Salish Lodge and Snoqualmie Falls – Day 5

20 May 2023

I just haven’t had any luck with food this trip. I had reservations for 6 pm at The Dining Room and I checked in with the hostess at 5:57 pm. She said my table would ready in a moment. Four other couples checked in after I did and they were all seated first. The restaurant was busy but when I was eventually seated at 6:20, there were plenty of empty tables that could have sat me. Maybe they were paying me back for not meeting my reservation on Wednesday night.

When I looked at the menu, absolutely nothing attracted me, particularly not the dishes I already sampled. The prices were ridiculous. I got up and left and headed into historic Snoqualmie.

I ended up at Buckshot Honey, a BBQ place. I ordered pulled pork sandwich with collard greens and baked beans with the day’s lager. All for only $44 + tip. It was pretty tasteless and I ended up eating the pork and a few sips of the beer.

Hopefully, Seattle will offer better fare.

The lodge has certainly picked up in traffic and guests. The valet parking was backed up and it looks like there are a lot of people spending the weekend. The lodge is nice but I probably would not stay here again if the opportunity arose. The staff are helpful for the most part, The Dining Room experience tonight notwithstanding, but it’s not worth the money.

I checked out of the lodge around 8 am and headed west to Seattle. Amazingly, traffic was light and I zipped into the city without any traffic snarls. I valet parked at the Paramount and left my luggage (too early for the room) and sat out to explore Seattle.

The desk clerk pointed me in the direction of the public market, often called Pikes Market even though Pikes is just one of many, many shops in the market. The place was packed.

I did eventually find Pikes and I had just walked away to buy some donuts for breakfast when someone, from the roar of the crowd, must have thrown a fish.

From the market, I headed down to the pier area and saw saw Seattle’s version of the “eye” and saw the Norwegian Bliss, a massive cruise ship.

From there I walked up Bell Street to 4th Ave and headed to the Space Needle. On the way there I saw the reflection of the needle in the windows of a building.

It didn’t look too busy so I walked up to the ticket window and asked if I could go in even though I had 2 pm reservations. She changed the ticket and into line I went. It was longer than I anticipated but they moved you through very efficiently. They certainly have learned how to do this over the years.

One up on the observation deck, I took a few photos and then went down one level and had lunch. You could order “bites” and a cocktail and sit while the revolving part of the needle changed the scenes for you.

What was neat was sitting at the table and watching the “restaurant” turn.

At first, you think you are sitting still and the glass wall is turning to the left.

In reality, when you look through the glass floor below you, you see the needle is turning to the right.

From the needle, I headed down to the Chihuly museum. I’ve seen his exhibits at Fairchild (twice) and his museum in St. Pete (once) and now the museum in his home base of Seattle. These were some of his most impressive pieces I’ve seen. All the better since I got $10 off my ticket with my Space Needle ticket.

I left Chihuly and looked for the entrance to the monorail.

I remember when the monorail was built and it was one of the first of its kind in the states. It opened on March 24, 1962, one month before the Seattle Worlds. Fair. Disney was first with their monorail in July 14, 1959 and it was the first in the U.S. Senior tickets in Seattle are $1.75 and it has only one – stop in downtown Seattle.

Seattle reminds me a lot of San Francisco in both temperature and walkability. I did over 3 miles today and it seemed much less.

Certain neighborhoods around the needle remind me of some of the broad boulevards of Paris.

One year in Paris I somehow found myself on Rue Lauriston, southwest of the Arc de Triomphe. They had unbelievably wide sidewalks along each side of the street with very cute apartments lining the street.

Once I got back to the hotel, a little after noon, I checked to see if my room was ready and it was. I will shower, rest, read, and then around 9 or 10 head to SeaTac for my red eye home.

Other than poor, expensive food, it’s been a great trip. I loved the hiking and the waterfalls. I can see myself coming back to this area for more hikes and more waterfalls.

Stay tuned!