Notes from the Road: Seattle

Nature, music and art in Seattle

As a metropolitan destination for music, paintings, architecture and its famous reputation of innovative glass art, Seattle has always been revered as a destination in tune with artistic inspiration and the career birthplace of legends from the jazz era of the 1940s, the grunge era of the early 1990s, and pioneer artist such as Dale Chihuly and his founding of the Pilchuck Glass School. Music and art are part of the culture in Seattle and is naturally integrated into the city’s public spaces, the hotels and its business-oriented meetings and event spaces.

Artistic Meeting Spaces

As I checked into the Sheraton Grand Seattle, the art was already integrated into the hospitality industry of Seattle. With select pieces from the Chihuly collection adorning the walls of the lobby, the oceanic and indigenous elements of the Pacific Northwest that were influential in Chihuly’s pieces welcomed visitors to Seattle in an artistic yet completely authentic manner. The luxury of the Sheraton and the nod to its picturesque yet earthy roots made me excited for a destination with so much culture and life.

The Chihuly Glass and Garden is a museum and meeting space unlike any I have ever had the privilege to tour. Tacoma native Dale Chihuly is a pioneer and innovator of glass art and the founder of the Pilchuck Glass School. Our tour guides informed us that any American glass artist has attended, aspired to attend, or at the very least knows all about the Pilchuck Glass School and Dale Chihuly’s collection. With inspiration from both his roots in the Pacific Northwest as well as his time in Italy honing his craft, his pieces create of the most breathtaking meeting spaces I have seen. In addition to the whimsical art stretching throughout the indoor exhibit and out into the garden, the backdrop to the space is the base of the towering Seattle Space Needle. With several options for indoor/outdoor meeting space, groups can absorb the work of a glass-making pioneer under the world-recognized Space Needle.

 The Freshest Seafood

The most iconic and quintessential Seattle delis and eateries are found in Pike Place Market. As I walked down to the historic marketplace on a brisk morning at 7 a.m., the smell of the sea and the excitement of the fresh catch was intoxicating for both my olfactory system and my writer’s inspiration. Knowing the importance of the seafood industry to not only Seattle travel and tourism but to the cultures and families that have dedicated their lives for generations to the trade makes visitors truly feel connected to the identity of the city.

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Visitors must try the different varieties of salmon. Vendors will happily offer visitors samples of incredible King Salmon, the freshest a vendor can offer. I had the pleasure of tasting smoked salmon from Pike Place Fish Co., a staple of Pike Place Market for over 100 years, and I could go on for pages raving about the taste and quality of that one small bite.

My extended family resides in the Greater Seattle Area, and we have regularly visited Three Girls Bakery in Pike Place Market, yet I was unaware of their historical claim to fame. The business was established in 1912 and was the first business to women in the city of Seattle. Try the freshly baked croissants filled with your favorite morning meats and cheeses.

A Different Way to Experience Seattle

I was fortunate enough to be able to fly above Seattle on a float plane—a term I had never heard of before—with Kenmore Air. With perfect weather and clear blue skies and water, the float plane departs and lands on Puget Sound and offers bird’s eye elevation views of the area with options to detour to nearby destinations such as Victoria, Canada and the San Juan Islands.

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Incentive travelers will enjoy the float plane tour of Seattle as they are accompanied by a tour guide via headphones, alerting passengers of neighborhoods and iconic features and their history. The headphones also provide very soothing music that helps to make the float plane an almost meditative experience over the waters of the Pacific Northwest.