Business took me to Seattle just a few years ago with a 2-day itinerary which included enough free time to enjoy the best the area had to offer. I left Raleigh on a late-morning American Airlines flight to Dallas. It’s always a pleasure to begin a journey on American at the Admirals Club at RDU. The staff are consistently welcoming, ever-helpful and genuinely happy to be of service. My first flight was on a B737-800 aircraft with 16 standard-style recliner seats in the First Class cabin laid out in four rows, each in a 2x2 configuration. The seats here are about 21” wide with a 40” seat pitch and certainly provide enough room for a comfortable domestic trip. The flight left a few minutes early and I purposely ate a very light lunch on board (back when they were actually serving meals in domestic First Class) as I knew I’d have time in Dallas to visit one of my favorite American Express Centurion Lounges. I headed straight for it once we touched down at DFW.
The Lounge, open daily from 7:00a to 7:00p, is located in Terminal D across from Gate D12 on the Mezzanine Level and can be reached from any of the other DFW terminals via the Skylink Train. It’s a day-of-departure lounge requiring confirmed travel plans and is open to all American Express Platinum and Centurion card members as well as those holding Delta SkyMiles Reserve cards. Persons receiving complimentary access may enter the Lounge no earlier than three hours before flight time with up to two guests at no additional charge. Cuisine served here is designed by James Beard award-winning Chef Dean Fearing and, on the afternoon of my visit, featured delicious Roasted Chicken with sage, Arugula Salad with goat cheese, radish and pine nuts and a decadent blackberry buckle with brown sugar. It was all wonderful! And by the way, the cocktails on tap were developed by one of the nation’s top mixologists, Jim Meehan, who worked at some of New York City’s most famous restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern and the Pegu Club. Semi-private workspaces with printers, copiers and fax machines are on-site and there’s also a conference facility and a family room which will help younger travelers pass the time. (Prior to the pandemic, shower suites were available and spa services were also featured with therapies from Exhale.) I finally tore myself from the Lounge in order to board the connecting American Airlines flight. After about four and a half hours flying time on this second leg, we touched down at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport about 7:15p in the evening.
My meetings were taking place at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel located downtown on Madison Street and it was a short 20 minute cab ride from the airport. This 28-story, 557-room AAA Four-Diamond hotel is part of the Marriott-branded family with contemporary decor and inviting common areas. I was checked into a Club Level king-bedded guest room on the top floor which claimed impressive views of the downtown area as well as Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains off in the distance. The recently-refreshed guest room was spacious, at 335 square feet and featured a nice work desk with plenty of outlets, an oversized chair and ottoman, an in-room safe, coffee maker and a really comfy bed. The bathroom had a shower/tub combination, a lighted makeup mirror, amenities by Aveda and a plush robe and slippers. The Club Lounge was located on the 28th floor with spectacular views. Continental breakfast was served here from 6:30 to 9:30 each morning and mid-day snacks and refreshments were available from then until 5:30 in the evening. This was followed by two hours of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with desserts offered from 7:30 to 9:30 at night.
On our first day we broke for lunch at world-famous Pikes Place Market, one of the best ideas Seattle ever had. Opening in 1907, this is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the US. Overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront on Puget Sound, it serves as a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople and merchants. This market is actually Seattle’s most popular tourist destination with more than 10 million visitors per year. The market is built on the edge of a steep hill and consists of several lower levels located below the main level. Each features a variety of unique shops, such as antique dealers, comic book and collectible stores and small family-owned restaurants. The upper street level is alive with fishmongers, fresh produce stands and craft stalls operating in the covered arcades. Local farmers and craftspeople sell year-round in the arcade from tables they rent from the Market on a daily basis, in accordance with the Market’s mission and founding goal: allowing consumers to “Meet the Producer.”
We next headed over to the Space Needle, one of the city’s most notable landmarks. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair and standing at 605 feet tall, it was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River (that accolade now belongs to the Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles at 73 stories and 1,100 feet tall). The Space Needle is still impressive. The tower is138 feet wide and weighs 9,550 tons. It was built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes up to level 9 as measured on the Richter Scale. It also has 25 lightning rods! General admission tickets are $35 with discounts available for youngsters and senior citizens. The best part of the Space Needle is, of course, the Observation Deck at 520 feet above ground. The elevators took us to the top in about 40 seconds and we were rewarded with wonderful views of the downtown Seattle skyline, including the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and a number of islands in Puget Sound.
Things are a lot different at the Space Needle now compared with its early days in the 1960s. Glass walls with benches called SkyRisers have been incorporated into the experience so that visitors can now lean into breathtaking views through what’s referred to as “floor-to-forever” glass. You can also step into what’s called The Loupe, the world’s first and only rotating glass floor. There’s an outdoor deck to better enjoy these world-class views and several food and beverage options are available. Drinks on the Deck offers an open-air covered lookout on the outdoor deck while the Atmos Cafe on the upper observation level features an espresso bar, beer and wine, and treats from local artisans. Finally, the Loupe Lounge provides a 360-degree revolving view above the city where visitors may enjoy drinks, seafood towers, charcuterie plates and desserts. I really enjoyed visiting this iconic Seattle treasure and the memorable and picture-perfect views of the area it provided.
Our business dinner that evening was at The Metropolitan Grill, a short 5-minute walk from the Renaissance Hotel. This classic, upscale steakhouse is a downtown Seattle favorite decorated in wood, brass and velvet with a 60-foot bar. They were recently voted as serving “the best steak in Seattle” and they’ve also got one of the greatest wine lists to be found anywhere.The Metropolitan Grill was the proud recipient of the 2018 Wine Spectator Grand Award, bestowed upon only 91 wine lists throughout the entire world! The food was delicious and the service was top-notch and we appreciated the opportunity to review the day’s discussions and our sightseeing afternoon. Sleep came easy for me that night.
The next day found us busy with meetings again in the AM but, once our lunch was finished, I had one of the best afternoons I can recall in a long while. I’ll tell you all about it in a future post.
Until next time…stay safe.
I will look forward to the next installment - and finding out why Seattle is called the Emerald City...😀