"The hot tub in the only place on the premises you can't drink alcohol, you can drink literally anywhere else."
These words were all the confirmation we needed that the hostel we chose for our Seattle accommodation wasn't exactly the norm. But more on that later.
Day 1
We got up at stupid o'clock to catch the Bolt Bus from Vancouver to Seattle on a cold, dark morning. After some initial concern over our cargo of fruit (2 bananas and some oranges) we made our way over the American border after the intervention of a cute sniffer dog and a relatively affable customs officer. Having never been fingerprinted or faced US customs officials before I was a little wary but, loss of fruit aside, the transition went smoothly.
The seats in our Bolt Bus were slightly reminiscent of those found in a ghost train circa 1960 but I must have slept at some point because it didn't feel like too long before we were pulling up amongst the high rise buildings and scaffolding that marked our stop in Seattle. After walking 1.5 miles (I don't know what we were thinking either) we got to our hostel.
City Hostel Seattle doesn't look much from the outside but once inside, my goth it's pretty cool. Aimed at younger backpackers it is resembles a sprawling student house, designed by affluent mature students who want to have fun but also are old enough to know that leaving their old socks lying around might upset their housemates. The walls are furnished with artwork, books and acoustic guitars. Amenities include several kitchen areas, internet rooms, a library, a small cinema in the basement and the above mentioned hot tub.
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| City Hostel Library |
Our room, therefore should not have been a surprise. Walking in the door we were assaulted by a barrage of colour, that covered every inch of wall. It transpires that every room in the place has been decorated by an artist. Our decided to adorn our sleeping space with dozens of faces, bright colours and general trippyness.
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| This will make sense to 3 people, maybe. |
We hit the street, as much to escape the stares from our bedroom walls, and took a walk to check out the Space Needle but firstly to find somewhere to eat. We located the 'Lucky Diner', a schizophrenic establishment that shifted in and out of an American setting, Irish symbolism and a multicultural menu. Here we had a large amount of greasy food and also saw our first Stereotypical American Family. We also couldn't help notice how, em, 'rotund' a lot of people were compared to in Vancouver/Ireland.
From there we went onto see the Space Needle, which is impressive in one sense while simultaneously essentially being a large stick. Much like the Spire really.
Seattle, from our brief time there, seemed a slightly uninspiring place as cities go. The buildings all look the same and the weather seems pretty average at best. It makes sense then that one of its main attractions involves being indoors.
The Pike Place Market is nine acres of stalls, food stands and privately owned shops.
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| *shudder* |
Downstairs in the market are several interesting bookshops, music shops and various other oddities. We met the owner of one of the bookshops, an Italian woman who lived in Ireland for four years and we talked about the weather, drinking, the Roisin Dubh and how North Americans sometimes hate the craic.
While the market is definitely worth the look, I don't know how many tie-dye t-shirts, beaded necklaces and beer bottle clocks one person can need.
That evening we searched the downtown area for somewhere other than Americorporation to eat as we had a limited timeframe to get food and make our way to the show we had booked to see. We eventually found the ridiculously named
Von's RoastHouse and Martini Manhattan Memorial a curious and long running establishment that had a bar area with thumping music and a separate dining room, resplendent with 100s of beer taps adorning every inch of the walls. We chose the latter and found Von's delivered on its promise of quick service and good prices.
From there we made the short walk to the Paramount Theatre to see Wicked, a musical from from the point of view of the witches in the Wizard of Oz, and the principal reason for this trip to Seattle.
Our seats were worth the rather steep price we paid and herself seemed to enjoy the performance. From the 3rd row we could see every facial expression, which added to the experience. We could also see the wires and other theatre trickery, which didn't so much. Wicked is a fun for the whole family type affair, with singing, dancing, and some spicy humour thrown in. It was a little long for me but sure there ya go. Like the hostel, the Paramount was much more impressive from the inside.
Speaking of the hostel, it is there we returned after the show, tired but not ready to call it a day just yet. After picking up some drinks ($7 for 6 proper sized cans! That's like Irish prices!!) we stumbled across the mini theatre in the basement where a group were drinking and watching Evil Dead 2. Those of you who know me know that watching dodgy horrors and having a few drinks is one of my favourite things, and add a slightly sketchy basement into the mix and I was in my element!
Day 2
Despite the manic faces staring at us from their vantage point on the walls we awoke the next morning both having had a good sleep. We got up early to avail of the free breakfast in the hostel however it was quite 'European' so we had to stock up on snacks for our second day of shopping in the main downtown area.
Personally I wasn't over impressed with the area that could have been any shopping street across the world so I took refuge in a cafe and read a book like the snob that I am. Herself however had a better time of it and informs me that the prices are a lot better than in Vancouver, which doesn't surprise me. On the way back to the hostel I again called into
Singles Going Steady, not a dating agency as I first thought, but a shop dedicated to all things punk be it CDs of bands you have never heard of, vinyls of bands you have never heard of, posters of bands..well you get the point. There was actually too much for my little head to comprehend and I actually somehow left Seattle without buying anything there.
Belltown has an embarrassment of bars and restaurants to choose from and it can be hard to narrow down all the options. If you like burgers, cheap drinks and listening to bands like Bad Religion then Alley Burger/Juju is probably the right choice for you! As a burger-lover who is annoyingly picky, their 'tick the boxes' menu was a goth-send for me too.
The food is basically one step up from your favourite durty takeaway and even comes in brown bags direct to your booth. The prices are good even without the happy hour we caught. A couple of doors up is
Shorty's, which is a heart attack of colour, bright lights and shiny things compared to most of Seattle. Shorty's is, wait for it, a BARCADE, that's right a bar and arcade mashed together with a dose of circus references and sports on the TV. I have literally never been anywhere like this and the laid back 'yeah this is our local, pretty sweet, huh?' vibe from the regulars made me insane with jealousy. Or maybe it was the circus music and clowns in the bathrooms that sent me on a dementia slide.
Where was I? Oh yes, get this, the tables were made from old pinball tables that still light up.
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| Pinball bar table. My jaw on the floor not pictured. |
If Guitar Hero, Pacman or a multitude of shooting games aren't enough to entertain you as you drink your way into oblivion then you can play pinball until you're delirious in the arcade section.
We managed to drag ourselves away from the happiest bar in the world,out into the rain and onto the
Showbox where we were going to see Taking Back Sunday, Bayside and Man Overboard. For some reason everyone had queued up 'around the block' and were standing in the rain waiting for the doors to open. We decided it was much more sensible to wait in the bar next door and wander in after a drink. And so we did.
Man Overboard hit the stage first and weren't as out of tune, as drunk or unfortunately as fun as the time I saw them in Dublin. Next up were Bayside who put on a really good show and probably had the best sound of the night. We stood as the back as we
are getting old wanted a good view and it helped at to the feeling we were watching a DVD of a live performance.
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| Bayside, as seen from the old person section at the Showbox |
Taking Back Sunday played some album they released 10 years ago and they were okay I guess!
Day 3
Not content to leave it at that we wedged as much as we could into our last day by eating in another greasy diner and heading to the EMP Museum, which is basically a museum/exhibition of things a younger/alternative generation like such as Punk, horror films, sci fi, guitars and pop culture. We checked out some fictional murder weapons, performed a masterpiece in the jam rooms (they let you play actual instruments) and I had a good cry at the Nirvana exhibit thinking about how terrible it is that people idolise Kurt 'wah wah wah' Cobain.
We then stopped by Von's for a second time on the way back to the bus and I had the best Turkey sandwich of my life. My goth it was good.
I think that was it!
