Our World – Underground Seattle Tour

You know I’m almost embarrassed by how much I’ve been posting about our family vacation to Seattle. Almost but not quite. It is hard to embarrass me. I’m  a Dallas Cowboy fan. If that doesn’t embarrass somebody to admit that then nothing will. Seattle is such a great city and there is such a lot to see and do and we were on the go morning, noon, and night. We had a great time but we were exhausted. Next year, we are going to the beach and planting our little butts down.

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The Underground Seattle Tour is in the oldest part of Seattle near what is called Pioneer Square. Pioneer Square is a funky little area that is still struggling. I love the mix of the old and seedy with the new and seedy.

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SuperPizzaBoy loved it to. He’s a city kid but he has never been around pigeons too much. I think pigeons are rats with wings but SPB loved them. He chased them all over the square waiting for our tour to start.

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The guides of the Underground Seattle Tour had a long and confusing story about early Seattle’s need for redoing their sewer system and the the graft and corruption that went on. The basic thing is that the city decided that they needed to raise street level by one building story. So all the sidewalks and first floors became underground and forgotten for a long time.

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The new street level was made and the buildings took second level windows and made street level entrances and built new sidewalks over the old sidewalks.  The original building levels became basements and the original sidewalks were forgotten except by drug dealers, prostitutes, and other criminals.

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After the orientation tour they guides take us on a tour of the complex of sidewalks entering and exiting in obscure doorways in nasty alleys. I loved it. Above is a space that you can reserve for a wedding reception.

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Above is an old skylight over one of the sidewalks.

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Here is the above view. I just love this kind of stuff. I love secrets and knowing stuff that other people don’t. Downtown Tulsa has a public tunnel complex that I don’t think one person in a thousand knows about.

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The tour ends at a combination gift store and museum. Above is a simple still. 

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I’m sure you know what this is.

Our World Tuesday

12 thoughts on “Our World – Underground Seattle Tour

  1. Daryl

    love this .. must put it on the to see list when i get to Seattle … Atlanta has an underground for much the same reasons … as for the Cowboys they gave Toonman palpitations last nite, he was pacing and wringing his hands … thank goodness the Giants won (Sorry Yogi!)

  2. Sylvia K

    Ah, that is a great tour, isn’t it? Before I moved to Seattle, I visited my son here and we took the underground tour! Always love your photos of this wonderful city!! Have a great week!

  3. Gaelyn

    All the time I lived in that area and never took the underground tour. Guess I’ll have to go back. Thanks for taking us along. Love that shot of SPB looking ecstatic.

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