Raise Your Hand if You're a Tourist

raise your hand if you're a tourist
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

The ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (Winslow) and back is one of the best low-cost tourist activities in Seattle. Less than $7 will get you a roundtrip ride across Puget Sound with spectacular views of the city skyline, the shipyards and a glimpse of island life.
Ferries run about every 40 minutes on weekends. The little town of Winslow is a 6-block walk from the terminal and offers two blocks of shops, restaurants and bakeries. Best bets are Eagle Harbor Book Store and Blackbird Bakery.

Eagle Harbor Book Store is a mini Elliott Bay Book Co, if you will. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful, and the selection and arrangement of books demonstrates thoughtful care. (BTW, they are hiring. Wanna live on Bainbridge?)

Blackbird Bakery offers a good selection of vegan baked goods as well as traditional wheat and sugar goodness. Something for everybody here! I had a delicious oatmeal and craisin cookie. The real tourist I traveled with was pleased with the vegan lemon pound cake.

Don't bother with the waterfront walk/trail that is signed to the left as you exit the ferry area on Bainbridge. The "trail" wanders through the service area for the Washington state ferries (sorta interesting if you are mechanically inclined), crosses a bracken outflow, and then pops out for a waterfront view of Eagle Harbor from the industrial side of the bay. Not very interesting or pretty. Better to hang out at the terminal and people watch if you arrive back early.