Seattle Central Library
Our sightseeing tour through downtown Seattle began at the Central Library. The eleven-story, 34,000 m² glass and steel building was designed by architects Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus in the Deconstructivist style and opened in 2004. (Source: Wikipedia.de)
The street and the activity around it are reflected in the library's differently oriented glass facades. A truly amazing building. Before entering the library, we both noticed the large number of homeless people in Seattle for the first time. Sad!
Seattle: Pike Place Market
We then headed to Pike Place Market. We quickly found a parking spot on the street, it had a parking meter, but it was still considerably cheaper than the parking garages.
The selection of fish, vegetables, fruit, and flowers at the Farmers Market, which opened in 1907, is truly enormous. Some vendors put on a show, similar to the kind of hawking you'd find at a market in Germany. We were also surprised by the low prices. A large, colorful bouquet of flowers cost less than $10.
Seattle: Gum Wall
In an alley directly below Pike Place Market, we found the Gum Wall. Here, in 1993, people started sticking their chewing gum to the wall around the Market Theater's box office. After theater employees removed all the gum twice, they finally gave up. Since 1999, the Wall of Gum has been one of Seattle's tourist attractions. We couldn't stand being in the alley for more than five minutes, though. The various types of gum still smell so intensely sweet that we almost felt sick.
Spreewald pickles in Seattle
On our way back to our rental car, we strolled through the international district along Pike Street. There we found, among other things, a shop selling German products. They had everything from Paulaner beer and meat to Knorr instant mixes. So, if you're ever in Seattle and just fancy biting into a Spreewald pickle, this is the place to go. The large jar costs $9, though. Right next door to "Bavarian Meats" is the beginning of a global coffee chain: Starbucks. Aside from the fact that the place was packed with Asians, they served the exact same coffee as in any other Starbucks. Nothing special there.
