Seattle!

Having to wake up at three in the morning in order to get there, Seattle had a lot to do to make me feel as though it had been worth the trouble! Excited to get to a new state (especially one which is much cooler) and see what the fuss is all about. Needless to say, having been up late the night before and then the early morning rise, i did my best to resist references to a certain movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

We made it to Sea-Tac airport and made our way down to the waterside. Here there were more homeless people than i expected as well as your usual port restaurants and cafes. Past the Sea Shepherd Gallery and up many stairs we found Pike Place Markets and walked along, sampling different foods and marveling at the flowers, seafood and knick-knacks. Deciding against the use of taxis or public transport, we traversed on foot towards the middle of town with the Space Needle to be our destination.

It was pleasant weather, sunny but not too hot, and we picked out places to see along the way and bars to stop into on our way back. The Space Needle was built for a World's Fair in 1962. The plan was to rival the Eiffel Tower or Pyramids of Giza. Although it was a gallant effort (sort of), the whole point of it was lost on me. It is not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as the Eiffel Tower (in fact they are in different weight classes) and the surrounding area is hardly the Champ deMars. Comparing the Eiffel Tower to the Space Needle is a bit unfair but just saying... Upon reaching the top we had a look at the view all the way around and tried to find the bar but it was closed.

We went back down and saw Part Two of our ticket which was the Chihuly Gardens. I had this recommended to me but knew next to nothing about it. We bought the double ticket simply because we were there. Who knew when we would be back! This turned out to be a winning move. The Gardens were made of glass that had been blown using traditional methods. Chihuly was a revolutionary influence on the art form and his use of colour and different shapes were incredible! We walked into rooms of bright oranges, purples, blues and reds with the glass forming seascapes or other shapes. It turned out to be the highlight of Seattle and something you can not miss given the opportunity.

There were plenty of shops, cafes and bars to explore in the area and we did our best to see as many as possible. One thing that blindsided me was the amazing shopping in Seattle. I suppose it is a major city and a tourist town but, being so small and hardly the forefront of fashion, i did not have high hopes for picking anything up. Due to this, you can imagine my surprise when i bought myself probably the nicest jumper (they call it sweater) in the world. Only problem is that my Winters seem to be very short lived! Nonetheless i can not wait to model it.

Seattle was a sweet town. It is well worth a visit although is probably best for a couple of days en route to somewhere else. There is enough to see, enough to eat and enough to buy to give you happy memories and a lovely time.