Thursday, March 21, 2013

Seattle snapshots...Chihuly, Tom Douglas and Pike Place Market.

Whew what a busy getaway!
Mr. HB and I walked for hours every day that we were away and enjoyed seeing the sights.
Oh and yes there was some shopping!
I am up to my neck buried in laundry right now I'll get that done and then post a "loot shoot."
Thank goodness for the large capacity LG machines.




The Space Needle reflected in the blue sphere.



I highly recommend taking the time to visit this amazing place.
You'll never think of glass in the same way again!




You can get an idea of how vast this glass sculpture is when you look at the figures at the bottom left.
It's quite staggering to stand beside this and gaze up.


This glass scene fills an entire room.
Vibrant colour and interesting textures and shapes...



The Glass House


Outside in the Chihuly Gardens


The plantings accent the colours and textures of the glassworks.


The greyed wood and the blues and mauves compliment each other
and the chartreuse blooms add even more depth and interest.


Red stands out against the black Mondo grass at the base.


A perfect to time your visit would be around dusk 
so that the lights inside placed inside the glass sculptures would be enchanting.

We rode the 50 year old monorail which has stood the test of time
it is the easiset and fastest way to get to the Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens and The EMI Music Experience.
The Music Experience is inside an interesting building by architect Frank Gehry.


view from the monorail platform


it's a huge space and so artfully designed


We decided against riding the wheel on the waterfront 
the weather was grey and rainy, the winds were gusting
neither of us felt like swaying in the breeze or looking at the skyline through a wet rainy glass dome.

The Savour Seattle food tour was fabulous and rated one of the top 10 tours in the US
now I understand why...
The knowledgable, friendly and entertaining guides 
a behind the scenes look at the Market
 tasty samples 
personally greeting vendors on the 2 hour walking tour of Pike Place Market.

We dined at some amazing restaurants 
we researched them on Trip Advisor and booked ahead through Open Table.


 Dahlia Lounge was one great spot!
Top Chef Tom Douglas owns many great places to eat in Seattle.


Amuse bouche
a wee bite to wake up the taste buds.

Tom is famous for his signature crab cakes 
I make a tasty crab cake so I wanted to see just how good they were.
Delicious! 
they were served on a bed of wilted mustard greens which were sauteed in garlic!

Mr. HB had oysters in mignonette sauce, pot stickers and steamed clams.
he had to try their famous coconut cream pie
I had one teensy taste...

Tom and his wife were sitting in the booth next to us enjoying dinner...
he must be a very busy chef and to see him relaxing in one of his own restaurants was a bonus
check out all Tom's amazing venues.


We had a fabulous time in Seattle
stay tuned for some shopping highlights in the next post...

Hope that your week is off to a great start!

10 comments:

Susan B said...

It looks like a blast! I'm totally in thrall of Chihuly's work. It never ceases to amaze me. Now I have another reason to want to visit Seattle!

Lynne said...

Chihuly is stunning isn't it. His exhibit was here in Michigan at the Meijer Gardens . . . Phenomenal! Such lovely days together . . .

Madame Là-bas said...

I love to visit Seattle. The old World's Fair grounds and monorail system have served the city well. I always like to take a gourmet walking tour wherever I go but Pike Place and the surrounding area is one of my favourites. Last year, we took The Clipper from Victoria to visit. I can hardly wait for shopping highlights.

KSL said...

I've never been to Seattle, but you're making it look awfully fun to visit. Frank Gehry designed the Disney Concert Hall here in LA and it's a beautiful building too - and the acoustics are perfection. I like Chihuly and would love to see those gardens. Thanks for the tour.

Susanna said...

Your highlights of Seattle are lovely. Please consider a trip to Portland! I would love your thoughts and photos of our city. No Gehry buildings here, but we do have the beautiful Michael Graves building and some amazing shopping, including the world famous Powell's Books. You've peaked my interest in Chihuly again..A few years ago, I saw a documentary on his exhibition in Venice, Italy. He scattered his pieces throughout the city, surprising the public as they walked through the narrow streets. Must check Netflix for it. Thanks for the Seattle tips!

Sarah said...

Amazing sculptures Hostess and how lovely your trip to Seattle looks.. Have a wonderful weekend. X

Sarah said...

Oh and forgot to say, looking forward to your loot shoot and love your previous post about that wonderful new book on 'whites' S x

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Mr. HB and I went to see that Concert Hall and were most impressed!
I think that you being an artist would really appreciate all the behind the scenes stuff that Chihuly went through to put this collection together.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I am enjoying your posts from France!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

It's quite a coincidence that you mentioned Portland because Mr. HB and I were thinking that might be another place to explore. We also have NY and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Bear Run Pennsylvania on our list.