First Time in Seattle - Day 2.

Before coming to Seattle, I did my research on what I would want to see. The CityPASS was an excellent option for someone who wants to see all touristy things at once.

CityPASS admission included:
Space Needle
Seattle Aquarium
Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) OR Woodland Park Zoo
Chihuly Garden and Glass OR Pacific Science Center

My day started with a coffee before a pre-booked visit to the top of the Space Needle. Somehow instead of my plain latte, I got someone else's vanilla latte, sweet as... vanilla, so feeling full after it, I opted to skip breakfast.

There was no line at the Space Needle this early in the morning. My slot was for 9 AM, and I walked straight in. The elevator ride was dizzying, literally I was a bit nauseous after getting off the elevator. The views made up for it.

Both the top and bottom decks offered a 360 view of Seattle. The top deck was outside, the bottom just a level down enclosed from the outside. The see-through flooring captivated and a bit scared me, but through the lens of the camera I was able to view the drop under my feet. The floor of the bottom level moved slowly, and the feeling was rather strange as if your balance is slightly off. I remember a similar feeling when I had dinner at CN Tower in Toronto. The floor there rotated as well and in the beginning I wondered if I could even swallow a bite without getting sick. It turned out alright in both cases.

My next stop was Museum of Pop Culture. I must admit, I enjoyed its quirky atmosphere and odd exhibits quite a bit.

It had 3 floors with music exhibits on the ground and second floors and a movies exhibit on the lower level. I loved the unique rooms with chopped off heads in horror-themed hallways; the music added a fear factor to the whole atmosphere. Unfortunately, the group of young kids were screaming so loudly, it took away the pleasure of being scared right there and then leaving me with a desire to scream right back at them. Would not be mature of me... Ah, maturity is overrated anyway!

After finishing up with the museum, I went to grab an early lunch and was so happy to discover that Artisan Cafe had croissant with smoked salmon. It was exactly what I was looking for!

My next stop was Chihuly Garden and Glass. What an amazing museum! While I don't have great appreciation for art, I spent there close to an hour mesmerized with the details of glass sculptures.

The outdoor are was just as beautiful. I asked one of the employees how they clean the sculptures, and she said with some sort of compressed air several times a week. I guess it makes sense they don't wipe these by hand...

After the glass museum, I went to see what the Olympic Sculpture Park looked like. While it was not nearly as impressive as any of the attractions above, it was a rather peaceful place in the middle of Seattle.

I continued walking along the shoreline and passed through Myrtle Edwards Park into Centennial Park. The path just kept going, and so did I.

Eventually, I decided to go back to Pier 55 to reserve my ticket with Argosy Cruises for the Harbor Tour the next day. I grabbed a Greek yogurt sold at Pike Place Market's Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt and a pirozhok at a Russian-inspired bakery, which didn't stand up to my authentically Russian (well, Belarusian...) expectations.

I also tried Rachel's Ginger Beer based on my friend's recommendation. It was packed with people, but with quick service I was holding an ice cold glass with original ginger beer mixed with some hard liquor. Even with my love of ginger, the drink was spicy and extremely gingery.

After satisfying my hunger and thirst, I finally got to the Pier and picked a time slot for the next morning to go on a harbor tour. Since I was right next to Seattle Aquarium (also part of CityPASS), I decided to just check it out today instead of my planned visit the following day.

It was packed with screaming children filled with excitement and inconsiderate adults filled with egoism carelessly touching little fish who just wanted to peacefully swim in open tanks of water. I can't say what was worse...

I barely spent there half an hour especially after seeing usually free sea lions stuck in aquariums. The sign said that they are not required to do tricks, but the idea of wildlife being trapped in a glass container made me sick.

I left the fish zoo and felt I needed an ice cream. I later enjoyed a slow sunset with a baby rabbit peacefully eating grass, so much better than any zoo. Wildlife should stay in the wild.

The day was coming to an end, and after a solo dinner at a restaurant....

...my plan was to head back to the Space Needle to get a glimpse of the night Seattle, but after seeing the line, I decided to skip it. I was tired... I looked at my step tracker counting over 35,000 steps. It was time to catch the next train and head back to my rental.

First Time in Seattle - Day 1

I have been to Maine, Florida and California - three of the four "corners" of the main US. I had to finally visit the fourth one. Seattle has been on my mind on and off. I have heard people say interesting things about it, and Frasier was based there, so why not?!

I decided that three days would be sufficient to cover main areas of Seattle. I planned for a few weeks and finally came up with a schedule to fly out on Friday evening, spend there the weekend and Monday, and on Tuesday take a 6 AM flight back with the intention to go straight to work. Ambitious? You bet, when you only have limited time off at work.

Indeed, I landed in Seattle at 8.30 PM and took the Light Rail (Link) to my AirBnb. I have to note that signage for the Link was amazing, so I had no hesitation about where to go at the airport. I enjoyed public transportation in Seattle. It was efficient and inexpensive, clean and convenient with strategically positioned throughout downtown Seattle stops.

View from Sea-Tac Airport Link station

Othello Stop

My second day was going to be fully packed with activities, so I went to bed as soon as I checked in my AirBnb.

Bedford Peak Trail

What a better way to spend the day after another earthquake in California than go for a hike in the mountains?! I know what you are going to say, "Why didn't you go hiking DURING the earthquake?" Well, apparently, it's not that easy to predict when it's going to happen, hence the hike happens the day after.

All jokes aside, yesterday there was another earthquake, stronger that on July 4th. I certainly felt it this time, and Kitty crouched unsure of why the apartment is trembling. While I did not feel any aftershocks, they are happening, just on a smaller scale in my area, and because of that hiking is not to be canceled.

Bedford Peak Trail is one of the more popular trails in Silverado, CA, a quaint town with 25 mi/hr speed limit. It's rated as moderate due to elevation gain of over 2,000 ft and 7.5 miles in length round trip. There is a small parking lot right across from the visitor center (5-6 cars at most), some street parking and another parking lot at the trail head. Adventure Pass or America The Beautiful pass is required, although I highly doubt that anyone from the park services comes here to ticket people, it is indeed quite remote.

There is a small stream crossing on the way to the trail head. I found it rather cute!

This is as much water as I saw on this hike. The elevation gain starts slowly and is hidden in several switchbacks along the mountain. The trail is narrow and overgrown, so pants are preferable (well, I wore something close to that).

It gets really beautiful fast. After the first half a mile I could already see the open view of the mountains still somewhat hidden in the shade in the early morning (yep, I had to get up at 5 am yet again...). The sooner you start, the more comfortable you shall be on a hot day.

Wildflowers are still plentiful, even with no rain for weeks. It's incredible how nature thrives with so little water.

As I reached the top, the trail continued along the ridge offering almost 360 views.

Bedford Peak itself was merely a sign, not very impressive, but a hike towards it is quite breathtaking.

The descent, as always, was rather pleasant, although I had to use my head net again because of the insects buzzing around and landing wherever the heck they wanted. No more of that!

Fresno Canyon Trail

Fresno... Again... Luckily, this time it is still in SoCal. Fresno Canyon Trail is a less than original name for a canyon. Can't they figure something new out? On the other hand, it by no means reminded me of the city of Fresno.

Located near Corona, CA, the trail is rated as "Hard" on AllTrails. I found it challenging due to elevation gain, but I didn't go that far to consider it hard. The sky was cloudy when I started, a typical morning for "June Gloom" in SoCal (yes, I know, it's not June anymore, but the weather has not got the message yet). It was rather pleasant, and the hills did not feel as difficult.

It started to clear out as I was approaching the second mile. And the hills continued...

I found a few cool plants...

On the way back, the sun was really out, and I was happy to be going downhill. While I could have extended this hike further, I felt 4 miles round trip with 1,100 ft elevation gain was a perfect beginning of July 4th.

As I finished my grocery shopping after the hike, I felt an earthquake swaying my car sideways. What a weird experience in California, and my first one!

Catalina Island - Hiking Hermit Gulch Trail

I finally decided to make a bucket list of all travel destinations that I would like to see in my lifetime (preferably sooner, rather than later). Whether I can cover as much territory as my heart desires is yet to be determined, but "a dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true." So I am going to start with a dream by writing it down and then come up with a date. Small steps...

Catalina Island wasn't really a dream or a goal or even a desirable destination to visit until someone mentioned it to me. What sold it to me is the boat ride! About an hour away by a ferry, the island is a getaway destination for exhausted Orange County and LA residents. It offers a somewhat tropical atmosphere with Caribbean features and Hawaiian hiking. Am I exaggerating? Probably. I guess it's been a while since I explored the tropics.

The logistics of the trip was uncomplicated although I was a bit concerned about parking. Street parking is hard to come by, and the day use parking lot is $24. We were pretty lucky to find something just a few blocks away from the ferry. The ferry departed Newport Beach promptly at 9 AM as the boat slowly sailed away from the harbor. When in the open ocean, the boat sped up and we could finally feel the breeze. I could not resist to go up on the top deck to see the full view of the ocean, and after taking a few videos and successfully getting nauseous headed back down to sit in misery staring at the horizon. It helped a bit, but I was happy to feel the solid ground under my feet upon arrival. Small things that make you happy.

In addition to AllTrails app, I researched Catalina Island hiking trails on several websites, but my favorite was this one. The trail head to Hermit Gulch Trail was 35 minutes away from the harbor, so we got to walk through the town observing lives of local residents unfolding right before us. It did not seem like California for some reason.

It was getting hot. As we hiked uphill (a decent 2 mile steady climb to over 1,300 ft), I felt like I was cheated by the weather people who promised a high of 68 degrees. I could see heat emanating from the ground, my shirt was soaked with sweat. I felt like I needed a shower, but knew it was a dream that is to be delayed in coming to fruition at least till the evening.

The breeze was slightly noticeable as we reached the top, and the views of the island really opened up in every direction I looked. Ocean on one side, ocean on the other side - an unforgettable moment.

After a short break on the top, we started the descent. It's always good to hike with a companion. Somehow even a tough hike seems less of a challenge. The hike downhill is even more pleasant, just put one foot in front of the other, and there you are at the foothills already.

We also stumbled across Wrigley Memorial on the way out, and I took a few pictures of the tile, bronze front door and the view. It looked pretty...

Finally, back in town, we stopped by a casino, but decided against taking a tour. After a hot day, who the heck wants to be stuck inside admiring art and history?