Day two in Seattle. The highlight of the day is the Future of Flight and Boeing Factory Tour. This place is located somewhere north west of Seattle. We had always wanted to visit the world famous Boeing but did not managed to do that because Nanzaro did not meet the minimum height requirement for the tour.

The Future of Flight is a Aviation Museum but more importantly it is the starting point of the Boeing Tour. We bought the entrance tickets online before the Seattle trip to make sure we have the time secured. You can try to walk in and get the tickets but on some days they are so popular that there are no tours available.

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It was a long first day in Seattle. There were a lot of walking and were quite tired by the end of the day. We had managed to try lots of food though which was a good thing.

On the way back to the hotel, I wanted to go look for the famous Fremont Troll and take a few pictures.

The Fremont Troll is located under the Aurora Bridge on N 36th and Troll Ave. It’s just by a quiet neighborhood with really narrow roads. Although the street is completely parked with cars, getting a spot is easy. It is because there are so many tourist who just come, take pictures and go.

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Suanne and I must have a cuppa every morning. For some reason, we had never really liked the coffee from Starbucks. If we wanted coffee, we would head to Tim Horton’s.

While we were still in the Pike Place Market, we thought we make a visit to the first Starbucks outlet. This is (almost) where the it all began, where the first of trillions of cups were served. For coffee lovers, I guess visiting the first Starbucks is like a pilgrimage.

I said this is “almost” the first Starbucks. The actual first Starbucks is located just 500 ft from this shop. In many ways, this outlet can be considered as the first Starbucks. You see, when Starbucks were first opened in the earlier location, they only sold coffee beans and equipment for about 11 years. It was only after they moved to this location that the first cup coffee was brewed.

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There is never a lack of eating places in the Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Everywhere you turn, you will come across food from every corner of the world and all of them seems so authentic.

We came across this small little dank looking shop and had a long queue of customers. The queue was so long that it spilled out to the sidewalk. Well, with a line that long, this place would certainly be something.

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You never believe how hilly Seattle is sometimes. I’ll always be reminded that it’s a long way up from the Waterfront to The Pike Place Market in our previous trips. That was when we did not realize that there were actually lifts that we could use.

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After a nice nap on board the Argosy Cruise, I was all ready for our first real meal. Top on our list for a meal at the Seattle Waterfront is the Crab Pot. This is quite unlike any Seafood restaurant that we had ever been before … and certainly a meal that is unforgettable.

The Crab Pot is located on Pier 57 … just a stone throw away from the Argosy Cruise and the Seattle Aquarium. Anyway, Pier whatever, if it’s on the waterfront, you will be able to find it. The Waterfront is not a long stretch … almost all the main attractions are located on a 1/2 mile stretch or so.

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We went next for the cruise. It’s called the Argosy Cruise.

We used the CityPass for this cruise. Let me tell you, again, that when you are visiting Seattle you simply must get the citypass. You get quite a bit of savings. For instance, the 1 hr Seattle Harbor Cruise costs $21.75 but with the CityPass which costs only $44, you get entrances to four other premier tourist spots too. The CityPass covers the basic 1-hour harbour cruise but you have the option to upgrade to other Argosy’s cruises.

We boarded the cruise from Pier 55 on Seattle’s Waterfront. For some reason, I felt all tired that when we got onto the ship. I guess I was just all tired from the hecticness of the day before. The seats were so comfortable, guess what, I fell asleep for the entire duration of the cruise! But Suanne and they boys had a great time and took a lot of pictures.

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Ivar’s appears to be steeped in history in Seattle. For one, we have heard that Ivar’s had been sponsoring the Seattle’s 4th of July fireworks display for over 40 years without fail. Since even before World War II, Ivar had been known for their award winning fish-and-chips in Seattle’s waterfront.

We had some time after the Aquarium before we get on the harbor cruise and decided that we go get a little something to eat. We did not want to take a full meal for sure because we had planned for a seafood lunch. So, we headed to the Ivar’s Fish Bar.

I find it unique that Ivar had food outlets to cater for all people. For instance, they have 25 seafood bars like these ones above which is largely a takeout place. They also have fast food like outlets peppered all over the city. Morever, they also very established full service restaurants like Acres of Clams, the Salmon House and Mukilteo Landing.

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The best place to start exploring Seattle is no where but the Seattle Waterfront. This is where a number of attractions were located within walking distance. The bad thing about this place is that park is so exorbitantly expensive. We paid something like $15 for parking the a good part of the day.

Since the Seattle Aquarium opens early (at 9:30AM), we decided to start off with this place.

The Seattle Aquarium is located Pier 59 on Seattle’s Waterfront. It had recently underwent some expansion but despite the expansion one could complete the tour within 1-2 hours max.

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We stayed in the Comfort Inn and Suites along Aurora Ave N. It is just about 10 minutes drive to downtown Seattle. We have been staying around that area each time we go to Seattle because of the proximity to Seattle and more importantly, the room rates are not sky high.

The rooms were very comfortable and clean. We actually have a great room. We, and Suanne in particular, just can’t stand second hand smoke. That’s why the first thing we do when we open the room door is to have a whiff of the air. This one is good. It seems like the hotel had just recently refurbished.

For the first day, we decided to try the free breakfast in the hotel. We like this one because they have a decent breakfast area with proper tables and chairs. Some of the hotels I had been too forces you to carry the breakfast to your room to eat.

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