Seattle - Wheels on the Go

October 12, 2025 – Yarn and Deck chair here I come!

October 12, 2025October 15, 2025Lmnei

I have made a disastrous discovery! I have brought my knitting needles and my sweater that I am currently knitting but forgotten the wool at home that I meant to bring with me to knit another cardigan while on the cruise ship! What a nightmare! First thing, thank goodness there is a yarn store in Pike Place market which is near by, is for me to get some yarn for my planned project! Now that I have scoped out the location (it is currently about 4am when I came to this realization) I can go back to sleep and dream of yarn and knitting until it is time to get up, get breakfast and go for a walk!

Again, a great breakfast at the Plow restaurant at the Marriott Hotel – a tiny bit disappointed that they only have gluten free bread on offer and no muffins or bagels however I am happy with my omelette, fruit, yogurt and piece of bread! Next, Google Maps (notice I am using it today) tells us the wheelchair accessible route to Pike Place Market is basically a LONG Zed of a switch back down the waterfront street and back up a long side walk climbing up a hill and then cross the street and switch back to climb a gradual hill to Pike Place Market. If I were able bodied we could just walk along the waterfront and take the stairs up. I am not doing that option today as I need my energy to get onto the Noordam later! So off we go on our journey!

We walked along about 6 city blocks and switched back up the hill. Got to the top of the hill where the light was, basically at the top of the Marriott Hotel, where we had began (but 8 floors up) and low and behold people are walking towards us with suitcases along a pedestrian overpass from an elevator that they took from the street level (yes another Norwegian Cruise Ship had docked) next to the Marriott Hotel! This “shortcut” from street leads right to the street to Pike Place Market! Thanks Google Maps for the workout and the switchback of a kilometer to get to this point! Going down will be easier!

Now we walked along a much less steep street to the Pike Place Market. We checked out the Pike Place Market viewpoint and saw the waterfront below us which included our hotel, the Norwegian Ship, the harbour and the football and baseball stadiums to the south. Nice couple enjoying the view and smoking some local greenery too, first thing on a Sunday morning!

We got into Pike Place Market, where I have been before, avoided the flying fish (if you do not know what I am referencing check out this) link: https://youtube.com/shorts/RGZQHgSnHNY?si=6chBnQ-5u0D3ladx and made our way to the elevator to get to the Yarn Dragon store. This is one of two Yarn Dragon stores – never been to either of them however I chose this one as it was the easiest to get to. The other one was their factory outlet which was a couple more blocks away and I was concerned about getting enough skeins of the same colour lot for my projects due to it being a factory outlet.

WOW – what a really cool store! While Andrew patiently waited, I power shopped for some wool and had lots of fun! Yarn Dragon makes and dyes their own wool and I got two types – one of DK yarn for a sweater set and then some thinner yarn for a different sweater project – just in case! They will be revealed later in the cruise as I got to finish what is on my needles first!

Now that power shopping was done, it was time to get back to the hotel, via the elevator that we found, to finish closing up our suitcases and wait for the shuttle to pick us up to take us to the Noordam ship, which was berthed at Pier 91 (the Marriott Hotel was across from Pier 66). It was going to be about a 15 minute drive to north Seattle along the waterfront. I did have time though to chat with my friend Tanya, who I met when she worked part time for my friend Karen. Tanya helped me after Karen passed away by staying in Karen’s house until it was sold and assisted with all the things that we needed to find new homes for during COVID – what an experience that was! It was wonderful to be able to catch up with her!

The shuttle soon picked us up and we were off to join the Noordam and our cruise to Australia, via Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji and Vanuatu Islands. It was really surreal for me when we got to Pier 91 as it is also the same Pier where the ships that travel up to Alaska for the Pollock and King crab fishing depart from. There was a beautifully designed building which houses those businesses, which are seasonal and mostly run out of Seattle. There also is a ferry and barge system that has scheduled round trip service out of Seattle that makes stops in the Aleutian Islands (I worked on the Island of Unalaska back in my software installation days) to supply food and other items and they also stop in Anchorage before returning to Seattle. It was interesting to see where all this takes place after spending the time in Alaska working and seeing how the people living up there depend on the shipments coming by sea from Seattle. Some of the ships seen on the TLC show “Deadliest Catch”, sail out of Dutch Harbour, on the Island of Unalaska, which is where I went to install the Parks and Recreation software a few decades back.

Here are the pictures of us approaching Pier 91, the Alaskan fishing building, the Noordam and getting on board the ship!

Boarding a cruise ship sure has gotten easier from the last time we did it! I remember in Fort Lauderdale when we were going Trans-Atlantic on the Nieuw Statendam the double COVID testing that had to be done, the waiting for test results and then we were allowed to board. Today was TOTALLY smooth other than the security lady who insisted on wanting to pat me down as she thought I could not walk through the metal detector! I went through the metal detector just fine. They scan your passport, take your picture and voila! You are allowed to get onto the ship! We soon got to our stateroom and like on the Nieuw Statendam, we are in the bow, but on the port side this time! We have a bow window, along with a balcony off the port side where I will be spending some quality time in the deck chair – if not on the Promenade deck! Here is a tour of our stateroom!

Entrance – washroom to left, bow window on right

Now, onto more important things! Food! I met with the special diets coordinator about 3pm and ordered dinner, which on cruise ships is always appreciated especially for the first night’s dinner so they are not scrambling to find something safe for you to eat. I do register in advance on the Special Services form that I have Celiac Disease which is passed onto the ship for provisioning purposes. I found out how important that was when we were on a cruise in the Caribbean where there were about 10 people with Celiac Disease onboard, and about 200 people “choosing” to eat gluten free, out of the 2000 people on board. On that 14 day cruise, the ship actually started running out of gluten free products and had to start rationing and providing the gluten free items (Kinnickinnik and Udi’s for example) to only those who had pre-registered and indicated Celiac Disease as a medical requirement for the cruise. I was told to always fill out the form, which I now also do as part of my other medical conditions when traveling on a cruise ships to qualify for the accessible stateroom.

I was really impressed with the way that Holland America is handling the allergen and Celiac meals for this cruise! Normally I go to the maitre’d and have a chat with them. This time there was a separate person at a table for me to talk with instead – so I did not have to line up with all the people wanting to change their dining table arrangements – much faster! She took my dinner order for tonight, along with my breakfast order, as I like to have a standing breakfast order that Room Service delivers each morning along with whatever Andrew decides he wants to eat. This system works well I find! We then went up to the Lido deck and talked to the chef up there to find out about their gluten free options and it was the same as when we were on the Nieuw Statendam – the Italian section is still where the gluten free food is stocked! Kind of ironic – Italians have such a gluten based diet however one of the most Celiac friendly countries to travel to is Italy!

Now it was All Aboard Time – 4pm! The Captain announced that we would be backing into the Seattle Harbour and then “swinging the compass” which is normally done at either the beginning of a series of cruises, such as when a ship re-positions to say Vancouver going to Alaska for the summer, or such as we are on, a trans-Pacific cruise (happened on our trans-Atlantic cruise too) or a cruise with a lot of sea days such as Vancouver to the Hawaiian Islands return that my parents, Andrew and I did. It was kind of strange backing into the Seattle Harbour! On top of that, the Norwegian Ship was leaving at the same time, and just before we started our two x 360 degree pirouettes, they passed by us with lots of room to spare. The Norwegian ship looks so top heavy on its way back to Alaska for the last run! We continued our slow but steady, two turns in the Seattle harbour while the Coast Guard dutifully watched us!

Looking at the dock while we used thrusters to back up

Now, lets get some food into our bodies! Off to the Dining Room we go – to the other end of the ship! That is about 1200 steps for me if anyone is counting…. 🙂 The pedometer on my watch does keep track of my steps, however when you use a walker, the steps are not always recorded correctly so sometimes I put my watch on my ankle to get an accurate reading for a certain distance that I need to walk on a routine basis. Now I know how long the ship is in steps for me! Next up will be a lap on the deck.

We have a really nice table for 2 on the upper floor of the dining room. Our waiters are Ade (male) and April Joy (female). They are both VERY nice! Ade is from Indonesia and April Joy is Thai. It is great seeing a female waitress again in such a male dominated industry on the cruise ships. The dinner was very good tonight – I had a salad, Mahi Mahi and was going to have ice cream however switched at the last minute to the Pavlova which is the national dessert of Australia! Andrew consumed beef like he normally does when we do not have to share a meal…

Now the Noordam is starting to get some movement as it heads into open water between the Olympic peninsula and the bottom tip of Vancouver Island – looks like we are going to be rocked to sleep tonight! See you tomorrow!

October 11, 2025 – A side trip to Puyallup, Washington!

October 11, 2025October 13, 2025Lmnei

We stayed at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront as we had some points and certificates to use for a stay. It is a very nice hotel right on the main drag of Seattle’s waterfront. It is almost kitty corner from the famous Edgewater Hotel. The Edgewater Hotel has been there for decades. It juts out into the bay with its rooms all over the water.

The Marriott hotel is a U shaped building with the inside of the U a courtyard facing out to the waterfront. We had a room facing into the court yard. If we could see past the other side of the U, we would have seen the newest addition to the Seattle waterfront. The Seattle Ferris Wheel is pictured below.

We were really surprised in the morning! We took the elevator down and walked towards the front of the hotel where the restaurant was located. There was a HUGE cruise ship docked right on the other side of the road! That I did not expect to see! I guess there is a new cruise ship terminal in Seattle now at Pier 61! That is where Norwegian Cruise lines docks their HUGE ships. Today it was Norwegian Bliss that was in port. There were thousands of people on the streets – both out front and in the lobby of the Marriott. This is a pretty popular hotel for cruise ship passengers to stay at pre and post cruise. We later found out the passenger terminal is just across the street.

Breakfast in the restaurant, Hook and Plow, was very delicious! I had an omelette with gluten free toast. I chose the substituted fruit and yogurt because the potatoes were not gluten free. Andrew had the corn beef hash. It looked more like corn beef hunks and potatoes to me. There also were eggs on top! It was a very satisfying breakfast to start the day. This was courtesy of Marriott and their Elite program for loyal customers.

Next we were off to visit my aunt Linda (yes that is why my name is spelled with a Y so not to be confusing) and Phil in Puyallup. Andrew was driving and I was the navigator. As I know Seattle pretty well I did NOT consult Google Maps to get us to Puyallup as I know the highway system very well and have driven it many, many times previously. That was a BIG mistake!

We drove from downtown Seattle across I90 east to get to I405 which I use to get to 167 down to Puyallup. However the signs were saying that I405 was CLOSED south of I90 and we could see all the traffic lined up along I90 going west to get to I5 instead. OOPS! No issues – I know another way where my friend Karen had taken me previously to get to a meat store that she liked down the Coal Creek Parkway south which then meets up with Sunset near the Renton Boeing Plant and then I405 at that point was open (and empty) and we popped on and drove 1 exit down to 167 and proceeded to Puyallup to visit my aunt and uncle.

We had a great visit with first my aunt who is recovering from a small stroke and then with my uncle where we had dinner where my aunt and uncle are moving into a new residence in Puyallup. We had a lovely lady join Andrew, Phil and I for dinner, who my uncle Phil and aunt Linda know and she was 92 years old and really entertaining! For me, what was a pleasure was I had not make ANY arrangements to eat at the bistro in the Independent Living facility where my aunt and uncle were moving. I was just hoping to get something gluten free suitable for someone with Celiac Disease and then once back at the Marriott Hotel I thought I could get something safe to eat. Well, the bistro at Westley really surprised me! Not only did they have gluten free items listed on their menu, the chef, once the waiter told him that there was a person dining with Celiac Disease, suggested I have a lettuce wrapped chicken “burger” as that was the safest he could prepare! I had it with steamed broccoli as the fries were not safe – all this was told TO ME – I did not have to ask the standard questions which quite impressed me! They even had no sugar gluten free ice cream for desert! I am ready to move in! Andrew might have a few opinions on that though…

Getting back to Seattle, finding a gas station and then dropping the car off ended up being quite the procedure that we did not expect! It seems there are not a lot of gas stations in downtown Seattle – at least that I could find! So we eventually found on in Queen Anne area I think and then drove back into Seattle downtown which was VERY busy on a Saturday night. We soon found out why – it was Homecoming weekend – which for the Canadians reading this message – is the first big dance that US High Schools have in their year. The Hyatt Hotel where we needed to drop off the car was VERY busy…. We made it out and into a taxi back to the Marriott in time for Andrew to get a beer and relax prior to calling it a night!

As an aside, the Seattle waterfront is very pretty a night – here are some pictures of the waterfront and the 2 stadiums.

Tomorrow is a BIG DAY! We FINALLY board the Noordam ship taking us to Australia! I cannot wait!

October 10, 2025 – We are on our way – play by play Mariner style!

October 10, 2025October 13, 2025Lmnei

The journey has begun! Andrew and I arrived at the Pacific Train Station in Vancouver. A lovely rain shower greeted us as we prepared to board the train. It was a fitting send-off on our vacation to warmer climates Down Under! Our 2020 reverse trip to Australia was finally getting started… albeit about 5 years later!

We got through customs with our paper forms in hand. They have not upgraded to kiosks yet like the airport. As soon as that happened, we were walking towards our car next to the train taking us down to Seattle. We were in the liquid sunshine and getting totally soaked! Andrew checked our 2 bags. I got onto the train, akin to how it is done in Europe with a hand cranked wheelchair lift. We had booked accessible business class seats. However, as I do not travel sitting on my walker, so they put us in regular seats. I was surprised that, for business class, seats were not assigned. We ended up sitting at the front of the car. The chairs had no tables. My seat was broken—the leg rest would not go up! To raise the leg rest was a bit of a feat as the train was swaying along the tracks! One had to get out of their seat and lift it up where it would lock into place. Then they had to crawl back onto the chair. That was some extra exercise I did not need!

Here are the pictures of us departing from Vancouver –

The train actually departed Vancouver early which was great! We left at 4:30 instead of the 4:45 pm departure time. At the same time, the Seattle Mariners started playing Game 5 of the Divisional Playoff Series. They were playing in their stadium in Seattle right next King Street station. The series was tied 2-2. It was down to one game against the Detroit Tigers. This game would decide who moves on to play the Blue Jays!

The view out of the train was very nice going south! Eventually we stopped at the Peace Arch crossing for the border guards to inspect the train (we had gone through customs in Vancouver).

I was keeping tabs on the Mariners game on my phone the “old fashioned” way by watching the box score. The gentleman behind me was listening to the game on ESPN. He lived in Seattle and loved going to and watching the Mariners games. As we traveled down to Seattle, the broadcasters live on ESPN radio would announce the game quickly. They were faster than the box scores showing up on the internet. When we got closer to Seattle, between Everett and Edmonds, the box score got faster. The ESPN broadcast seemed to have a time delay! This frustrated the man behind me – as we arrived into Seattle during a very crucial inning! Detroit players were walked onto the bases. I knew what was going on from the pitching display, however, the broadcasters were slow with updating the action!

All was good though. Seattle got out of the disastrous inning and was up to bat. We were in the train station. We could hear the yelling of the crowd! We retrieved our luggage and got a taxi. My biggest concern was not getting a taxi as the game would let out at the same time. We arrived at the hotel, and we were finished traveling for the day!

Tomorrow is a day trip to Puyallup to visit my aunt and uncle and also to see what other mischief we can get ourselves into – Seattle style!

Travel Alert! Our epic journey begins in 3 weeks!

September 18, 2025September 18, 2025Lmnei

History:

On February 24th, 2020 we embarked on an epic 3-month journey to Australia and New Zealand to celebrate retirement. The trip to Perth took 4 days. Perth was our first stop, and we traveled via Delhi and Bangkok to get there. We had to avoid China in our travels. In Perth, we had a great time visiting the “west coast” of Australia. Then, two weeks later, we flew to Auckland, New Zealand. We were there to catch a cruise on the Noordam (Holland America) back to Australia. This cruise would then take us home 4 weeks later to Vancouver. In Auckland is where our luck ran out, and our trip came to an abrupt halt due to COVID 19!

Being stuck in New Zealand was wonderful. We made the most of it by renting a cheap car and driving down to Christchurch on the South Island. It was there we were contacted by the Canadians Abroad department of the Canadian Government. They informed us on how to get home with about 3 hours notice to pack and get to the airport! Now, after 18 months of planning, we are going to re-do this trip in pieces!

The Trip:

Our next journey departs from Vancouver, by taking the train to Seattle to board the Noordam (deja vu!), to sail to Sydney, Australia. This is a 28 day sailing. It will take us to 3 Hawaiian Islands, Samoa, and 3 Fijian Islands. We will then visit Vanuatu and arrive in Sydney in early November. We will then visit Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, and Melbourne. Next, we will go to Sydney, Cairns, Port Douglas, and Brisbane. Finally, we’ll head back to Sydney to fly to Singapore on our way home.

We will spend time in Singapore, along with take a day trip to Kuala Lumpur. Our original plan was to take Air Canada’s longest flight home, which is a new flight on a 787 (14.5 hours). We will fly from Singapore to Naha, Japan (Okinawa). I need to finish the paperwork for the Estate of my friend Karen’s mother, Kiyoko. She was born in Okinawa and I have visited the island with Karen and her parents in 1998. We will fly home through Tokyo, which is the same that we did in March 2020, during COVID! I hope will have our luggage with us, instead of in Dubai where it ended up in 2020 by mistake!

Again, like last year my goals for this journey are 1. Yarn in suitcase 2. Take lots of pictures 3. Have fun and share both my Celiac/gluten free finds and accessible travels with you!

See you online in a couple of weeks!