Seattle stole my heart. The place smells of marijuana, fish and old chewing gum, but most of all, it reeks of individuality. Seattle epitomises an acceptance of what is different; it oozes creativity and artistic spirit. That feeling follows you everywhere you go and it stays with you long after you leave.
On the countdowns of the bucket list cities of the world, Seattle rarely, if ever, gets a mention. I am on a mission to change that. I fell head over heels in love with the birthplace of grunge when I visited last summer. As the first stop on my first ever solo trip, my love affair started long before I left Ireland, during the researching stages of the adventure (yes, research…I’m a total overplanner).
I booked 4 nights at the Green Tortoise hostel on Pike Street, the perfect location for exploring the city’s many and varied attractions. It is this area specifically I refer to, and not Seattle as a whole, when describing the distinctive smell that I will forever connect with my stay there. On my arrival I discovered, to my absolute delight, that I would be able to do all my exploring on foot (I hate driving around a destination to see the sights; I always feel like I’m missing all the interesting “accidental” stuff I could be discovering along the way).
The Green Tortoise boasts one of the coolest locations in Seattle; it is right across the street from the famous Pike Place Market (hence the smell of fish…). I also discovered on my last day there that the oddity that is the Seattle chewing gum wall is in an alley underneath the market (hence the smell of old chewing gum).
The Capitol Hill and Belltown neighbourhoods are in walking distance; it was a real treat for a 90’s teenager such as myself to visit places like the Comet Tavern (ex punk music joint, now marketing itself as a bar, club, restaurant, dive bar and neighbourhood joint) and Linda’s (the grunge Cheers, a nice bar for nice people, and the last place where Kurt Cobain was seen alive). It is here that the city comes alive at night.
Seattle is clearly not defined by the grunge movement of the 90s alone. One stroll around it will reassure anybody that there is so much more to the place than the legacy of Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell. It is an unavoidable truth though, that pop culture in general calls to you from every street corner. One such call is uttered loud and clear by the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP museum). I spent hours strolling around the Jim Henson exhibit, ooh-ing and aah-ing over the genius behind Fraggle Rock, the Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Labyrinth.
As a 90s teenager who was a 80s child, I was in heaven walking down memory lane, gazing at the actual puppets, original sketches, storyboards and costumes. From there, on to the Bowie by Mick Rock exhibit, featuring 65 photos taken during the Ziggy Stardust era, and including both backstage and onstage shots of the music icon. MoPOP is so much more than a place of history. This is a museum that is a celebration of everything artistic that is real and alive and evolving.
Walk for less than 5 minutes and you will find yourself gazing upwards in awe at the infamous Seattle Space Needle, with its observation deck at 520 feet offering stunning 360 degree views of the Seattle skyline. I was blessed with what I have been told was uncharacteristically warm and clear weather for Seattle so the view from the top did not disappoint. I gazed, I took it all in, I drank Prosecco, and I left knowing that I would be recommending the experience to people for a long time to come.
From the space needle to Chihuly Garden and Glass, it’s literally less than a minute of walking. Everything really is that close! Here is an explosion of the inspirational work of Dale Chihuly, whose art can be seen in over 200 museums around the world. His sculptures are shown in indoor displays and also in the relaxing surroundings of the gardens themselves. I have no words to describe the unusual beauty of his creations; I will let the pictures do that for me. Go, see it for yourself. Listen to the humming glass flowers, stroll through the gardens, and relax in the outdoor café. I can promise you won’t regret it.
For those who are easily bored by hustle and bustle, there are activities to take the more adventurous tourist out of the metropolis for a few hours. On my last day there, I hopped into the hostel minivan with 7 fellow travellers and headed east, across Lake Washington on the floating bridge, towards the very beautiful Snoqualmie Falls, a 270 foot waterfall just 28 miles outside the city. The falls attract upwards of 1.5 million visitors per year and once you’ve experienced them for yourself, it’s not hard to understand why.
Arriving at the top of the falls, and once again blessed with glorious sunshine, we marvelled at its majesty, took our photos, and headed walking downhill towards the river, where there were many more photo ops and a chance to cool off by paddling in the water. Our day out was rounded off by a visit to Snoqualmie, the pretty little town where much of the outdoor filming for the Twin Peaks series happened (once again, the 90s pop culture junkie in me was in absolute heaven). Here, we had an ice cream stop, and the option for more photos, this time of the old train and railway line running conveniently past the ice cream shop.
I found myself feeling sad to leave this vibrant city, so alive with culture, but knew that I would be back one day to collect that not-so-little piece of my heart that I was leaving there. I packed my bags and waved goodbye to the Green Tortoise, the raw fish stalls and the smelly gum wall, and headed off (walking) to the train station, to embark on the next chapter of my adventure, the sleeper train that actually didn’t happen. That, however, is a story for another day.
Wow! Lisa, that was a great read. Very descriptive and beautiful photos. You had me wishing I could be there.
Thank you much Val x