DAY 28 - 30: Seattle

So on Monday I took Amtrak from Portland Union Station to Seattle King Street Station. It was a lovely journey. The train left on time, it was clean and comfortable. Definitely value for money.

In Seattle I caught a bus to the Green Tortoise and then immediately walked to the to go on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Much cheaper than a harbour cruise and just as nice.

Seattle from the Bainbridge Ferry

Bainbridge Island

Afterwards I walked around Pike Place Market where they sell just about anything, had a hot dog and sat on the grass staring at the ocean.

Today, Tuesday, I walked early morning to Pioneer Square and did the Seattle Underground Tour. Turns out Seattle was originally built on mud-flats which caused many, many problems with buildings sinking and the sewerage being returned on the tide!! Eventually they started building their homes up the hills. The downtown area however was still a mess and causing disease. That's when the city elders decided to raise the streets by around 3 meters. Thick walls were built on either side of the streets and then filled in with rubble, while the pavements stayed down at the original level for another 20 years or so, since they ran out of money. Eventually the pavements were then raised, leaving the original pavements as underground walkways. And the original 1st floors of the homes became basements. The guide was very entertaining and the history was interesting.

What Downtown looked like before the streets were raised

Imagine standing on the ground floor of this house, looking through the windows. What would have been in front of the windows would have been the pavement and then the street there where the wall can now be seen through the window openings. Behind that far wall is the rubble that is under the street.

It is amazing to see what is holding things up down there.

They built the "facilities" a bit higher than the other rooms to try and prevent the yuk from being pushed right back up when the tide came in.

This is the current pavement and the small squares are thick pieces of glass to let light through to the walkway below.

And this is what one of the glass blocks looks like from below.

After the tour I took a bus to Seattle Centre where the Space Needle is. I visited Chihuly Gardens and Glass. This is an amazing place with the most amazing glass art. I spent a couple of hours there before visiting the Bill and Melinda Gates Centre. That was interesting but I did not really see or hear anything I did not already know.

The Space Needle

MoPOP - The museum of Pop Culture

These massive "flowers" have solar panels that powers twinkling lights at night and I believe they also move

Glass Art

This is a massive piece of glass art hanging from the ceiling

This is a corridor with a glass ceiling and many, many pieces of glass art on top, so you look up at it as you walk beneath

Inspired by his mother's garden, he says.

A whole glass house built just to house these glass flowers

And glass in amongst the plants in the garden outside

I actually thought that was a real plant until I got close up.

For lunch/dinner I had a massive salmon chowder in a sour dough cob.

Tomorrow it is on to Vancouver.... and I do not have a single Canadian $ on me. Chase does evidently not do foreign currency and Wells Fargo told me that they won't give me foreign currency as I do not have a bank account with them! Grrr… This is sounding more and more like my adventure in Gdynia, Poland where I arrived without the necessary Zloti, on a Sunday afternoon, and no-one speaking English or German! We'll see.... tomorrow's problem. First I have to get myself very early to the station and through customs.