Seattle’s diverse attractions offer fun for all

When I think of Seattle, images come to mind of the Space Needle, the skyline on the opening of the television show “Frasier,” and a guy throwing seafood at Pike Place Market – not to mention grunge music and strong coffee.

Yet Seattle is more than a handful of clichés. Like all cities, it is a large, diverse blend of cultures, ideas and traffic. It is filled with the unusual and the common, the sophisticated and the crude, the predictable (did I mention traffic?) and the surprising (a dog bakery).

It’s the largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest, with 3.8 million people. To sample a city as big as this, you have to make some choices and get up close.

First, forget the traffic. Park your car and walk the downtown sidewalks, explore one of the many museums, and breathe in the colorful, spirited atmosphere of the Public Market, which has more than flying fish to entertain you.

Seattle, situated on Puget Sound, is a hopping seaport, full of excitement and the busy activity of people and industry. From the early 1850s, the city’s founders hoped it would rival New York as a major port.

And with big players like Microsoft, events such as the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting and visits from world leaders such as China’s Hu Jintao in April, the “Emerald City” has become a domestic and international influence.

On our drive to Seattle, the 280-mile journey on U.S. 2 across Washington took us by and through little desert towns, such as Coulee City and Waterville. Beginning around Leavenworth, the Wenatchee National Forest thickens with massive ferns and soaring trees that trap dampness you can inhale and feel.

As we drew closer to Seattle, we diverted onto other highways and crossed a bridge near Union Bay into the city. It’s a good idea to thoroughly study a map before you venture into a big city. We didn’t; we did accidentally take a casual tour of neighborhoods near the University of Washington and Portage Bay.

Finally downtown, we searched out a parking space near Pike Place Market. There’s free front-row public parking, if you’re lucky. Not so lucky? Try a pay parking lot or garage adjacent to the public market section. By the way, several shops offer free parking for shopping at their store.

Seattle’s public market reminds me of New Orleans’ French Quarter, with musicians singing and playing instruments along the streets, and of the open-air market of historic Charleston, S.C., with artisans selling their wares.

In Seattle, musicians kept popping up along Pike Place and Post Alley. A guy on a corner played an upright piano with political bumper stickers on it. A crowd gathered around to hear a trio in tattered, black and gray suits and top hats. And outside the original Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place, a man pulled a bow across an Erhu (Chinese violin or fiddle). Music bled together from one performance to the other as we browsed the market.

In the famed Pike Place Fish Market, we eyed salmon and crab legs resting on ice. Seafood is a main draw, the anchor store of the market, if you will. Yet the public market is filled with other fresh offerings.

Large bouquets of flowers wrapped in paper lined both sides of the pedestrian aisle in one section of the market. They seemed a steal at $10 and $15.

Outside on Post Alley, gorgeous mangoes, plums and pineapples made a beautiful display at a produce stand, where peppers and braided garlic hung overhead.

Aromas entered our noses, tempting our tummies with foods of every ethnic variety. Tables holding jewelry, handblown glass vases, clothes and T-shirts extended throughout the market. Above Post Alley, people on balconies sipped cold beverages in the hot, late afternoon sun.

We left the cobblestones of this historic section and walked up the hill into the shadows of towering concrete, brick and glass. Countless boutiques, shops and art galleries of any taste can be found here, from the finest in home décor and clothes to T-shirts and Harley Davidson accessories.

On 1st Avenue, we stumbled upon the Three Dog Bakery. Yes, it’s for the dogs – OK, for the owners who love their dogs.

The original Three Dog Bakery began in 1989 in Kansas City, Mo., with “three dogs, two guys and one 59-cent biscuit cutter.”

In the Seattle store, toys hung on the walls and rawhides and other goodies were all around. One of the store dogs welcomed our own Kah-less and sniffed him out. A store associate directed us to the water bowl by the door. It was a nice, cool drink for Kah-less after walking and sniffing the Seattle streets.

Kah-less tried on a pair of doggie sunglasses, but they weren’t for him. He was more interested in the rawhide treats – and almost tasted one from a low display box.

The highlight of the bakery is a glass case with rows of canine desserts that looked lusciously delectable. Kah-less appeared pleased with our selection of a prepackaged sampler box.

Seattle has quite a few museums, from art at the Seattle Art Museum to history at the Nordic Heritage Museum or science at the Pacific Science Center.

Before we left Seattle, we took in the Museum of Flight. Actually, we needed to kill a couple of hours before my husband’s parents’ plane departed for the East Coast. Conveniently, the Museum of Flight is located down the street from the airport, and it’s worth spending a whole day there to explore.

While waiting for the museum to open, visitors milled around under large planes parked on the lawn. Inside, more aircraft filled the massive, glass T.A. Wilson Gallery.

From the early days of development to commercial aviation and space travel, the exhibits cover the spectrum of man’s obsession and brilliance in figuring out how to fly. A replica of a Wright 1903 Flyer, a Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, a McDonnell F-4C Phantom II and a Lockheed M-21 Blackbird are part of the impressive, colossal display.

After our museum visit, we returned to Kah-less, who waited, as always, patiently in the car. (The weather was cool that morning, so he wasn’t having heat stroke.)

We took I-90 out of Seattle, headed for lush, majestic mountains. Behind us, we could still see the familiar skyline – where we will have to return, at the insistence of Kah-less, after his bakery goodies are gone.