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Published: March 8th 2009
Goodbye Canada, hello United States…. again!
Our last sight of Vancouver (and Canada for that matter) was a blurry-eyed walk down Granville Street at 6am to the Skytrain station. Two minutes down the line we arrived at the bus terminus for our connection to Seattle.
The journey took a mere 4 hours, including a short stop half way at the US border for the ever so friendly “Welcome to the United States, enjoy your stay” type greeting… which we assume is the correct translation for, “NEXT….” immigration officer grunts, raises eyebrows, gives you the dirty look that could make a grown man cry, grunts once more, finally stamps passport like he’s participating in a championship snap game, before finally shouting right down your ear… “NEXT…”! Damn it, we’re back in the US…….!
Having booked our accommodation online we knew exactly where our hostel was located in the city and guessed at a 15 minute walk from the Amtrak station. Needless to say, we guessed wrong, the walk was a killer! Without backpacks the walk probably would have only taken 15 minutes but with the extra weight on our backs coupled with a steady incline the journey
took more like 40 minutes. By the time we arrived at the Green Tortoise hostel we were exhausted. However, if there was a positive thing to take from this, we learnt that Google maps doesn’t show inclines and definitely doesn’t predict accurate walking times!
After dropping our bags at the Green Tortoise Hostel and taken a short breather we decided to explore the famous Pike Place Market. Conveniently, our hostel was within a stones throw of the market and so we didn’t have to walk too far. One of the main attractions at the market is one of the fish stalls. Not only were the fishmongers the noisiest workers on the market with their vocal sales pitch but they also interacted with the customers and bystanders in a way that you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Salmon the size of cricket bats (amongst other fish) were constantly being tossed between the mongers stood at opposite ends of the stall and caught successfully, much to the delight of those watching. The occasional tiddler also made its way towards anyone stood in the crowd who wasn’t paying full attention! For anybody wanting a job that involves very little work and allows you to
frolic around all day then this is it! (We’re sure that they do work hard out at sea but it seems once they get back on dry land and go to market they let their hair down somewhat!)
Moving on from the market we wandered down to the waterfront and piers. With the Alaskan Highway running through Seattle between the City and the coast, getting to the waterfront was not as easy as it sounds. Eventually we found our way down there via a stairwell in a seedy car park! However, once we got there, the waterfront was a huge contrast to the city and we found ourselves relaxing in the peaceful atmosphere and writing our journals. The train journey had taken it out of us and this was a great place to just sit and chill out for a while looking out over the Northern Pacific.
After a short rest at the waterfront we walked back into the city towards the Space Needle, a tall futuristic structure with an observation deck at the top, which gives 360 degree views of the city. However at $16 per person to ascend the tower, we weren’t too disappointed to find
that the observation deck was temporarily closed to visitors. Still, it was good just to see the iconic tower that features on every cityscape picture of Seattle.
The following morning we finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of Jayne’s by taking a city tour on a Duck Bus. The Duck Bus is a revamped World War II amphibious craft that drives around the city sights before taking to the water via a boat ramp for some more sightseeing! The tour, although slightly cheesy, took us to all the city sights including the hospital from Grey’s Anatomy, the book shop from Frasier, the Cherry Café where Jimmi Hendrix played before becoming famous, Tom Hanks’ houseboat from the film Sleepless in Seattle and numerous other houseboats belonging to some of the Microsoft executives! Whilst touring around the city, various theme tunes played at the appropriate times whilst our driver, ‘Captain Cueball,’ filled us in with all the info about the history and sights along the way.
When we got back to the hostel (which is one of the best we have stayed in) we were met by the beautiful aroma of food cooking. What made it smell even sweeter was the
fact that it was free! 3 nights a week the hostel put on a free meal for all paying guests. So no cooking for us tonight, we tucked into a beautiful meal of Taco's and salad and didn't even have to wash up. What a great hostel. Another unique factor with the Green Tortoise hostel was the lay out of the rooms. The dorms weren't very big but you still had your own privacy as all of the bunk beds had their own fan, light, locker and curtains which made you feel like you weren't sharing with 7 other people and if you wanted to pick your nose in bed, you could! Not that we do things like that!
Having seen many of the sights on the Duck Bus tour we spent our last day in Seattle wandering around the heart of the city and shopping areas. Without the space to buy extra clothes, we felt it best to leave the shops before temptation got the better of us (‘us’ being Jayne!). We took a walk right across the city to the two sports stadia; Qwest Field, where the Seattle Seahawks play American Football and Safeco Field where the
Seattle Mariners play baseball. Peaking through the gates of Qwest Field we could see the pitch and some of the stand but not a lot else. Since arriving in the States we have tried, without success, to go and watch a baseball game live. On the basis that we were unlikely to catch a game in our final week, we went next door to Safeco Field to see if we could at least go on a guided tour of the ballpark. Much to our annoyance we couldn’t even do this because the Beachboys were performing a number of concerts at the stadium and therefore all tours were off!
With little else to do, we se off back into the city for our last few hours and stopped off at the original Starbucks Café next to Pike Place Market for a coffee. It should be pointed out at this point that should you ever visit Seattle, you will never have to worry about where to find the next coffee shop as there are now 416 Starbucks Cafes within the Seattle region alone.
Next stop San Fran, we'll keep you posted!
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anonymous
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It doesn't bear thinking about!!!
Seattle sounded fab but 416 Starbucks hey.Hmmm.No thanx.The hostel sounded comfy too.Are they not part of a chain Ha ha.Take care honeez,be safe and enjoy every minute.Keep these blogs coming too.They are fab.Luv ya both loadsxxxxxxxx