Tat’s Bizarre Travels

Fremont, WA - When you walk about Fremont you’ll see any number of strange items good for gawking at. In fact Fremont is so enamored with it’s collection of odd attractions that you can pick up a walking tour of the area at just about any of the strange Fremont visitor spots that give full descriptions on what it is you’re looking at an how it got there. The Rocket Ship is no exception.

It is easily the tallest of the weird Fremont attractions, located on the corner of what appears to be a functioning clothing store, but has nothing to do with the store itself. According to the plaque that is posted along side of the Rocket Ship it was brought to Fremont in the 90’s after the chamber of commerce decided that it was time to have a truly unique monument that said “Fremont” all over it. The rocket, an actual 50’s cold war rocket, was salvaged by the town and brought to Fremont where it sat idle for about 5 years before taking it’s place on the corner of 36^th Street. Now it stands as a unique marker and a true reflection of the people of Fremont. In fact the Rocket even bears the Fremont crest and their motto:

“De Libertas Quirkas”
or
“Freedom to be Peculiar.”

Seattle, WA - If you enter Pike Place Market by the big sign by the clock you’re bound to see her. She’s bronze, she’s big and she’s the donation hub of Seattle’s most famous market. Pike Place Market may be know for the fish throwers, the flowers, or even the odds and ends, but the reason it’s all still around is Rachel. She’s a big bronze pig. Weighing something like 600 lbs. she may just be the heaviest pig, and piggy bank, in the world. I’m pretty sure there are larger pig and banks out there because she doesn’t boast her enormity, but I love her girth. Kids and tourists love her too. Snapping photos and climbing on top of the life sized pig make great photo ops and fun for the whole family. While she was originally cast to bring in funds to keep the market going and you can see the bronze tracks of the more liberal donnor with there names on them in the area. Don’t fret if you don’t have a handful of change, the money slot is plenty big enough to bills…maybe one day she’ll be equip to take plastic.

Seattle, WA - If you head down to Pioneer Square, one of the only parts of Seattle that reminds me of an East Coast city, you’ll find Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour. I typically don’t like the ideas of tours, unless, like the Seattle Underground, it’s the only way I’m going to see a place that is otherwise off limits. I guess I could break in, but I’m much too old for prison. Besides this tour is a humorous look at the history of Seattle and the of the subterranean areas that are left to explore. Like any good subterranean adventure you are only permitted to explore the bits that are on the tour, but I suspect that there’s more to see for someone with the right set of keys to see.

The tour boasts “irreverent humor” which is directed mostly at the founders of Seattle. It mostly talks about the founders follies, including the inability to correctly build a working sewage system. Learning the history of Seattle’s early waste management system includes some of the best jokes on the tour. Everyone loves poo humor.

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