Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour came highly recommended to us by several friends and family members so on a rainy Saturday morning we drove up to Seattle to check it out. We had no idea what to expect, without prior knowledge on the subject, but we are sure to recommend the tour to others in the future!
Upon arriving for the tour we were escorted into a basement and seated for a short history lesson. Our punny tour guide gave us a short history which was certainly amusing, although we have to wonder how accurate or comprehensive this lesson was. As it turns out Seattle previously had a major sewage problem and, subsequently, a fire which took out a good portion of the city. Upon rebuilding, it was decided to raise the streets of the city an entire story (making the 2nd floor of buildings the first floor, the first floors now basements). Currently, underground tunnels exist under sidewalks- between the retaining walls of the roads and the basements of the businesses.
Our walking tour brought us into some of these now abandoned tunnels as our tour guide continued to speak on Seattle’s interesting history. Walking around in the tunnels and basement spaces you could see some artifacts that were left after the fire (or, more likely, planted by the tour company). The tour lets you off into a gift shop which includes a variety of knick-knacks including books by the tour developer, Bill Speidel.
After the tour, there is plenty to explore in the immediate area. Lots of restaurants, shops, bars, and the nearby smith tower could keep you busy for hours. We chose to just grab some lunch at a deli and head home.