Seattle: Partial Burke-Gilman Trail Bikeride

The Burke-Gilman trail is a 27-mile long recreational trail through the heart of urban Seattle, offering the cyclist, jogger, walker, or other recreation-enjoying-outdoors-person, a unique route through some of the city's most beautiful, or odd, sights to take in. The trail loops past several vantage points on different bodies of water, offering views of the Ballard, Wallingford, Fremont and University District neighborhoods along with several others. Given that it's such a long trail, and we'd already been out and about for quite a significant chunk of the day, we weren't up for doing the entire route on this ride- especially given that we'd have to turn around and head back towards our vehicle, eventually, potentially doubling our journey. While our LimeBikes were equipped with an electric assist, that was still an intimidating task, so we satisfied ourselves with only taking a portion of the overall trail for the day. While that might sound a bit disappointing to some, we'd already seen Gasworks park, the Lenin Statue, Fremont Bridge Troll, and the Ballard Locks, so we'd had a pretty productive day of it thus far. Coincidentally, the Burke-Gilman trail connects several of these landmarks, so it's an excellent option for an energetic sightseer! If you follow it long enough, you'll encounter all sorts of mysterious and unexpected things, from street art to architectural feats, dinosaur shaped topiaries to a monk statue asking for peace and your own small contribution towards it. 

Luckily for us, at the time of our outing it was an outstandingly beautimous day in the city of Seattle (quite a stark contrast to the dump of snow we've been enduring lately) so we had bright bursts of sun to warm our bones and, quite literally, light our way. Renting bicycles was an excellent choice, and we were thoroughly enjoying stretching our legs while playing tourists in our new home. While I've visited the city in the past, it's changed a lot in the intervening years, and there are few better ways to get to know a new city than by using your legs to walk or cycle through it! Or, I guess, skateboard, rollerblade, or scooter, if those are more your bipedally-powered modes of transportation of choice. To each their own! 

We had a fabulous time, and we hope you enjoy the photos!

Seattle: Gasworks Park Bikeride

Gasworks Park, nestled against the north shore of Lake Union, is a 19.1 acre public park accessible to the citizens of, and visitors to, the region and a unique landmark of Seattle itself. Being right up on the waterfront, as it is, there are ample water-based activities available, from kayaking to paddleboarding, though on this particular visit we were on rental bicycles made available through LimeBike, the brightly colored bikes visible on many corners and curbs of Seattle. Since the day was unusually bright, sunny and sublime on the specific fall day on which we visited, there were quite a few people out making use of the optimal weather, enjoying a picnic or simply lazing about on the grassy hills. While remnants of an industrial past linger, looming over the scenery, the actual gasification plant has long since shuttered it's doors, closing up for good back in 1956. As of January 2nd, 2013 the park joined the ranks of other historical points of significance and was added to the National Registry of Historic Places, a long-awaited designation. For fans of cheesy movies, there are lots of houseboats dotting the periphery, which may have served as the location, or at least inspiration for, some of your favorite films located in Seattle. As someone who's never really cared for rom-coms, I'm more keen on the fact that Bill Nye the Science Guy was originally based out of Seattle. Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!

Accessing Gasworks Park is easy enough, with a parking lot as well as the fact the park abutts against the Burke-Gilman Interurban trail, making it exceptionally easy to get to via bicycle or foot. This is one of those places any first-time visitor to Seattle must check out because it's so iconic and historic! It's close to several other landmarks, like the Lenin Statue and Fremont Troll, along with many other options for the curious adventurer. On a bright and sunny day like this, I'd recommend grabbing a packed lunch somewhere nearby and settling in for a nice, relaxing afternoon enjoying the sun, but to each their own! Whether you walk, bike, paddle, drive, or even fly, there's something for everyone at Gasworks park. 

Seattle: the Fremont Troll

Every city will have its unique denizens, only to be found in the confines of their own unique area code, lurking among the shadows or crawling under bridges. In places with prominent sports teams, like Wisconsin's army of Cheeseheads or the Raider Army, it's easy to glom around the tulpa of a team, and while the Seahawk fans are certainly their own adamant group of super-followers, there's another archetypal figure to be found in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle that, perhaps, even better suits the city's unique vibe. Sculpted by local Seattle artist Steve Badanes, the Fremont bridge troll is an homage to Norwegian and Scandinavian lore of the old troll lurking under a bridge. He's pretty massive, weighing in at 6,000 kilograms (13,000 pounds), so no amount of bravery on the part of foolish young would-be-knights will be dislodging him from his perch any time soon. That seems to be quite alright, though, as the gentle giants prefers to relax, allowing throngs of excited visitors to take photos while climbing and clamoring over his massive form. If you're hoping to locate him, he can be found on the corner of 36th street, though you might see the crowds gathering before laying eyes on the troll proper. 

We were already out and about exploring the Fremont neighborhood, having rented some Lime Bikes to get around after ditching our vehicle back at the free parking lot of Discovery Park. We both highly recommend taking advantage of Lime Bikes should you find them in your area! You simply download the app, then scan the QR code on the bike and go on your way. When you're done, you select that option on the app to relock the bike and end your paid period of usage. It sounds way more complicated than it is! It was a great option for the warm, sunny fall day we'd opted to take our adventure on, and as #SeattleSnowaggedon2019 falls outside, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to revisit the day.  The Fremont Troll is quite conveniently located, too, to incorporate it into a full day of sightseeing! The Lenin statue is just down the road, after all, and Discovery Park is a short ride-share or bus ride away should you choose not to bike it. The Burke-Gilman interurban trail is close, too, for those who enjoy a good bit of exercise-powered sight-seeing! 

From here, we found our way to Gasworks park! Check back soon for that post!

💖

XOXO,

NAU

Seattle: Lenin statue and Fremont Bikeride

Leering over a street corner in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, the 16-foot tall statue of Communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin can certainly catch you by surprise if you're not expecting his looming, statuesque presence to pop up around the bend. While the statue was originally crafted by the Bulgarian artist Emil Venkov in Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s, it was discovered in a scrap yard by an American and eventually, mysteriously, it found the way to Washington state, where it's become a landmark of the Fremont neighborhood of Sea-town.  Certainly not devoid of controversy, the statue remains in its stalwart vigil, staring out at pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike with the same stoic sneer. He's frequently vandalized, and there was a protest as recently as fall of 2017! Love him, hate him, he's become a prominent figurehead for the peculiar and hippie-heavy neighborhood of Fremont. During my very first visit to the city, it was in Fremont where my friend's band practiced in a local recording studio, after getting their fill of steaming hot pho at a nearby restaurant. This artsy-fartsy pro-boho attitude generally lingers, much like the funky odor of a particular smokeable herb, though new money brings in new businesses, and the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes lends towards the existence of several dispensaries nearby. On this particular visit, we were encumbered with bicycles we'd rented through the LimeBike App, and were greatly enjoying the freedom of having two-wheels powering our exploration, though keeping an eye on our vehicles meant we kept our photo-session relatively short. While these photos come from the fall of 2018, traffic was still not an exceptionally endearing aspect to the city of Seattle (though now, with the closure of the Viaduct, it's presumably worse) and riding a bicycle allows you to pretty much side-step the majority of the nastiness. It was fantastic, and I highly recommend trying out the LimeBike app if you find the bikes available! 

There's more to the neighborhood than statues of communists and hippies, though! Lots of beautiful street art provides splashes of color, as did the fall foliage booming at the time. We reveled in the sunshine and thoroughly enjoyed our outing! Hopefully you can ride the vibe through our photos~ cheers!

(Happy Groundhog's day!!!)

Seattle: Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden) Locks

Among Seattle's many popular and historic tourist destinations, the Ballard locks, also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden locks, are a fascinating point of interest to fit into any visit to the city, especially if it's your first time to Seattle. For those of us who grew up in locales noticeably devoid of all this wet stuff, let alone multiple bodies of it, the concept of having to craft a place to change the water level in order to safely transport boats from different elevations of water is something to wrap your head around and a novelty to witness in the flesh. I've actually visited the locks many, many moons ago during a youthful visit to Seattle under the guise of researching the University of Washington and an art school, though now I can't remember which of them it was, as there are so many throughout the city! Visiting the locks again with Antho in tow was a lot of fun, and while the salmon wasn't yet embarking upon their seasonal run in full yet, we got to witness some wildlife in the form of a couple happy seals making laps and several different species of birds.  It was fall during our visit, but the sun was out in full force, illuminating our view along with warming our bones. These days, Seattle is buried under a blanket of snow that is growing higher as I write this. While snow isn't exactly unheard of in the region, it's certainly not common, especially not this much of it! Revisiting these photos is definitely giving me some nostalgia for those warm, sunny days strolling along the waterside, but summer will come soon enough, along with throngs of excited tourists to join you!

If it's your first visit to the locks, take your time and explore! You're well within walking distance to several landmarks worth exploring, from Commodore Park to Discovery Park across the water, there's plenty to do! On this particular visit, we opted to park at Discovery Park (it's free) and rented Lime Bikes to get around. Lime Bikes are super handy! You simply download an app, put in the requisite information and financial info, then you can scan the QR code on the back of the bike, unlock it and go! Some have electric assist to make your ride all the easier, which in a city with as many hills as Seattle can be a real lifesaver! Antho and I definitely had a lot of fun using them to explore, and we recommend it as a unique method of exploring a new city should you find them nearby!

Travel: Flight from SeaTac to Las Vegas

Travelling is one of the things that I value most highly in life, though I don't always have the means with which to pursue that passion with the regularity I'd like. For most of us, that's probably the case, otherwise, we'd all be off circumnavigating the globe instead of toiling away at our day jobs for 40 or so hours every week and society would probably cease to get things done for awhile. I know there are people who do get paid to travel, and while I admire (and envy) their lifestyles, but for me, currently, that's just not in the cards. I'll be reserving my travel to occasional weekends and work trips for now when funds allow, but I was recently lucky enough to be able to take a brief work trip to my hometown of Las Vegas. It feels like only just yesterday that Antho and I even made our journey up to Seattle, which is no small (or short) feat by automobile, and it took us three days of driving. Flying is certainly the more convenient way to get between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Las Vegas's own McCarran International Airport and only takes a few hours, time awkwardly wandering around waiting at the airport included. Given that I'll take nearly any excuse to travel, I was eager to take this opportunity and quickly agreed to fly down, even if it was only for a brief 48 hour window. I was able to see our good friend Mae, who throws some of the most ridiculously awesome parties I've ever had the pleasure to be invited to, along with our pal CeeDro, and I even got to devour some of my favorite tacos before packing it back in and departing for the Pacific Northwest yet again.

Flying from Seattle to Las Vegas is an excellent opportunity to witness some of the sheer diversity that mother nature has to offer, as you'll travel from the densely forested and mountainous regions up North to the Mojave desert's rocky, sandy expanses that are sometimes flecked with reds, purples or greens to contrast all that openness (or vice versa if you're doing the trip in reverse). During my flight, I got to witness snowy peaks, walls of clouds, the gentle transition of the landscape from one terrain into the next. I may have even squeezed in a brief nap, due to the fact I took the flight in the morning and had woken quite earlier than normal. Overall, I'm so glad I got the chance to fly down to Vegas for a few days and see some of my beloved friends once more, there's never enough time to enjoy the company of the people you enjoy!

A girl's gotta snack, and Waji's is an affordable option for a quick bite in SeaTac airport.

 Plenty more photos below!

Seattle: Gum Wall and Pike's Place at Night

Gumwall color-coordinated thanks to Arrow vape mod

Among the lexicon of places one "must see" while visiting Seattle, especially if it's their virgin visit to the Emerald City, the Gum Wall tends to pop up fairly frequently. This is probably due to a few factors: 1) the gum wall is hidden inside of Pike's Place Market, so if you're already hitting one of the other, arguably larger and more noteworthy "must see" locales, you'll be real close to this one, too and 2) it's exceptionally photogenic, whether it's for your blog (hi there) or your 'Gram. Given these things, you shouldn't exactly be surprised if you find yourself joined by a large, enthusiastic host of others taking photos at the Gum wall. Endlessly photographed, posed in front of, and contributed to, the Gum Wall is a point of fascination, abject horror, collaborative art piece, and local icon. I've gone twice now, though this is the first time I believe I've taken enough photos to really merit a blog post. Antho and I both posed, and were even in some photos together thanks to the kindness of strangers who also wanted their photos taken together. 

Personally, I'm a little skeeved out by the fact that almost every single piece of gum adhered to these surfaces was previously chomped on, hydrated by someone's saliva, and then slapped on to join the collage. Plenty of people visiting at the same time we did were clearly fine, unperturbed by that realization, but you can probably tell from my expression above that I was acutely aware of it. Obviously, the gum wall is a huge tourist destination and there's a reason for that- just, you know, be aware and maybe bring some hand sanitizer for those among us who can't resist touching all the things. While we were pretty tired by this point, we still had a fair bit of walking left to do, and I've included those photos as there's only so many photos I can take of a wall covered in gum before I start to feel a little grossed out. There's plenty of photos in this post, so don't fret- and you can always visit the gum wall yourself if you find yourself in Seattle! It's a little tricky, but there are so many guides out there that I recommend you do your research. Best of luck to you, adventurers!

Seattle: Top Pot Doughnuts and Dusk

It had been quite a long day, having explored Capitol Hill, Dog in the Park, Pike's Place Market, the Waterfront, and Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, and with the cool winds of evening rapidly sweeping in, we were ready for a hot beverage to boost our spirits. One of the better options in the area is Top Pot Doughnuts, one of the top rated spots in the region. There are several options to find them, so you don't have to go to the same one we visited, which was in a bit of an unusual location beyond an elevated walkway from the waterfront. I opted for a coffee while Antho grabbed himself a hot chocolate, and our appearance helped defuse what we can only assume was a heated conversation prior based on the brief exchanges between a flustered barista and a grumpy guy hiding behind his computer screen. Curious, but none of our business, so we stepped aside and waited in the awkward silence that flooded the space in the interim. This gave me the opportunity to take a photo of a plaque boasting of a visit from President Obama, so that's neat. I can't say it's the first time in my life that I've stumbled upon a restaurant that Obama had popped into at some point, though I think that's where our similarities probably end. He's far more educated than I am, an much better traveled, after all! 

When we got our drinks, they were quite good. Perfect little pick-me-ups for the cold evening, and the sugar in Antho's hot chocolate while the caffeine in my cappuccino served to power us through the walk back to our vehicle, which was parked in Capitol Hill. Of course, the name Capitol Hill is derived from one of the predominant features of the area- the fact it's perched atop a fairly steep hillside. We needed all the extra motivation and energy we could muster to conquer that climb, and I'm happy to report that this little stop at Top Pot Doughnuts certainly helped. While we didn't actually try any of their doughnuts on this visit, I later learned that their doughnuts are infamous and have since tried, unsuccessfully, to procure some of their doughy goods. One of these days it's gonna happen, I promise you. One of these days.