Walking Fast {around Alki}
Day 2 of the Gina/Greta adventure week! Tuesday came with the first day of classes for me and a morning to explore for Gina. I don't really know what she did....but I can tell you that I was stuck in a boiling hot lab room. Anyway, once I was done with class, we decided to head across Elliot Bay and tour Alki Beach.
Our bus travels took us to Pioneer Square station which I will admit is quite lovely for an area of public transportation. Since we had a bit of time before the next ferry, we hit a few stores around Pioneer Square.
First stop was a little store called Fleurt with the most adorable knick knacks and decor to complete your home. Gina and I fawned over the jewelry and succulents while the lady working complimented us on our tan skin (she was so sweet!).
After strolling through Fleurt, we made our way over to Ebbets Field Flannel, a clothing store specializing in vintage jerseys, hats, and shirts (mainly baseball, hockey and football) and recommended by Dad (more like "you two need to check this place out for me") . Literally one of the coolest stores I've ever been in. It felt like I was stepping back in time and into the height of sports logo designs.
This Quebec Aces hockey jersey was my favorite. It's the ultimate throwback.
Of course, we realized we were running short on time and practically ran over to the ferry building only to find out that the Alki water taxi is on the next pier over. There was all sorts of construction and random detours on our way down to Pier 50, but we some how made it on time. I credit the awkward speed-walk/run we had going on.
On the water taxi, we were treated to a magnificent view of the Seattle skyline and quick 15 minute ride to Alki. What a speedy little boat!
Now this was my first time to Alki Beach and I had absolutely no idea what there was to do. After doing a brief google search, I found a lighthouse located on tip of the west end. According to the map, it was about two miles away from where we were, EASY!
It was a pleasant walk...for the first mile. Gina and I failed to take heat, length of the whole trip (which ended up being about five miles roundtrip), and foot-wear into account. Basically, we were sweating and hungry the whole time. But it was a scenic walk along the water and the Alki Beach Park offered some gorgeous views.
Once we had reached the lighthouse, we found a gate along the perimeter and realized it was still in use, aka NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Just our luck! Something similar had happened to us when we tried to go to Volunteer Park back in February. I guess in the afternoon on weekends, there are tours, but this was just a normal Tuesday. With that crushing blow, we sulked/laughed our way back to the water taxi.
And it just wouldn't be a proper Grainda travel day if we didn't hit another Seattle landmark! Gina and I hopped on the bus and went straight up to Queen Anne for Kerry Park. But me being me, and not really having had lunch, I forced Gina to have an early dinner at Via Tribunali, a rustic Italian restaurant in the area. Now out of everyone in my family, Gina is the worst person to split a pizza with (face the cold, hard truth Gina)...she doesn't really like mushrooms, olives, or seafood. Good thing they have an extensive menu.
We ended up ordering an Insalata di Caesar and Prosciutto Crudo (prosciutto + mozzarella + basil + grana padano) pizza to split. Frankly, we just gobbled it all up.
And no dinner is complete without Molly Moon's Ice Cream which happened to be right next door! From Molly Moon's, we walked three short blocks to Kerry Park and enjoy our ice cream. We definitely turned some heads with our large cones and loads of tourists asked where we bought them from.
We attempted to eat our ice cream, although there was little debacle; Gina managed to get some on her shirt and eyebrow and I ended up as a complete mess when my ice cream somehow took a nose dive from my cone all over my legs. Gina, being the awesome sister she is, took multiple photos of me before handing over a tissue.
We finished our cones and admired a different perspective of the skyline. Even Mt. Rainier came out to say hello.
Days like these remind me to really appreciate Seattle.