LF visits Seattle Day 1

 Little Fox here, your favorite globe-trotting fluffball, checking in! When Purple Rabbit and Choya dashed off to Seattle without me, I couldn’t let them have all the fun. So I packed my tiny bag, fluffed my tail, and headed north to see what all the excitement was about.

That’s a pretty awesome manhole cover — it even has a full map of Seattle worked into the design. It’s the kind of little detail you could walk past a hundred times and never notice, but once you do, it feels like a tiny piece of city art hiding in plain sight.  Do you think one could use a compass to navigate with this map? 

Besides the usual sights (Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Ferries) the roommates went to the library and picked up an awesome walking tour book and mother nature sure cooperated (yes, this was Nov 8 and it was 55 degrees and sunny).

The specific walk was called "Whose watching you" and in the world of Amazon and Microsoft that is very ominous.  However, this walk was all about the terra cotta decor on buildings in the downtown area.  

First stop; The Arctic Club, I felt like I’d stumbled into a storybook for explorers. Back in 1907, this was the hangout spot for folks who’d braved the Klondike Gold Rush — a place where adventurers swapped tales and celebrated their northern escapades. And the best part? The building is decorated with big, proud terra cotta walruses peeking out from the walls, like they’re still guarding the spirit of exploration… and keeping an eye on curious little travelers like me.

Wait, is that the tower?  Oh yes, that’s the Smith Tower peeking out — it’s hard to miss with its classic pyramid top. It opened in 1914 and was once the tallest building on the West Coast, giving Seattle its first real skyscraper swagger.

When I trotted up to the Union Stables building, I spotted a majestic terra cotta horse perched above the entrance, looking like it was still keeping watch over the old carriage house. It felt like the kind of guardian you’d want on your team if you were hauling wagons through early Seattle. Standing underneath it, I couldn’t help imagining what stories that proud horse has seen over the years… and wishing it could share a few with a curious fox like me.

Well, time to head back to the Air B and B and while on our way saw this sunset.  What a perfect way to end this day.