There is a feeling Seattle leaves you with. It’s a cozy city. You are surrounded with tall buildings yet get the strangest small town vibe. The air is crisp and fresh. It’s hard to explain how different the air feels when you breath it in.

My first morning here I was wide awake at 4:00 am. So I got around and ventured out to see what was around my hotel. The Space Needle was beautifully lit up with a foggy, dark sky back drop. I walked up and down hills and watched as the city started to come to life. People were cycling and running. So many commuters were off to work by foot or bike.

An important part of traveling for me is food. I enjoy finding interesting a delicious places to eat. I found a little dive breakfast spot near my hotel. There is nothing like a Bloody Mary and a good breakfast to start off your trip right!

I started off my sight-seeing with the Space Needle. It was a Monday morning and I had the place almost entirely to myself. I walked the top deck taking in the views. It’s breath taking. The photographs do not do it justice. I then headed down a floor to the rotating glass floor observatory. I have always had a fear of heights, and honestly just thought I’d look at it. When I got there, I hopped on the rotating floor. That was that, it didn’t feel scary or unsafe. I was alive and well looking down at the most incredible views below my feet! It was exhilarating.

From the Space Needle I wandered over to the MoPop (Museum of Pop Culture). This was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to visit Seattle. It did not disappoint. Any one who knows me, knows my love of Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam’s music is a huge part of my life. Their music is woven into my memories. Lyrics and notes that invoke feelings of nostalgia. Their music has pulled me through some rough stuff, it’s helped me celebrate the good stuff. Each song can pull me back like a time machine to a scene from my past. It’s a gift I’m grateful for each time it happens.

Walking the Pearl Jam Home and Away exhibit was surreal. To walk through display after display of lyrics, notes, photographs and endless memorabilia was overwhelming in the best way.

As I walked through places of musical significance about bands close to my heart. I could sense the importance. I went back in time.

The grunge music scene may have fallen off the grid, but there are pieces of it embedded in this city like a fossil buried beneath the new high rises, and Amazon buildings. You can find it in the seedy dive bar where it all started. Where there are people who remember the beginning. The days of Nirvana, Mad season, Alice In Chains, and Mookie Blaylock, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and Greenriver.

If you get a chance to visit Seattle, do it! I experienced so much more than I’ve written here. The Chihuly, gum wall, argosy tours. I have much more to explore. The National parks and mountains are next on my list. Until next time Seattle!