Seattle-ite.

The next three days went by in a blur of rain, me getting a lot of use out of my woolly hat and with a good amount of Seattle's finest coffee.

On Saturday, we awoke bright and early (after a much-needed eleven-hour sleep), ready to explore Pike Place Market, probably Seattle's most famous tourist destination.

 

 

We wandered around for ages, looking at all of the stalls and in a few used bookstores...

 

 and obviously we HAD to do all of the the touristy things. We had a coffee from the first Starbucks, which opened in 1971 at the market...

 

...watched the men at the fish market chucking around the Catch of the Day, fresh from Puget Sound...

 

...and put a penny in Annie, the Pike Place Piggy Bank.

 

For lunch, we stopped at Jack's Fish Spot, for some very fresh fish and chips - delicious!

 

 Being at the waterfront reminded me a lot of home - with the sharp sea breeze and the fishy smells, it's not unlike Hartlepool or Hull, both of which are very familiar to me! Along with the rain, it's easy to see why Brits in particular appreciate Seattle.

One of the most thing striking things about Seattle's downtown is just how quiet it is - it's like a ghost town!
Maybe it's because it's a weekend so there aren't any workers in the city centre, or maybe it's just because everyone's huddling out of the rain inside one of the many coffee shops. It's quite strange!

 

 

Still, it's looking festive at the moment!

 

 

We had a great meal at an Italian restaurant, La Vita E Bella,  only a few blocks from the hostel.

Gnocchi and Lemon Tart...

 

...and for a bit of evening entertainment we decided to check out another Seattle hotspot, the Crocodile (formally The Crocodile Cafe), a classic music venue only a couple of blocks from our hostel.
We had tickets to see The Coup,which are ironically a band from Oakland. They were great!
Though I was a bit upset I had to stand in the under-21 section - gigs just shouldn't be segregated! Apparently it's Washington State Law.

 

 

 

 

By the time Sunday rolled around, we decided to take it easy, so we spent the morning up on Capitol Hill, a trendy neighbourhood just east of downtown, at various coffee houses, farmer's markets and independent stores.

 

We returned to Pike Place Market for lunch (it's really the best choice for cheap lunch in Seattle), stopping at Beecher's Cheese to try some of their 'World's Best' Mac and Cheese - if it's good enough for Oprah, it's good enough for us!

While you eat you can actually see them making the cheese! That's it - those huge white blocks!

 

After lunch we took the Underground Tour, after hearing several recommendations.
It all took place underneath Seattle - which used to be the road level in the pioneer days, until they raised the entire city.
It was fascinating stuff, and so interesting to learn more about the history of the city, which I previously knew very little about.

After they raised the city, the original street level became underground arcades - these are some original skylights!

 

And this is the Smith Tower, the oldest skyscraper in Seattle.

 

For a low-key Sunday evening, we went to see the new Bond film Skyfall (incredible), at the Cinerama, only a few blocks from the hostel - it's a brilliant old-style movie theater, complete with

root beer and popcorn!

 

By the time Monday arrived, we decided it was time for us to take a boat trip to Bainbridge Island. On a summer's day, it's probably lovely to be able to see across Eliot Bay and up to Puget Sound - but not so much on a grim day like today.

 

Winslow, the small town on Bainbridge Island where the ferry docks, basically consists of a main street just like any other in small-town America - except Winslow is pretty much catered to tourists just like us, who are taking a day trip outside of the city.
The island itself seemed pretty though! We had lunch in a cute cafe called the Fork and Spoon before retreating back to Seattle.

 

At least on the way back the rain let up enough so I could take a few snaps!

Seattle skyline in the distance...
 

 ...and up to Puget Sound.

I look way too happy considering how cold it was!
 

 

For dinner we decided to be the ultimate tourists and splash out (after being soaked for the whole day) at the Hard Rock Cafe - in keeping the music scene which is so important to Seattle.

I had huge shrimp fajitas...

 

...followed by a monster brownie.