We went back to the monorail. This time we had a short wait for one to arrive. While we were waiting, a rather large school group arrived. This would have been a very full monorail if they had got on as there were other people waiting as well. When the monorail came the adults with the school group announced that they would not be getting on this monorail and asking them to step back. When we got on the monorail, we realised that the seats right next to the driver were empty. It has always been my dream to ride in the driver's cab of a monorail. Unfortunately this is no longer and option at Walt Disney World and I have not been able to pull this off yet at
Disneyland. This was not quite the same as the monorail is open plan, but it was still pretty amazing and we got at fantastic view.
When we arrived back in the city centre, we headed off towards the Pike Place Market, as there was something else there that I really wanted to visit. The original Starbucks store is in this area. I have to admit I do have a bit of a Starbucks habit and the baristas at my local Starbucks do not only welcome me by name, but also know precisely what I like and how I like it. So I really could not go to Seattle and not go where everything started. We noticed very soon that San Francisco is not the only place with steep hills. The hill that we had to go down to get to Pike Place Market is quite something. As soon as we were in front of Pike Place Market, Graham spotted the brown Starbucks sign. There was a Barbershop Quarter singing just outside the store entertaining the people waiting. This must be the smallest Starbucks store that I have ever seen. It is strictly take away only and they only sell drinks and various souvenirs, but no food. The line looked quite impressive, but moved very quickly. I got a Green Tea Frappuccino and got an Americano for Graham. Graham was surprised how quickly I was out again.
We took our drinks and wandered around Pike Place Market. Initially it very much reminded me of the craft market at Covent Garden in London with the same mix of arts and crafts and souvenirs. However, as we walked further, we came across the food market. Even though I hate fish and can't stand the smell normally, I was fascinated by the fish stalls where the fishmongers where throwing the fish from one person to the other. There was also just about any type of produce known to humankind represented there. They also had my favourite cherries, Rainier Cherries. I had totally forgotten that they come from Washington State. One of the regrets that I have about this trip is that I did not get any. It would have been great to try them as fresh as they come.
Once we had finished our drinks and had seen enough of the market, we decided to go for a wander in the surrounding area. On our travels we came across another branch of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and this was more like what I was used to. I bought some goodies to enjoy later and then I re-joined Graham. Shortly afterwards we came across a staircase leading down to the seafront. We decided to check this out. There is not actually much there. The Seattle Aquarium can be found there, as can little park areas and eventually you reach the port. There was something in the port that attracted my interest. While we were in Alaska we followed around a smaller cruise ship called the Regatta. I had never been able to figure out which cruise line this ship belongs to. So we decided to enter the terminal and ask. This is an Oceania ship. We also made a quick bathroom stop and then we used their lift to get back up to the level of the city centre.
By this time, we were ready for something to eat. At this point we realised that for all its charm, Seattle is a rather strange city. We could not find any restaurants. The only restaurant that we could find at all was P. F. Chang's China Bistro and neither of us fancied this. I tried to find a wireless hotspot to see what else there was around and we were intercepted by one of the security guards from the shopping mall. We asked him if he knew of any restaurants in the area serving American food. He was not sure and radioed somebody. The best he could come up with was a steakhouse that was so far away that we would need a bus to get there. So we decided to give up on this project and find something to eat closer to the hotel.
When we were on the Link that morning, Graham had spotted a sign for a Restaurant Mile near Columbia City station. So we decided to check this out. Columbia City is very much in the category "Leafy Suburbs", which was just as well as it was at least a mile to get from the station to the Restaurant Mile. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from covering just about every region of the world. The one thing we could not find was any American food. In the end we settled on Mexican food.
The restaurant was called El Sombrero and seemed to be a genuine neighbourhood restaurant. It was a little bit dark and the decor was a little suspect, but the service was great and the food was delicious. It was also great value. As soon as we were seated, we were brought some freshly cooked corn chips with the most amazing salsa. It was quite thin, but full of flavour. We both had some water. Graham had a Corona and I had a Margarita on the rocks that easily made it into my top 5. Graham fancied a steak and went with marinated flank steak, salad and fries. I was struggling to make up my mind between three different dishes, but in the end went with the Chicken Mole Poblano with Mexican Rice, refried beans and corn tortillas. I could not believe the size of those plates. Even though we had not eaten a great deal that day and had plenty of exercise, neither of us could quite finish our food.
The walk back to the station was a bit of a challenge considering how stuffed we were. One thing amused us though. There were two kinds animals I had hoped to see in Alaska, but did not succeed in doing: orcas and huskies. While we were waiting at traffic lights, a woman came past with a husky. We both had to laugh. We had been all over southeast Alaska and I never saw a husky only to see one in the suburbs of Seattle.
We had discussed going for a swim in the hotel pool when we got back, but decided to give the food a chance to settle first. I went online on my iPad and Graham ended up falling asleep. So in the end we never got our swim that evening. Once I had checked my emails and caught up with Facebook, I checked out the restaurant options for the next day and then I settled down for the night as well.