USA West Coast Road Trip - Start

It is Thursday, April 16, 2026, and we begin our trip to America in Jena at 6:00 PM. We have been working all day, and now we first need to drive to Hermsdorf so that Andreas can check in his apartment if all the lights are indeed off and the faucets are closed. This check takes about 20 minutes during which I wait in the car. The drive to the parking lot at BER Airport goes uneventfully; Andreas wants to be filmed during the drive with the sunset in the background – I am already familiar with this from previous trips. I have this dull feeling that I might have eaten something wrong, as I have felt neither hunger nor thirst since noon. The parking lot where the car will spend the next two weeks is only 1.5 kilometers from the airport, and we walk the distance to the airport hotel where we will spend the next night. It is already 10:00 PM when we arrive at the hotel. There is a lot of comings and goings. The hotel is just 100 meters from the departure terminal. We quickly go to the terminal and get some sandwiches – however, I can't eat mine because I still feel slightly nauseous. The nausea only subsides at night, which gives me a short night since we have to get up at 4:00 AM for our flight at 6:30 AM. We have to check in at the counter; unfortunately, it was not possible online – probably because we are only making a stopover in London before continuing on to the USA. At security control, my backpack was examined more closely – I had two small books with me – their surfaces were tested for explosives, and my electric razor was also inspected closely – it seemed suspicious because I had separated the shaving head. By the way, at BER, you no longer need to take out cosmetics and electronic devices like laptops and tablets from your backpack. The plane takes off on time; we initially fly 2 hours to London Heathrow, where we have a 2-hour layover. Then we continue on to Seattle. The 9-hour flight between two other men was bearable. Andreas had the same experience, but he conversed with his seat neighbors. The airline British Airways provided us with food – which was even enjoyable. We successfully avoided using the airplane bathrooms – which was only possible by drinking as little as possible. We land on Friday around 11:00 AM local time in Seattle. Since we are traveling with carry-on luggage, we do not need to go to the baggage claim. Andreas is in a hurry to get to the bathroom, and I wait for him outside. He comes out very excited, having recognized the inventor and CEO of the company of his virtual singer Hatsune Miku in the bathroom. We now wait outside, and Andreas directly approaches him, telling him about his previous trips to concerts in America, Europe, and Asia. The poor man hardly has a chance to speak but is at least polite enough to nod friendly. As Andreas takes a millisecond to catch his breath before the next word avalanche begins, I seize the opportunity to ask the Japanese about his trip as well. He has traveled directly from Japan and will be attending the concerts in the USA. Later, his wife also joins us. (I initially thought she was a fan who recognized him). We say goodbye politely and wish each other a good time in the USA. Now we face the challenge of entering the USA. The line ahead is long, and we are slowly making progress as only 2 counters are open. After about 30 minutes, the line is so long that additional counters are opened – each with a very serious-looking border officer sitting behind them. A woman assigns the waiting people to the counters. When it's our turn, I ask that Andreas and I can go to the counter together – unfortunately, this is only allowed for family members. Luckily, however, two neighboring counters become available simultaneously, so we can at least stand next to each other and face the quite intense questions from the border officers. We are asked about the purpose of our trip and how long we plan to stay in the USA. We need to disclose our travel plans – fortunately, I had carefully written down our itinerary as well as accommodation and planned activities in advance, so we were able to provide information without any problems. We could prove our hotel bookings and the return flight booking. Andreas also had to show the concert tickets on his smartphone. We were also asked if we had food and cash with us and then we were allowed to enter. We had already applied for ESTA for the USA and ETA for the UK weeks in advance – which the border officers could see from our passports. A friendly woman at an information stand then explains to us how to get to downtown Seattle quickly and cheaply. There is a so-called Light Train, which will take us to Seattle Downtown for 3 dollars per person. Upon arriving there, we first look for the Visitor Center since we can only check into the hotel after 3:00 PM. At the Visitor Center, which was so inconspicuous that we walked past it twice, a very friendly older man gave us helpful tips for our stay in Seattle. Taxis and Uber for experiences outside Seattle are so expensive that it's better to rent a car, which we do in the following days. He gives us little hope for whale watching, as the whales only appear in large numbers along the coasts of Seattle in the summer. We are equipped with a wealth of information materials and flyers and now walk in the direction of the hotel. After about a 40-minute walk, we reach the hotel around 2:00 PM – the man at the reception is so kind as to let us check into the room earlier. The hotel is very affordable at 390 EUR for 4 nights, but the room furnishings are quite outdated. However, it's okay for a night, and it is clean too. Despite a lack of sleep, we head straight to the port, which is about 15-20 minutes away. It is noticeable how many homeless and/or presumably drug-dependent people there are in the streets and alleys. However, we did not experience any dangerous situations during our time in Seattle. At the port, we stroll along the promenade, passing fish restaurants, boat tour providers, and the Seattle Aquarium. We get something to eat, which poses a real challenge for vegetarians. At the harbor, there is a Ferris wheel – we buy tickets here and enjoy the view of the harbor area from above. Later, we walk to Seattle's landmark, the Space Needle – a futuristic tower-like building from the 1960s. Here, you can take an elevator to an observation deck and view Seattle from a bird's eye perspective. There is a lot of glass used, and some of the walkways are also glassed over, allowing you to see 158 meters down to the ground beneath your feet. By now, it has gotten evening; we make a brief stop at Seven-Eleven and grab something to drink before heading to the hotel. Our hotel is only 300 meters from the Space Needle. On the way there, we pass a small tent encampment of homeless people. We go to bed around 8:00 PM and quickly fall asleep.