It's my last night in Seattle tonight, and I have a cold so I'm staying in and trying to get rid of it before we hit Vegas tomorrow. I just went for some Pho which has certainly helped clear my sinuses - that combined with the various vitamins and remedies should hopefully get me over the worst of it.
I'm going to miss Seattle, especially the hostel here in Ballard. Everyone here's made me feel so welcome and the place is just really homely - I'll be very suprised to find another hostel anywhere near as great as this one during the rest of my trip.
Yesterday we visited the Experience Music Project in Seattle, which was pretty neat - unfortunately I had to bail on the guys because I felt too rough to go out and do anything in the evening, which was a shame but still, I was bound to get ill at some point while I'm away.
Because I wasn't up to anything today I spent the day kicking around the hostel, chatting to one of the staff here, Alex, about music and coffee, and basically just taking it easy. Managed to do one cool thing today though, on the way back from getting eats. Over here in the States they have freight trains which are just huge - they just go on forever. I've been told they're something like half a mile long. We just happened to be at a spot where we could get up to the tracks as one went past, so we hopped out of the van and ran up the bank to the tracks, and stood feet from the train as it went past - there's something just amazing about being that close to thousands of tonnes of metal rumbling past you - I doubt I'll ever get the chance to do that again!
Next stop, Vegas. Bring it on...
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Sunday, 27 April 2008
Underground, overground, Wombling free...
So the guys have arrived here in Seattle, which is cool - spent most of the day with them yesterday once I managed to get myself downtown...
Seattle has a large area of the city which is underground, after a large fire in the 1890's started by a rather clever man who tried to put out a grease fire with water and a peice of wood soaked in turpentine, and further spread by the fire service who tried to use dynamite to stop the fire spreading in a town with buildings constructed from wood. They're pretty smart guys in the North West of America, as you can see.
The tour takes you through some of the old city which is now below the streets in Seattle, and it was pretty interesting - there's not an awful lot to actually see down there but you can at least visualise how things used to be. After that we grabbed lunch and had a few drinks, and met up with Tam and Chad, which was great.
Today though so far I've not done much more than kick around the hostel, which is cool as there were a load of new people here who checked in yesterday, and we have more arriving today. It's nice being able to just relax on the sofa and chat to random people, and you obviously meet people from all over the world with loads of stories.
Actually, why am I in the basement writing this? I'm off...
Seattle has a large area of the city which is underground, after a large fire in the 1890's started by a rather clever man who tried to put out a grease fire with water and a peice of wood soaked in turpentine, and further spread by the fire service who tried to use dynamite to stop the fire spreading in a town with buildings constructed from wood. They're pretty smart guys in the North West of America, as you can see.
The tour takes you through some of the old city which is now below the streets in Seattle, and it was pretty interesting - there's not an awful lot to actually see down there but you can at least visualise how things used to be. After that we grabbed lunch and had a few drinks, and met up with Tam and Chad, which was great.
Today though so far I've not done much more than kick around the hostel, which is cool as there were a load of new people here who checked in yesterday, and we have more arriving today. It's nice being able to just relax on the sofa and chat to random people, and you obviously meet people from all over the world with loads of stories.
Actually, why am I in the basement writing this? I'm off...
Friday, 25 April 2008
Ballard
I've moved from downtown Seattle to a hostel in Ballard, which is a little way out of downtown. The hostel's awesome, really chilled and friendly. It feels like being at someones house, but with a few more beds. Haven't done much since getting here except go for chilli dogs with one of the members of staf - there's a load of cushions in a corner by the fireplace and once you get comfy it's really dificult to find the motivation to move again....
Today's going to be fairly quiet by the looks of things - I'm waiting for the guys to arrive in Seattle but I have no idea what time they fly in. I may just hang out here and watch a movie in the basement lounge.
Oh and I finally met someone who didn't think I was an Aussie - admitedly she's German so was more likely to recognise my accent but still, makes a change to be recognised as a Brit. ;o)
I'm hoping to be able to upload some photos soon too! Probably.
Today's going to be fairly quiet by the looks of things - I'm waiting for the guys to arrive in Seattle but I have no idea what time they fly in. I may just hang out here and watch a movie in the basement lounge.
Oh and I finally met someone who didn't think I was an Aussie - admitedly she's German so was more likely to recognise my accent but still, makes a change to be recognised as a Brit. ;o)
I'm hoping to be able to upload some photos soon too! Probably.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
I'm completely surrounded by assholes!
Yesterday was the first full day in Seattle, and it fecking rocked. After I managed to crawl out of my bunk and make it downstairs to the safety of the totally non-existent or illegal smoking room in the hostel, I decided to spend the morning constructively, by lounging on the sofa in the common room watching Spaceballs. I then sloped off to Jonny Rockets for a burger, not realising it would be big enough to fill Rick Waller...
The afternoon consisted of a visit to Kurt Cobain's old house, and the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee and Jimi Hendrix. How we managed to squeeze 10 people in to an SUV for 7 I'm not sure, but the police didn't seem to care so it can't have been that illegal.
We got back to the hostel in time for open mic night loaded down with beers, and after a few hours drinking in the hostel ended up in a few bars. By 'we' I mean me, Dan, and some girls whose name I can't remember but I know they came on the dead guy tour. Somehow we managed to end up in a bar with poledancers dancing to Van Halen. It's a weird place, Seattle.
The afternoon consisted of a visit to Kurt Cobain's old house, and the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee and Jimi Hendrix. How we managed to squeeze 10 people in to an SUV for 7 I'm not sure, but the police didn't seem to care so it can't have been that illegal.
We got back to the hostel in time for open mic night loaded down with beers, and after a few hours drinking in the hostel ended up in a few bars. By 'we' I mean me, Dan, and some girls whose name I can't remember but I know they came on the dead guy tour. Somehow we managed to end up in a bar with poledancers dancing to Van Halen. It's a weird place, Seattle.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
U.S. phone number
Just a very quick update - my mobile phone number in the States is +1-206-303-8711. I'll be using this number until May 16th.
U.S and A
So, onwards, and I'm in Seattle. Flew in this afternoon on a little plane with propellers - one of those ones where you have to walk across the runway and climb the steps.... It's incredible the difference in quality between hostels - the one I'm in now (The Green Tortoise) is fantastic - free internet, a big common room where I can sit reading Dostoevsky so I look intelligent, clean showers.....
I've signed up for the 'Dead Guy Tour' tomorrow, which takes us to Jimi and Kurt's houses, so that should be interesting in a slightly morbid way...
Back a few days, because I forgot to write this first - went to the Vancouver Aquarium on my last day in Vancouver (so yesterday then - can you tell I'm tired?) which had some really excellent stuff going on. Managed to get some great photos from that trip, my personal favourite probably being the sloth chilling out in a tree. I know, I thought aquariums (aquarii?) were for fish too, but apparently you can have sloths and cockroaches too...
I've signed up for the 'Dead Guy Tour' tomorrow, which takes us to Jimi and Kurt's houses, so that should be interesting in a slightly morbid way...
Back a few days, because I forgot to write this first - went to the Vancouver Aquarium on my last day in Vancouver (so yesterday then - can you tell I'm tired?) which had some really excellent stuff going on. Managed to get some great photos from that trip, my personal favourite probably being the sloth chilling out in a tree. I know, I thought aquariums (aquarii?) were for fish too, but apparently you can have sloths and cockroaches too...
More soon kids.
Monday, 21 April 2008
Capilano
I spent this morning in Capilano, at the scariest bridge in the world - a 450 foot long, 230 foot high suspensio nbridge over a canyon. Not enjoying heights it was somewhat nervewracking the first time I crossed, but after I'd been across a few times I was actually starting to enjoy myself. The park also has a treetop walk thing where you walk about on platforms and bridges suspended between the trees - I felt like an Ewok.
I wanted to get some new trainers the other day so decided to take the skytrain to Metropolis. That's a mall, I didn't think Superman could help find me trainers... The mall is absolutely enourmous, with 470 shops. I worked out that if you spent 1 minute in each shop it would take 8 hours to visit them all. Didn't manage to get my sodding trainers though.
More next time, feel free to leave comments if you so wish.
Ditty xx
I wanted to get some new trainers the other day so decided to take the skytrain to Metropolis. That's a mall, I didn't think Superman could help find me trainers... The mall is absolutely enourmous, with 470 shops. I worked out that if you spent 1 minute in each shop it would take 8 hours to visit them all. Didn't manage to get my sodding trainers though. More next time, feel free to leave comments if you so wish.
Ditty xx
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Bienvennue au Vancouver
Well, here I am, in Vancouver, stop 1 of my world trip. It's day 2, and I'm hoping I'm over the worst of the jet lag. Trying to get some sleep at 18:30 in a Hostel on a main road isn't easy, in case you were wondering.... ;o)
Was up very early to beat the rush for the shower, and then walked about a hundred blocks looking for a diner so I could have a nice healthy pancake breakfast. Well you have to don't you really?
Having found a suitable venue for breakfast and then having traipsed back to the hostel to get my stuff I hopped on a bus to Stanley Park. Vancouver's full of trolley buses (good for the environment) and they're really cheap too, which is a bonus. They also have bike racks on the front, which is totally bizarre.
Stanley Park's a huge place, surrounded by the sea and covered in woods, lakes, various statues, totem poles... I dread to think how far I walked but the views were definitely worth it. I was a little disappointed with Beaver Lake though, not a hint of beaver anywhere...
If the weather's good tomorrow I'm thinking of heading off to a really high, really long suspension bridge over a chasm in a forest, which should be interesting. Lay your bets now as to whether I get across without either freezing up completely, or crying like a girl.
Other than that not much else to report at this stage - I have photos to upload but can't do it from here so you'll have to wait. Hopefully up soon though.
Anyway, enough for now, I'm off to chill in downtown Vancouver...
A bientot
Was up very early to beat the rush for the shower, and then walked about a hundred blocks looking for a diner so I could have a nice healthy pancake breakfast. Well you have to don't you really?
Having found a suitable venue for breakfast and then having traipsed back to the hostel to get my stuff I hopped on a bus to Stanley Park. Vancouver's full of trolley buses (good for the environment) and they're really cheap too, which is a bonus. They also have bike racks on the front, which is totally bizarre.
Stanley Park's a huge place, surrounded by the sea and covered in woods, lakes, various statues, totem poles... I dread to think how far I walked but the views were definitely worth it. I was a little disappointed with Beaver Lake though, not a hint of beaver anywhere...
If the weather's good tomorrow I'm thinking of heading off to a really high, really long suspension bridge over a chasm in a forest, which should be interesting. Lay your bets now as to whether I get across without either freezing up completely, or crying like a girl.
Other than that not much else to report at this stage - I have photos to upload but can't do it from here so you'll have to wait. Hopefully up soon though.
Anyway, enough for now, I'm off to chill in downtown Vancouver...
A bientot
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Still in the UK
Nothing much to say really, I'm still in the UK. Once I start traveling expect infrequent updates with news about what I'm up to. Oh, and you can check all my photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/morals - if I bother uploading them! :o)
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