My Alaskan Adventure Part 2 – Touring Seattle, Washington
Pike Place
Since Rene, Barb, and Justin had already toured Seattle yesterday, they agreed to take our luggage and board the ship Anthem of the Seas early. Wyatt acted as tour guide for Joyce and me and took us around Seattle. He and Barb lived in Seattle from 1987 to 1995. I gave him 8.5 stars for tour guide.
We went to Pike Place (where the original Starbucks was founded, though it’s no longer there — note to self: I need to research that). I went ham (slang for uber crazy) at Pike Place and purchased cheese, crackers, jam, and honey. Beecher’s Cheese, AJ’s Honey, and jam. Sooooo. Gooood.
Space Needle
We took the monorail to the Space Needle. It took a bit longer than usual. There were a lot of security personnel on the train. Tragically, there was a fatal accident involving a car, which we supposed had been going too fast and crashed. Lamentable.
We entered the gift shop at the Chihuly Garden and Glass, and it was the second time that day that I went ham. I purchased souvenirs for the niece and nephews. Uncle Wyatt got some things too. We are artsy-fartsy types. He’s a retired architect.
As we walked to The Pier for lunch, we observed a young man on a scooter. Barking. At us. As he scooted on by. Interesting denizens reside here in Seattle.
Fisherman’s at the Pier
At Fisherman’s, I had the chowder. They had ahhmazing sourdough bread. Uncle Wyatt had the fish ’n’ chips and Joyce had the crab melt. Yum. Mo.
Then we grabbed an Uber. Jorge, our driver, was fabulous. No unnecessary chatter, and no music. I almost fell asleep on the way to the port.
The Anthem of the Seas
After Jorge dropped us off, we trekked down the dock toward the ships. As we passed by this ship, I texted the group saying, “Is this the right ship?” Rene responded, “Yes, we’ve been downgraded!” Justin responded with a laughing emoji.
Our actual ship:
The Anthem of the Seas.
After boarding, we met up with Barb, Justin, and Rene. We ate dinner together at the buffet. Wyatt did not like the sweet potato with curry that he’d gotten. He didn’t realize it had curry in it, and it was too spicy. I tried some. It was spicy. Though I do love curry and sweet potatoes.
Casino Royale
After dinner, Barb and I went to Casino Royale because they had a brief instruction session on Blackjack, Poker, 7-Card Stud, Roulette, and Craps.
We started at Craps. I didn’t understand all of it, but someone explained that it had better odds of winning than the other games.
We also stopped by 7-Card Stud and Roulette. Barb got some of Wyatt’s money, $20.00, and bet at Roulette. She lost.
I got a non-free drink at the bar — a whiskey sour. It was $14.00. Gambling? Meh. I just don’t see the draw.
Movie Night
We went up to the pool deck to watch Togo, a movie about the first Iditarod dog sled team. The story of Togo and Seppala inspired me.
Seppala, Togo’s owner, told his disapproving father he was moving to Alaska to seek his fortune in gold. Instead, he found something better: dog sled training. He and his lead dog Togo defied all odds to run over 600 miles in 60-below weather with 50 mph winds to bring life-saving serum to children during a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska in 1925.
In New York, there is a statue dedicated to Balto, the last dog in the relay who delivered the serum. But why Balto and not Togo? The Associated Press reporter credited Balto as the champion simply because he was the last team to arrive.
In 2011, Togo was finally recognized as one of the greatest animals ever. He was also the runt of his litter, according to the film.
Togo, you are my inspiration.
