hahaha!

Just being nosy here 🙂

Ferry ride to Seattle

…and again I’m being nosy! Hahaha!

I was quite scared to stand at the edge of the ferry boat but you probably couldn’t tell because I was smiling. Little did you know I had my kung-fu grip on that railing. Hahahaha! 😛

Inside the ferry boat…..

Port of Seattle

Finally we arrived at our first stop! 🙂

Just moi posing in front of the Space Needle 🙂

I wish I remember what that piece of art was

Of course I have to have my photo op with this piece of art as well! Whatever it’s called! Jeez, I wish I can remember! Please let me know what it’s called if you do know. Grazie! 🙂

Photo op while waiting in line to go to the observation deck.

Lots of people waiting in line but it’s all worth it! You can read some jokes and tidbits while waiting so you won’t get bored or you can always tinker with your smartphone, just make sure you have an extra battery to capture the breathtaking views once you get up top 😉

Breathtaking views from 520 ft off the ground!

Breathtaking views of Seattle from the Space Needle observation deck.

Breathtaking views of Seattle from the Space Needle observation deck.

Breathtaking views of Seattle from the Space Needle observation deck.

Breathtaking views of Seattle from the Space Needle observation deck.

Qwest Stadium (now Century Link), home of the 2013 Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks.

View of downtown Seattle from the Space Needle observation deck.

Elevator view 🙂

Exploring Downtown Seattle

Heading to Pike Place Market!!!

Fruits and veggies!

Seafooood! 😀

Taho doing his thang with the salmon! Hehehehe! I almost got hit with the fish they were tossing around! I was trying to take photos and I think I got pretty close. Good thing I was pretty quick to move!

Inside the Farmers Market!

Still smiling even though I was close to passing out from hunger! I was sooo hungry that my hands were shaking and my body felt like it was ready to shut down! Thank God I bought some See’s Choco lollipops at the airport! That candy was a life saver! Hehehehe!

Finally! Nom! Nom! 😀

Post Alley was named for the Seattle Post, which was located at Post Alley’s southern end, at Yesler, until the Great Seattle Fire of the summer of 1889. (http://slog.thestranger.com/)

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is an artisan cheesemaker and retail shop with locations in the Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington and New York City’s Flatiron District. The company was founded by Kurt Beecher Dammeier in 2003 and opened in the Pike Place Market after Dammeier obtained a difficult to obtain storefront lease in the Market. Because Dammeier had never been a cheesemaker, he sought out the assistance of Brad Sinko, who helped run a family cheese-making business in Oregon. A second location was opened in 2011 in the Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Unlike most artisan cheese makers, Beecher’s mainly uses pasteurized milk and operates a high-volume modern production facility, with multiple farms supplying milk. When Beecher’s encountered problems in guaranteeing the standard flavor of the milks they were using to make cheese, the company bought their own herds of dairy cattle and farms to ensure control of the cheese products from beginning to end. Beecher’s uses various cheese cultures when mixing cheeses, so a cheddar cheese produced by Beecher’s may use cultures not normally intended for cheddar cheese production. (Wikipedia)

Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington, United States. The Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople and merchants. Named after the central street, Pike Place runs northwest from Pike Street to Virginia Street, and remains one of Seattle’s most popular tourist destinations. The Market is built on the edge of a steep hill, and consists of several lower levels located below the main level. Each features a variety of unique shops such as antique dealers, comic book and collectible shops, small family-owned restaurants, and one of the oldest head shops in Seattle. The upper street level contains fishmongers, fresh produce stands and craft stalls operating in the covered arcades. Local farmers and craftspeople sell year-round in the arcades from tables they rent from the Market on a daily basis, in accordance with the Market’s mission and founding goal: allowing consumers to “Meet the Producer”. Pike Place Market is home to nearly 500 residents who live in 8 different buildings throughout the Market. Most of these buildings have been low income housing in the past; however, some of them no longer are, such as the Livingston Baker apartments. The Market is run by the quasi-government Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA). The Pike Place Market sees 10 million visitors annually. (Wikipedia)

Le Panier was created by Hubert Loevenbruck and a group of French bakers. The bakery opened its doors in 1983 serving authentic style of a classic boulangerie and patisserie. (http://www.lepanier.com/)

Seattle isn’t called COFFEE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD for no reason! It is home for the world’s largest coffeehouse company. Starbucks was founded in 1971 as a Seattle coffee bean roaster and retailer. The first store outside the US and Canada opened in Tokyo in 1996. (Wikipedia)

Beautiful sunset!

Just moi being silly! 😀

A street performer at Pike Place Market.

Pike Place Market’s unofficial mascot, Rachel, a bronze cast piggy bank that weighs 550 pounds (250 kg), has been located since 1986 at the corner of Pike Place under the “Public Market Center” sign. Rachel was designed by local artist Georgia Gerber and modeled after a pig (also named Rachel) that lived on Whidbey Island and was the 1977 Island County prize-winner. Rachel receives roughly US$6,000–$9,000 annually in just about every type of world currency, which is collected by the Market Foundation to fund the Market’s social services.[89][90] Rachel provided the theme for the Pigs on Parade fundraiser that was first held in 2001 and was one of several events in various cities modeled on a similar 1998 event in Zurich; the Zurich event centered on cows and was the first of what have come to be known as CowParades. A similar Pigs On Parade fundraiser was held in 2007 on the occasion of the Market centennial, which happened to coincide with the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Pig. (Wikipedia)