Month: January 2019

We might as well be tourists while living in Seattle

Seattle has so much to offer and last weekend we decided to be tourists in our own city. After checking out the waterfront, we headed to the Space Needle to see its remodel. The Space Needle underwent a major renovation last summer, removing the restaurant and replacing it with a rotating glass floor observation deck.

While waiting to get to the top, the lobby ramp tells the entire story of the Space Needle.

Since it’s not tourist season yet, we were able to get up to the observation tower in just a few minutes. You start at the very top and then move down to the floor below (where the restaurant used to be). Now they serve wine and beer, along with snacks and small bites (hot dogs, nachos, etc).

Amazing 360 degree views

It was absolutely beautiful last Sunday, so our views were amazing! Imagine if you were a tourist in Seattle seeing this for the first time!

After a few minutes, we both got the courage to stand on the actual glass floor. The glass bottom observation deck also rotates very slowly.

If you haven’t taken a tour yet of the newly remodeled Space Needle, I highly recommend it. It was pretty awesome and a fun thing to do. Next week, the Seattle Boat Show starts on January 25th – so stay tuned for the full tour and update on our boat search. As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney

Cheers! Scott and Ally

It’s time to say goodbye to Seattle’s Viaduct

On Friday, the last car drove across Seattle’s Viaduct as they get ready to close it after 66 years. The viaduct is a two level highway (99) that ran along Seattle’s waterfront – it has gorgeous views of Elliott Bay and DT Seattle, but it is also very old and wouldn’t last in a major earthquake.

A tunnel will replace the viaduct, which is set to open around mid-February after eight years of construction. There is a lot of history and politics behind the tunnel, as not everyone agreed with replacing the viaduct with a toll tunnel that offers less lanes. Read more about there here.

Exploring Seattle’s Waterfront

The weather was gorgeous this weekend, with record temps reaching almost 60 degrees. So Scott and I decided to head down to Seattle’s waterfront to get some exercise, soak up some sun near the water and see what the viaduct looks like now.

The first thing we noticed, was how QUIET the waterfront is now that there are not thousands of cars driving on the viaduct. The scenery was beautiful as we walked from pier to pier. One thing we miss the most about not owning the boat anymore, is spending time on Elliott Bay.

Wings over Washington

There are two attractions on Pier 57, Wings of Washington and the Great Wheel.

I’m terrified of heights, so I have no desire to ever go on the Great Wheel. But we did decide to check out Wings of Washington. It was very cool, but not for the faint of heart. You are strapped in and then the seats go up into the air and you experience an aerial adventure over Washington State. It lasts about 10 minutes, which is about all I could handle!

From there, we walked up to Pike Place Market to see what the viaduct looked like from above.

It really is surreal to have no cars flying by. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. One thing Scott and I love about living in DT Seattle, is being a tourist for the day. We truly live in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Tomorrow we’re planning on spending the day on Lake Union, so stay tuned! Thank you for following us. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter too @BoatingJourney

Cheers! Scott and Ally