The Great Wheel
From my hotel I spotted this giant Ferris wheel. It reminded me of The London Eye, only not quite as big, so I decided to go down the two flights of steps from Union Street to the waterfront area below.
It turned out to be Miner's Landing, a historic area on Seattle's waterfront where miners landed in the 1890's. The famous "ton of gold" that started the Alaska Gold Rush was unloaded in here in 1897. Pier 57 has been refurbished and is now a lively area of shops, restaurants, a vintage carousel and the Big Wheel.
I too some time to explore inside the market area where there were a number of amusing statues depicting the gold miners as well as my favorite, a pirates shop. I just had to go in there and buy myself a couple of pirate souvenirs.
The Pirate Shop
Inside the little mall there were also a couple of restaurants and some other small shops.
I decided to go back that evening to have a feast of oysters at one of the sea-food restaurants at the Pier. I had been entranced on my first evening in Seattle by the brightly lit Big Wheel so it was fun explore the Miner's Landing by night.
I chose Elliot's Oyster House as the place to have my feed of fresh Pacific Coast oysters. It had a large selection of various kinds of oysters as well as other seafood. Raw oysters seemed to be the favorite choice, and there were dozens of varieties to choose from.
The oysters are kept smothered in ice and are picked fresh every day. The staff shucks the oysters at the counter and prepares the trays of customer's selections.
Freshly shucked raw oysters ready to eat!
I prefer my oysters fried so I ordered a plate of a half dozen along with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
And a crisp warm bun made with basil served with fresh whipped butter. And of course, a glass of white wine! Mmmm, delicious!
Elliott's Oyster House at Pier 56
www.elliottsoysterhouse.comNEXT: My Excellent Seattle Weekend Part III: BEER & CLAMS AT PIKE'S BAR