Walk It Out: Alki Crab and Fish Floating Edition
Picnic Spot: The grassy knolls and gravel beaches surrounding Hamilton Viewpoint Park.
Picnic Supplies: A bus pass (or $4), fish 'n chips and a brew while you wait.
Walk it Out: Obviously the pass isn't for consumption, but it's necessary if you want to take a few liberties with the "walking" part. After a long day, the last thing I want to do is trek all over the city looking for a quiet place to enjoy some greasy grub. But an easy float across Elliott Bay for fresh fried halibut and seasoned fries really hits the spot.
Enter the Elliott Bay Water Taxi--the cutest mode of mass transit in Puget Sound, docking a few piers up from the downtown ferry terminal. Transit pass holders embark for free, but other riders have to cough up $3, plus an additional buck for the return trip.
Even on a slightly gray day, the 12-minute ride can calm the emotional seas of a long day at work. There's a healthy mix of commuters and tourists and generally enough room to enjoy the view from the deck. By the time you reach the other side, a couple of fillets and a beer is all that's left for an ideal early evening.
There's a Salty's down the way, but it can run a little pricey, even during happy hour, and chances are you didn't wear your cocktail duds on the boat. Alki Crab & Fish has you covered. The fish isn't exactly mind blowing, but they're more than happy to wrap it to go. Beers have to stay in the garden, but it takes awhile for the fish to fry up (always a good sign in my book, no soggy fillets under warmers), so polish off a beer with the same Salty's view for half the price while waiting.
Like eating fish 'n chips inside a Seattle postcard.
Once it's done, have a seat on the grass about three yards away, and listen to the harbor seals, boat horns and the occasional train whistle. For the agoraphobic types who avoid Alki, this park is a couple miles south, and the meat market crowds are usually thinner.
Lick the seasoning from the fries off your fingers, responsibly dispose of your garbage, and hop the boat for the return trip. Ah bliss.
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