Seattle, Washington

Pictures for this post coming soon!

3.27.09 (Part 2 of 2) - I reach Seattle around 5:00 p.m. My first stop is Discovery Park. I read that it is a beautiful place. I get to see a little bit of it, but it’s more of a trail park and it is getting dark. I then head for Pike Place. After a walk around, I come across the Seattle Art Museum. To my pleasant surprise, it is open until 9:00 p.m. tonight. It’s 8:00 p.m. now, so I still have time to at least make a quick tour. This is another great museum. Like Portland, it has a good mix of classic art, impressionist art, Northwest Native American art and a strong modern art collection. Both museums emphasize at least part of their collections with art that represents the region. Seattle Art Museum, known as SAM here, has some great 18th, 19th , and 20th century pieces by Albert Bierstadt (a favorite of mine), Andy Warhol, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer and other well known artists, but also contains much older pieces, like a 13th century work by Rubens to B.C. era Roman sculpture. There is an excellent special exhibition on loan from Yale University of Revolutionary War Era art. Most of the works are by John Trumbull, who served closely with George Washington.

My night ends with another form of art. I ask at the art museum for sushi restaurant recommendation. They send me to Japanese Gourmet Restaurant. Leon, the sushi chef, is without a doubt a food artist. After some great fish at the sushi bar with some nice people around me, it’s time to call it a day. I drive toward the airport, pick up one of Seattle’s more notable products (Starbucks), find a hotel, and pack my bags for the flight to San Jose tomorrow.