Diary of a Nomadic Traveler

The Pike Place Market: I know this is a tourist thing but not the way I do it. Follow me: Get up at 4am. Bundle up in layers that you can remove after the sun comes up. Stop at Starbuck’s and get a HUGE latte. Arrive at the market at 5am.

It is a lot more fun to watch the fish throwers in the morning and the stalls being set up. Plus the air is crisp and clean, everything smells fresh and you can talk to people without the crowds. Most vendors are thrilled to sell you something before they open, if you are so inclined.

Kells’ Irish Pub – This is one of those upscale pubs that charges too much for the trendy food but the music on the weekends is great! About 1 block from the Pike Place Market. Down a very interesting alley.

The Owl & Thistle – An old school and well established pub 1 block from Pioneer Square. The doormen are hilarious and the music is from the house band headed up by the pub owner. Celtic music the way it should be. Have a black and tan or a Guinness alone and you’ll be transported to Ireland in an instant.

Art enthusiasts: Go to Pioneer Square in the evenings after the local businesses have closed but before it gets dark and watch something amazing happen. Street artists set up on blankets and sell their art. You’ll be stunned by the beauty of some of the artist’s work, as I was. It’s hard to keep from spending all your money.

Also in Pioneer Square- There is a tiny office at the foot of the stairs of an antique shop. This is where you can buy tickets and wait for a guide to take you on a tour under the city. It’s interesting in a weird way. But beware, the tour is advertised at the airport and all the hotels so it can get way too full of tourists.

For the book of the day try The Seattle Barista Killer. The book description from Amazon sounds so ridiculous that it has to be a fun book.
“Two Seattle espresso baristas, both young women, have been battered to death, and the Seattle Police have no clues. When a third victim is found murdered at midnight, her body lying in a rain-soaked alley, the SPD bring in their consultant on tough cases, Harley Wolf. They are envious of his astounding ability to sniff out clues, but if they knew the secret of his psychic-like deductions, they would persecute him more than the killer he hunts. Harley Wolf is a werewolf, a mythical monster of the night, but he is no killer. Haunted by the werewolf myths, he became a vegan at a young age, vowing to never hurt the innocent; instead he stalks the city’s dark, rainy streets for killers who do. But even with his wolf prowess, he finds few initial clues to the Seattle Barista Killer, other than the faint trail he sniffs out of someone he calls, “The Marlboro Man,” for the scent of the brand of cigarettes he detects on the body of the last murdered barista. That trail takes Harley deep into the murky world of the cutthroat espresso business, putting in danger even those closest to him. It pushes his caffeine-driven dark side to the edge, as he stalks a real monster that must be stopped before it kills again. ”

More Later…