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Snoqualmie Falls
Made famous by Mr David Lynch "She's dead. Wrapped in plastic."
More on that later. The Empire Builder rolled into Seattle after 48 hours of travel across 5 states, with the scenery changing from industrial wasteland to grassy farmland to cold, harsh, snow covered mountains to turquoise valleys. It was incredible just sitting in the observation car and watching the land change.
Seattle was much better than I expected it to be - so much so that I ended up with an extra couple of days there. My original plan had been to spend a day prowling the Pike St Market, a day in Snoqualmie and then leave the next day. In Chicago I added an extra day and then when I reached Seattle I added one more, giving me a bit more time to explore.
My arrival was somewhat more relaxed than when I got to Chicago. The joruney wasn't too bad, managing to get a bit of reading and writing done and just chill out. It ended up being a lot better than my LA to New Orleans cross country tour because I was prepared for it! Getting off the train I noticed that I could see my breath, a sign of
Pike Place Market
Seattle´s main tourist spot! bad, cold times, I assumed, but after a couple of hours and before I'd even checked into the hostel the weather had warmed up considerably and I shed my jumper before heading out into the market.
Pike Place Public Market is a strange and wonderous realm of treasures and tat. The highlight, of course, is the fish market near the entrance, where the fishmongers throw the fish over the heads of shoppers and tourists to each other in a strange display of acrobatics and guts. It was good fun to watch, though their fame (infamy?) did highlight just how boring the neighbouring fishmongers were, who sat around and twiddled their thumbs and hoped that someone would come and pay attention to their less spectacle-based stock. Sorry guys, if I'm going to buy a fish I want one that can fly.
The myriad of shops presents an interesting allure to all sections of society - next door to a massive comic book store is a strange 'Tastes of Peru' store which sells items that (I assume, or at the very least hope) are Peruvian. We shall have to see in a few weeks time...
After a few hours
Double R Diner
aka Twedes Diner, North Bend wandering aimlessly I did what I do best - boarded a bus and managed to get myself lost by riding it without realising to the end of the line. Fab. My journey home devoured the rest of my day, and then it was off to bed ready for an early start the next morning. I was heading east, into the mountains. I was going to Twin Peaks.
By far the best tv show to come out of the States in the 90s, Twin Peaks was shot on location in Snoqualmie and North Bend, towns about a mile apart and 30 miles outside Seattle. Being nearby and being an avid follower of the series made it inevitable that I would go and check it out, and I devised a wonderful plan where I would have a large lunch in the diner they used in the show and then stay at the hotel that doubled for the Great Northern Hotel, which in the real world is the Salish Lodge and Spa.
And what a great plan it was - I jumped on a bus first thing and headed out into the wilderness, passing Snoqualmie Falls on my way to North
Juggling Fish
Pike Place Fish Market Bend. As I stepped off the bus the incomparble image of the Double-R Diner came into view. Though really called Twedes (and with a massive sign saying so) I couldn't help but hear the ominous music synonumous with the show in my head and clicking my fingers to the jazzy dance of the man from another place.
The diner itself is famed for its coffee and cherry pie, and it didn't disappoint. I'm not normally a coffee drinker but the coffee in Twedes was so good that I might just start. And the cherry pie? To paraphrase the show: it was some damn good cherry pie.
I spent the night at the luxurious Salish Lodge, and it was worth the extortionate amount of money I paid. The room I was in looked right out over the river, had a fireplace and a huge bed, and when it got a little darker I took the path outside to look at the falls illuminated in the dark. What was an incredible sight during the day took on an eerie and weird look at night, as the water vanished into a black, imageless abyss. Very cool.
Back on the bus the next morning and I was back in Seattle in time to check into the hostel again and head to the post office to do my admin and send some things home. Then it was to the train station to reorganise my trains - with swine flu ruining my chances of getting to Mexico for the day I decided to cancel my San Diego voyage and spend some extra time in San Fran and Seattle.
My extra time was spent at the EMP - the experience music project, with hands on exhibits like 'learn the guitar', 'jam on your own in a small room' and stuff like mixing decks and all other kinds of cool gadgets. The place was a blast!
Another trip to the Market on a quest for cheap tat proved fruitless, but didn't end on a bad note. I just didn't want to pay expensive prices for handmade junk!
Early to bed again, then. My train was leaving early and it looked like it was going to be a tough one. Ah well...not long left to go now, so rough with the smooth!
LTYM
xxx
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