Seattle. Loved this place. Stayed for a week. Hostel was next to the local farmers markets which happened to be celebrating 100yrs. The place was buzzing. Sells wonderful fresh produce like fish/seafood, flowers, soups, vegetables and fruit, meat and all these other crafty things in between. The pig is the symbol of the marketplace so there were 100 weird and wacky plaster pigs (1 for each year) placed all around the streets.
Saw the Jimi Hendrix statue up on the hill (so small we passed it by!) Went to the EMP music museum which was so unbelievable! We were there for 8 hours and still had to be booted out by security! They had all these old recordings and video footage of interviews with artists and managers and crew, and sound booths for you to do your own recordings. There were whole sections devoted to hip-hop and b-boys/girls and grafitti, grunge, garage, blues, the birth of electric guitar (hundreds of original guitars and all these new age designs), jimi hendrix (his clothes, jewellery, artwork, diaries, remenanats of burned and smashed guitars), and even a disney section with the orginal videos of JT, Christina and Britney! You all would have loved this place so much. Wow!
The Capitol Hill area has a bustling gay scene and all the cool shops and bars reminded us of a huge surry hills. Loved it! Weather was perfect the whole time too. Watched a little league baseball match which was surprisingly entertaining. We were cheering along the kids and really getting into it. They are crazy about baseball here. Its on TV every night. That and the basketball is huge right now with the NBA championships.
So Seattle is all about the music - every kind. There are buskers everywhere and gigs every night in about a million different venues. The first night we arrived at our hostel there was this jam going on and people were travelling with guitars, organs, trumpets (one guy had 3 different horns), harmonicas. Most were excellent. A couple were shocking! There was a venue next door with shows every night and hundreds of people in their style of gear lined up outside our place. Felt just like living at the Enmore Theatre!
We had a few incidents relating to communication and just plain weird people:
1.We tipped one waitress $4 on a $10 bill which is more than enough. As a bonus we threw in $3 Canadian, thinking it was a nice gesture. Waitress CHASED US UP THE STREET to tell us we left C$ and that she was happy to EXCHANGE it with us for US $! Can you believe the hide? Then she said actually don't worry - when i'm next in Canada i'll buy myself a Twinkie. Bitch!
2. Dani noticed a funk in hostel room one afternoon so lit a piece of trusty incense to banish bad smells. Next minute manager is in room abusing her and telling us to pack our stuff and get out immediately as there is absolutley NO SMOKING in rooms. Everyone walking by room giving D filthy looks of disgust. Dani argued black and blue she does not smoke but people on street and manager himself saw her smoking and her blue packet of cigarettes...that was my camera which I was using to get a shot of the sunset. Idiots. We got to stay but no one was very friendly towards us after that.
3. This random guy checks into our room late, bursts in saying he was rejected entry to Canada at border due to an old DUI charge (hes American) and missed flight to China to meet wife and child. Had no money and passport and was screwed. Excellent perfromance, cried and everything. When one of our roommates asked a few questions he became shifty and then it all came out that he was kept as a prisoner and tortured by the CIA in Malaysia (?) loosing 100 pounds in the process. You wouldn't think so by the size of him. Weirdo. And you wouldn't believe it, but 3 days later in Portland J and D asleep behind curtain in hostel and hear THE SAME GUYS VOICE trying it on with our roommates that his bags and money had all been stolen and he got mugged. He didnt know we were there. What a wanker.
Portland. A quiet city. We took the opportunity to chill out. It rained the whole time so no hiking, but we snuck into a few movies, did our laundry and played trivial pursuit over coronas and home cooked food (really nice kitchen). Just what we needed. Amen.
