Sunny days in Seattle

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Next stop was Seattle on my way up to Canada. I didn’t have any specific reason to go there, but I always thought it would be a cool city to visit and was the breeding ground of many of my favourite bands. At this time of year the skies are usually overcast and rainy which I was constantly reminded about by locals as I was greeted with unseasonably sunny skies for my 3 days in town. The looming mountain of Mt Ranier in the distance is usually shrouded in cloud but I was lucky enough to be able to see it.

I ventured up the famous Space Needle which gives the skyline its own distinguishment. The view over the city and bay was very nice. I also took my first ‘city bus tour’ in a vehicle best described as part utility, part amphibian. One part of the tour was driving around the sights of the city before driving straight out onto Lake Union for a short boat ride. This made it quite unique and our driver was a tad eccentric to say the least, busting out cheesy pop tunes and singing into his microphone without reservation when he was not giving information. Did I not mention the vehicle had no windows? Judging from the lack of recognition from the locals in the streets I dare say this is a common occurrence.

Seattle is also home to the (in)famous coffee brand Starbucks. As you can imagine this place has the largest concentration of them anywhere and you literally (I use this word literally, not in the American-slang sense) cannot walk more than 2 blocks without running into one. I did see the original Starbucks, whose store still uses the original logo with the mermaid displaying her best features uncensored. The coffee tasted the same.

I also spent time down at the Fisherman’s market called Pike Place where the fishmongers (are they still called that?) still launch the large fish through the air to each other. Although this seems to be more for the tourists benefit these days than any other reason. Nearby there is a brick wall down an alley that is completely covered in chewing gum. Seems almost anything passes as art these days, but its popular. I also did a harbour cruise, spying some seals huddled on a buoy and seeing the city skyline from an aquatic perspective.

There was also a Nirvana/Hendrix themed exhibition at a museum which was especially interesting for me. On display were such artifacts as the guitar Hendrix used at Woodstock, the one he set alight at the Monterey music festival (whats left of it), as well as various guitars the Nirvana lads destroyed on stage over the years.
I also decided to check out a live gig at one of the establishments which has seen many famous bands in its day. I had not heard of the band ‘Earth’ before now but it seems they are well known and respected. Their music is very subtle but it was an enjoyable show.

I caught up with a local mate and we spent an evening at a bar which houses a decent collection of old pinball machines. My choice of machine was the Addam’s Family. Usually the things just eat my money unfairly, but for some reason I just kept going and going for at least 10 minutes - almost to the point where I cracked the top 10,000 players. I guess they owed me one. Next stop Canada!

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