Day 6 – Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place, and the World Cup!
Today was a day. But most importantly, Kendra turned 45! We celebrated her at lunch with a fancy crème brûlée and a candle.
After an incredible breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we walked along the boardwalk up to the Seattle Aquarium. It did not disappoint. I am not really a fan of zoos, but I am a sucker for marine life. There was so much to explore – one building and an outdoor structure were dedicated to the coastal marine and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. We saw everything from salmon and puffins to sea stars, otters, seals, and more.
An entire other building housed tropical fish and plants. We sat through an incredible presentation on all of the fish in the main tropical tank, and saw a guitarfish, which looks like a cross between a shark and a ray. There was also a leopard shark that looked like a cross between a shark and a tadpole. I definitely could have spent more time there, but hungry kids prevailed, and we headed up to Pike Place for lunch.
We had an incredible meal at Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar, and lucked out with a second-floor table tucked into a nook and overlooking the waterfront. I went for an appetizer for lunch – goat cheese with sauteed artichokes and tomatoes, and crostini paired with a local cider. It was perfection. Kate and Evan devoured a pound of mussels and split a fettuccine alfredo, while Kendra went for oysters, salmon chowder, and a Caesar salad. Addie had fries and pasta – it’s never easy for the vegetarian at a seafood place.
Lunch was followed by cappuccinos from Ghost Alley Espresso, a visit to the infamous Gum Wall (yes, it is exactly what it sounds like), and an exploration of Pike Place Market.
At this point, we split up, and Kendra and Kate explored more of Seattle and swam in the hotel pool while I took Addison and Evan back to the hotel to get ready for our World Cup adventure!
We snagged tickets to the Egypt v. Iran game, which also happened to be Seattle’s designated Pride Night. It was wild seeing rainbow flags flying along with the flags of two countries that literally put queer people to death. There was a lot of hype in the media about the fact that both Iran and Egypt requested Pride Night to be canceled, and that there would be protests. In reality, it was a fantastic game, and every person we chatted with was lovely. No protests against the gays ensued.
The game itself was epic. Our seats were in the Egyptian fan section, and they did NOT disappoint. There were drums, horns, chants, and a lot of cheering. We had a blast while I explained soccer to Evan and Addison. The atmosphere was electric. Definitely an excellent way to end our time in Seattle.
