Today’s port of call was Seattle, Washington. By the time the Volendam began sailing onto Elliott Bay, it was obvious it was going to be a beautiful day without rain or fog. Although the temperature was 46 degrees upon arrival, it warmed up to 64 degrees by noon time. The humidity was 60% with 12.7 mph winds. The ship docked at Pier 66 before 7am and tied up starboard side. This was the first time ever we have been at this convenient pier as it is usually saved for the larger cruise ships like NCL. Shortly after docking, the ship was bunkering fuel. And better yet, deliveries were being brought to the pier to replenish the ship’s stores and supplies. We sure hope they remembered to order Greek yogurt, among a few other things.
And because the Holland America Line offices are located in Seattle, a group of the executives and the President, Beth Bodensteiner, boarded the ship and will stay on until San Diego. They have planned a series of events beginning with a Port Plaque Exchange with the Port of Seattle at 4pm today. There will also be a sail away celebration at the same time at the Seaview Pool with free sparkling wine and special appetizers. We have heard of select breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in the following sea days as well as a presentation by Beth with an overview of their 2028 Grand Voyages. Following the speech, she will have a Q and A session. As for us, we have been invited to a lunch with our travel group on May 1st and a cocktail party and Pinnacle Grill dinner on the same day. This will be the evening for the President’s Club members to witness the induction of some new members.
There were some tours offered here today, but they appeared to be for the in transit Th guests with later flights. Small bites on the Bay and Pike Market was 3 hours for $130. The best of Seattle was 4 hours and $150, while a ride on the Hop On – Hop Off bus was 1.5 hours for $65. A tour up the Space Needle was 2.5 hours and $185, and a drive to Woodinville Valley with wine tasting and a simple lunch was 5 hours and $220.
We left the ship after 10am and headed into the huge terminal, which was all new to us. The way out did not have any maps or info like you usually see in other ports. The ship’s map left a lot to be desired, so we asked a local fellow directing traffic near the terminal how to get to the Public Market Center. Oddly enough, he did not know but pointed in the general direction to walk. Then we happened to talk to an elderly lady walking her cute little dog how to get to Pike Market. She said we could all take the lift that crossed the road and we would be heading in the right direction.
Well, that took us straight uphill on Bell St. for many blocks and into an area where we saw a lot of homeless people. Most were sleeping on the sidewalks and against buildings and doorways. If there were ever city benches here, they are all gone. A large number of businesses and stores were closed and for rent. It was sad to see how a nice district could go downhill that fast. We turned right on 3rd Ave. and finally spotted the Public Market Center down another street. In hindsight, we should have walked up Alaskan Way along the waterfront and taken a lift there across the street. Hindsight is aways 20/20, right? Now we know and hope to remember if we come here again someday.
The Pike Place Market had some signage as we neared the streets close to it. Some of the streets were closed to traffic, which has become a controversy among the locals. The tourists prefer the closed streets since they are responsible for much of the profits made here. Did you know that cruise ship travelers alone bring $1.2 billion to the local economy. Much of it is spent here. On the other hand, locals come here to this public market to buy groceries and have a hard time parking far away, or picking up people.
This Public Market Center is an historic 9 acres of 500 plus small independent businesses. Broken down, there are 220 shop and restaurant venues, 75 of which are restaurants and eateries. There are 190 buskers or street artists that have to pay an annual fee of $35 to perform here. There are 160 crafts people, 80 farmers, and artisanal vendors. In addition, there are 450 residents in affordable housing along with 5 social services onsite. A very busy place indeed.
We wandered around some of the venues and cafes selling pastries, piroshkis, BBQ pork, cheeses, and mini cheesecakes to name a few. Numerous venues were selling smoked salmon jerky, fish chowders, fresh produce, fresh-caught fish and plenty of ice cream counters. There were too many souvenir shops to count where they were selling artwork, antiques, jewelry, and trinkets by the 1000’s. One-of-a-kind handmade crafts and plenty of flowers were for sale.
There were some bars, theaters, and cocktail lounges – one of which we searched for without any luck. The restaurant we were looking for was called the Alibi Room where they had a wood-fired oven for pizza. We were directed to find the Gum Wall, which literally is a tunnel-like pathway with walls of sticky already chewed gum stuck all over it. Yuck, it was rather a disgusting sight to see although colorful. Instead of turning right from the alleyway we came from, we turned left and down the entire length of Post Alley, named after the first post office that was here.
We ended up at the street level and figured we missed it. No way were we walking back to the market….we had seen enough. But the good thing was we were right across from the main Alaskan Way and the waterfront. We took some time to relax on a large picnic table directly across from the Seattle Great Wheel ($21 for seniors and a 7 – 10 minute ride) and other attractions such as the Wings Over Washington, a virtual ride ($22 for seniors) and the Salish Sea Tour for 1.5 hours and a $32 boat ride.
Directly across from the benches was Miners Landing, we believe is an old pier and warehouse remodeled with many venues inside. One of the eateries was the Crab Pot Restaurant, which was much larger than we expected. Naturally, they specialize in seafood, but they also had cheeseburgers on their menu. A big plus was seeing Mud pie on the menu…that was it. We got a table sort of inside, but on a covered patio. We ordered Stella draft beers and one colossal cheeseburger with fries to share. We ended the meal with one generous slice of Mud pie, making our day once again. It was almost as much fun watching the surrounding diners with their mallets hammering the large crab legs. Quite amusing. Quite messy. This restaurant reminded us of Bubba Gump’s.
We walked slowly back to the terminal, taking in the warmth of the Seattle sun, which we have never seen. We passed the remodeled Aquarium and Anthony’s Seafood Restaurant that was the closest to Pier 66. We are certain many cruise buddies ate here this afternoon. We located the entrance to the terminal where we went through security and xray. There was no facial recognition here. And oddly enough, there was a stand full of maps and brochures we could have used before heading into town. We still helped ourselves to the information-laden maps and booklets. They come in handy with writing the report.
There was a sail away with free sparkling wine and appetizers rubbing shoulders with the HAL reps. There was a plaque exchange with the Port of Seattle during the sail away on the Seaview Pool deck. Knowing how crowded it would be, we did not attend. The second the word “free” is involved everyone and their brother shows up.
Back on the ship before 4pm, we waited for the Captain to talk, which happened later than usual. At 5:40pm, he announced that a crew member needed to be medically debarked and taken to a hospital. He said once the person was taken off, the lines would be dropped, which happened by 6pm. With no more follow-up, we had scenic sailing for several hours as we left Elliott Bay and sailed along the coastline of Vancouver Island. We did spot the peaks of Mt. Rainier peeking out of the clouds. Just majestic.
Dinner was good with one shrimp cocktail and one seafood cocktail. The difference? One had scallops and one did not. We each had Caesar salads and the entree of pork medallions with lingonberry sauce and smashed sweet potatoes. Our meals have been arriving piping hot and tasting much better. Desserts were some vanilla ice cream and a sliced banana.
The entertainment was vocalist Craig a Meyer, an Elton John experience. Bet it was good. And Boys in the Boat was the Wajang movie. Missed that one too.
We will have three days at sea now with events planned by the HAL reps onboard.
Bill & Mary Ann
