Friends - Old and New

It happened as I stood outside my hostel in Seattle. A voice, carrying, I could hear what was being said yet it didn't register for several seconds. My name. I was hearing my name! But from where? There was no one around, not close anyway, it still continued. I had my doubts that it was actually me they were after. I mean, who the hell would know me here? Then from behind me, a young lady appears, blond hair cascading down, a knowing look on her face.

"I thought it was you! How are you??"

I looked at her. Nothing. Again, this time trying to get my brain to function at full speed. Nothing. She recognised me, that much was certain. As those moments tick by, it becomes increasingly uncomfortable. You know it, she knows it, heck anyone within ogling distance knows it. I just don't recognise her and that fact is biting through her with every passing moment.

She braces the subject. "Dave, its Anna, from the hostel in New York!". As the words spilled from her mouth I was already wondering how the hell I could have forgotten. The memories came flooding back, the nights out, the beers in the hostel, heck, we even went to the Yankees game together!!

Maybe it was seeing her out of context or without the hat that donned her head, hiding her beautiful blond hair from view, maybe I'm just forgetful! Whatever it was I sure as hell recognised her now!

I'd been told this sort of thing could happen while I was away. You meet people at one point in your trip and because you're following a similar route you wind up bumping into people again. Despite being told, its still a strange feeling when it does actually happen. Funnily enough she wasn't so much travelling and visiting here, she was actually working here.

I didnt see her again after that, we exchanged numbers but I was leaving in a day or 2 and we were both pretty busy. It was nice to bump into what was, in travelling terms I guess, an old friend.

I also seized upon an opportunity to meet a couple more Booties. Joe was also in from out of town and staying at the Green Tortoise whilst Travis was the local. The three of us arranged a get together for a few hours over lunch. Once again I wasn't to be disappointed by the awesome people that frequent Bootsnall.

A lovely meal around Pike Place Market and a few beers were capped off, stylishly with a few photos by the Seattle Wall of Gum, and yes, its absolutely as disgusting as you may think, still, it makes for a funky photo!


I'd undoubtedly met a great bunch of people while here in the Emerald City. From Joe and Travis, bumping into Anna, the crew from the HI hostel and, of course, Sandy who I'd arranged to meet again to watch the the biggest game of football in 4 years, the World Cup Final!

Underground, Overground, Above Ground

It seems that if you're an American City or almost any big City, you need one. They seem to be there mainly for visitors and already I'd enjoyed my fair share of them throughout the US. They often dominate not only the "things to do lists" but the skyline too. Indeed from them, its the skyline you come to see. Metropolises laid out in front of you, in fact, all around you. Welcome to the Space Needle, Seattle's viewing platform deluxe.

I've always liked these buildings that give you such an overview of the City you're in. Maybe its the feeling of knowing how the City is laid out below you, the feeling of actually BEING here, the enjoyment of being in such a City and seeing what makes each one unique from its own viewpoint or maybe its just the awesome picturesque views you get from the top. Whatever it is, I cant help but want to take advantage of them.

Seattle's Space Needle dominates the Cityscape almost like no other. Its prominence in part of the City where high rises are few and far between allows it to own the space in which its surrounded.

I'd thought about doing it for a couple of days but the weather had been typically cloudy and overcast, however things had changed and the sky was now gloriously blue and who could resist on such a beautiful day?!


Atop the Needle, I actually had a slight feeling of disappointment, I wasn't as high up as I though I might be and couldn't help but think I'd been up better buildings before. Still, the views were impressive. The high rises Downtown gave Seattle that "Big City" feel to me for the first time, whilst Puget Sound and other watery goodness was encompassed in a lower rise area. Mount Rainier, the active Volcano was visible in the distance giving the City a whole different feel on the location front.






The whole experience gave me a unique look on Seattle and whilst it costs a fair bit to get up there I'm still glad I did it. Maybe I'd feel differently had the day been bleaker but the glorious sun and skies allowed the City to bask away.


In Seattle though, what goes up also comes down. Indeed I'd been surprised walking around just how hilly this place was. Roads would slope off into the distance or rise and carry on rising, the steepness tugging at your leg muscles wherever you walk.


Perhaps not on most people's must do list is the Underground Tour. I'd been recommended this idea from several people and along with Sandy headed off to try my luck at getting on one. We knew the place was located around Pioneer Square but weren't entirely sure of the exact location. We saw one group appear from out of nowhere and tagged along for a few moments to see what was happening. Fortunately the tour leader was able to point us to the starting point.

The tour takes you on a route under Seattle to where the City used to lie before being destroyed by fire in the late 19th Century. The City was then rebuilt atop its original streets a story or 2 higher. Whilst there may not be a huge variety of stuff to see the guide made the trip more than worthwhile. Full of information and presented in an entertaining way the tour is made more than worthwhile by the people running it. We both come out back to street level full of praise for the Seattle Underground Tour.


Overground, above ground or below ground I was taking a shining to this City, I allowed myself several hours to just wonder the streets and whilst being amazed at the sheer number of coffee shops it has also located the main shopping district, not huge by anyone's standards but it sits just right in this City where nothing comes across as too overblown there's a certain modesty about this City that leaves me with a quiet sense of admiration for it.

A Tale of Two Hostels

Hostels in the US are funny old things. They're few and far between compare to their counterparts in many other parts of the world. Boston and Chicago for example have 3 a piece compared to a total of around 70 in Barcelona. The US hasn't really taken the hostel to its heart and instead Motels are the budget accommodation of choice it would seem. My single experience of one of these places had come in Memphis and as expected they're rather more ideal for someone with a car than without! The lack of hostels has meant I've often had trouble booking where I want to stay and, on occasion, booking anywhere at all!

With just 2 hostels, Seattle becomes just another City here with a lack of backpacker accommodation and I'd been pre-warned about one of these said places. Though not far from each other the HI and Green Tortoise come at you from very different angles. The Tortoise was the place I'd been made wary of, its location next to the Needle Exchange Centre, home if addicts from all around. Hardly an ideal location! This had more than contributed to my desire to stay at the huge HI place, that whilst only a block or 2 away was in a somewhat less shady locale.

Once again though the lack of options had left me somewhat out in the lurch. the HI, huge place that it is was actually full for the final couple of days I'd planned to stay here and meant I would be swapping hostels midway through my stay. I'd been reluctant to take the Tortoise option up but even they were short of beds and hotel options were out of my reach money wise. It was simply a case of if I want to stay I'm going to have to stay there.

You couldn't witness more contrast between two such nearby places if you tried. HI hostels here in the US have a reputation of being clean, comfortable, organised and regimented. Evidenced none more so than right here in Seattle. Hostel workers walked around dressed as if 1970s Phys Ed teachers in uniformed shirt and shorts, an almost comedic sight. No Alcohol was permitted on the premises but things were unquestionable clean and well thought out.

The HI hostels often fill up with large groups in town for a conference or school kids here en masse. They're family friendly places and more often than not extremely well located. They are, ideal if fun is not on the agenda. put simply, you know what you're going to get and fun filled nights are far from its inhabitants minds. Basically, they're brilliant but ultimately boring!

In contrast, the Green Tortoise could hardly have been more different. The run down looking building housed a run down looking hostel, emphasised more than expected due to their imminent move to a new location. The rooms were fine but had clearly seen better days, the computers used or internet access were falling to pieces, half of them not in working order, faulty keyboards and mice without balls aplenty. Grungy looking seating that Kurt Cobain would have been proud of adorned the common areas. whilst staff seemed blissfully unaware of anything going on around them.

To use an old cliche though, the place had character. Its inhabitants more social, a place unlike the HI where I figured I might actually meet people! in many respects I felt more at home here than in the stuffy HI down the road despite its obvious flaws.

Indeed my expectations were met when, sat outside on the balcony I got chatting to Sandy, a woman from Corpus Christie, Texas. It just seemed the environment I was now in was geared to this happening. Having already enjoyed a few pints of something local earlier in the evening we decided to hell with it and ventured out to find a suitable drinking tavern.

We wound up in Pioneer Square. My first taste of the City's best known nightspot and Saturday was the perfect evening to soak up the atmosphere. Bars and clubs were overflowing, spilling out onto the streets as I saw Seattle rockin' for the first time. Neither of us particularly felt like clubbing so we bounded from bar to bar managing, somehow, to find all the ones that closed early! It was great to sit back and watch a City thriving on its weekend, the atmosphere was infectious and I was happy enough to let it all go on around me as I sat back taking it all in.