Seattle knows how to impress tourists: the beguilingly beautiful Lake Washington in the east and the majestic Mount Rainier on the horizon offer visitors a picture-perfect panorama. But in the city itself, of course, there are also a number of attractions, for example the Hellspin Casino.
PIKE PLACE MARKET: ONE OF SEATTLE’S LANDMARKS
The place to go for many visitors to Seattle is Pike Place Market, which is located in the heart of the city and has a European look. It’s a 100-year-old public market that sells fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meat, as well as crafts and antiques. Because you can buy just about anything your heart desires here, some locals also call the market “Seattle in a bottle.” A popular subject for a snapshot is the bronze pig statue of Rachel, the market’s mascot.
Another culinary hotspot is Grand Central Baking Company, an institution in the western U.S., including Seattle. The restaurant’s special treat is a creamy smoked salmon rilette served on freshly baked pumpernickel straight from the bakery. For nearly 30 years, the bakery has been providing Seattle residents with bread and rolls made from organically grown grains. The Grand Central Baking Company places great value on regionality and sustainability.
STICKY AFFAIR: THE GUM WALL
For those who wondered before entering Pike Place Market: What’s that mess on the wall? Well, it’s the Gum Wall – a giant “work of art” made of more than a million pieces of chewed gum. What’s it all about? Visitors to a theater are “guilty” of it. While waiting in line in 1993, they stuck gum on the wall out of boredom. Today, the “Gum Wall” is one of the most unhygienic sights in the world. On the 16.5-meter-wide and 2.5-meter-high surface, even small works of art such as a marriage proposal are stuck out of the saliva-covered mass. So if you want to try your hand at being a gum artist, go for it!
STROLLING THROUGH THE PIONEER SQUARE DISTRICT
Pioneer Square isn’t just the name of a plaza, it’s also the name of Seattle’s historic district. It is located on the southern edge of downtown. The approximately 20-block neighborhood is best known for its Victorian and Romanesque brick architecture, beautiful parks, museums, art galleries, restaurants and nightclubs.
The best way to explore the neighborhood is on foot. Or you can hop on one of the horse-drawn carriages and let them show you the most beautiful corners of the district. An alternative is to join one of Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour. During the 75-minute tour, visitors go underground and are shown the remains of the old city.
FORMIDABLE VIEWS FROM THE SPACE NEEDLE
Not far from Pike Place Market, the Space Needle observation tower, the Seattle Aquarium, the Museum of Pop Culture and the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) beckon. Quite a few hotspots in a small space.
The 184-meter-high Space Needle observation tower was built as the centerpiece of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and remains the city’s quintessential futuristic icon. The highlight is the world’s first and only rotating glass floor, known as The Loupe, which offers a sensational view. Nice to know: The foundation of the Space Needle weighs as much as the monument itself. In 1962, when construction began, concrete was poured into a square hole more than nine meters deep and 37 meters across, which had to be hauled in by 467 trucks. The reason for this: the architects included the possibility of earthquakes in their calculations. The Space Needle can now withstand an earthquake magnitude of 9.1.