Travel Blog 2025/7 (pt.2)

King street train station, near the Chinatown

July 18, 2025 – That was a day without doing much. Since the Chinatown was in a walkable distance, I went to a dim sum restaurant there for a brunch. It would be so much better if this was with a couple of friends so that we could share. The diversity of dim sum is what makes it memorable in my opinion. I ended up having too much.

A few blocks away, I found a tiny yet good-looking garden (Waterfall Garden Park) where UPS was founded. Can’t imagine what it used to look like when the company started to run in 1907. It was definitely a natural corner for resting and reading. Though there were too many flies.

Not far, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (actually a small museum) has some nice storylines that take you back to the gold mining era and explain how tough the journey was for different individuals. The story of a man that I was following ended up with him making money from producing and selling supplies for other explorers, totally giving up the idea of profiting from gold mining I guess.

Playing coffee talk that night. Even though the story was inspired by Seattle life, I did not feel any different because there was actually few coffee shop opening at night.

Never seen trees this tall from the east coast

July 19, 2025 – Saturday, Tiger Mountain State Forest. Visited an old friend of mine. Did hiking together. Chatted a lot. Ate more Asian foods afterwards. Perfect way to end the day.

Some houses located at the edge of the Bainbridge island

July 20, 2025 – I took a cruise trip to Bainbridge Island (~half an hour distance from Seattle). I simply love cruise trips, especially the loud horn sound when it left the harbor. It always gave me a feeling of a new journey. The wind blowing was insane though. You gotta keep your skirt/shorts down.

Eagle Harbor Book Co. There are many signed books from local authors, including Kristen Hannah who wrote great stories. Also overheard some fun chatting about astrology at the counter.

The fish & chips at Proper Fish was surprisingly good, even though I was not a fan.

July 21, 2025 – My friend recommended that I should visit the Olympic Sculpture Park because it is an atypical kind of park built over highways. So I decided to drop by the place during my morning run. It was small, but had a very nice connection between the coastal trail and streets to the downtown, similar to Overlook Walk that links Seattle Aquarium at Pier 59 and the Pike Market that I liked too.

On my way to the Pike Place Market, of course it was the popular Gum Wall. I appreciated the art but felt disgusted to be honest. I hoped that it did not allow people to throw new gums to it.

Pike Place market at noon. It was very crowded. Not sure what fraction of people there was like me, a curious tourist. I did notice the shop where seafood throwing was supposed to take place, but you need to buy first.

Compared to a much quieter morning market photographed on my last day

On the same day, I also went to Seattle Aquarium and Science Center. Though I don’t really like either of them in general, the most memorable experience was chatting with knowledgeable aquarium curators about jellyfish and watching a laser show with a focus on punk rock – that was really cool.

July 22, 2025 – My last day in Seattle. Driven by a huge interest in history, I joined an underground tour to learn about the old days when the city was being built, people came back with gold, and when Mr. Speidel (the founder) started his first tour in the 1950s. Our tour guide was extremely talented. She was probably a standup comedian and made you both laugh and wonder what’s next. I had an unforgettable time. The historical district of Pioneer Square became so much lively now.