Seattle

05.05.2011 - 08.05.2011 14 °C

Just one big blog post for Seattle as I haven't updated the blog for so long I've forgotten which dates I was there. 5th May to 8th May, maybe.

Not a bad bus journey, 4 hours is short. Walked to the hostel which seems nice... another top bunk though. Spent the next couple of days walking around the city, its big but you can easily walk around it. Its colder up here, much windier and more rain. Could do more walking tours but I've decided to show my self around to save money.

Seattle is nicknamed the 'emerald city' due to the green forests in surrounding areas... its also nicknamed 'rain city'. The city also has a strong music culture, being the home of Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, amongst other people. The people of Seattle also like their coffee, I noticed a Starbucks on what felt like every block, not to mention the other coffee companies based here.

Went for a walk the first day and looked round the financial district. The space needle is the popular tourist attraction to visit and get a view of the city, but I instead went up the 'Columbia center' building. At 76 stories high its the tallest in the city and over twice as high as the space needle... and most importantly, much cheaper! You get a good view of the entire city from the 73rd floor. There's even a Starbucks in there too on the 40th floor, for the addicts. The smaller white building is the Smith tower, apparently the oldest skyscraper in Seattle.

Also had a look around the Pike Place market, which is just over the road from the hostel. Its a famous market along the sea front containing a large variety of shops and stales. Saw them throwing the fish between fishmongers, as they do regularly.

The next day I went for a walk over to the space needle and had a look around, without going up it. Walked further on, slightly out of the city centre so I could get to Kerry park. The small park looks over the entire city sky line and is where most of the panoramic photos of Seattle are taken.