Sleepless in Seattle

July 25th and 26th

That is actually the case, but for a different reason than Tom Hanks. The mosquitoes almost eat us alive on the first night and the rest itch terribly all day long.

Our last big trip with our motorhome starts in Willapa and ends between Tacoma and Seattle at our last campground right across from the AMAZON headquarters. The mountain Mount Rainier greets us from a distance at an altitude of 4400 meters.

Just like in Washington DC, we can take public transportation to the city center. First by bus and then by subway with a total effort of 45 minutes and 17 dollars.

Our first destination is the Pike Market right on the waterfront. On four floors, partly in the original condition from 1900, the market stalls line up next to each other. Food, jewelry, bags, clothing, handicrafts, expensive stuff but also junk at normal prices. The building complex looks like an ant hill, everything is in motion and crowded. Tourists sightseeing and locals covering their daily needs mixed together. In the middle an inconspicuous Starbucks branch. This is where it all started, there is a long line, although there is another branch across the street. Everyone wants to feel the breath of history.

Afterwards we take the monorail train to the Space Needle. That's how the future was imagined in 1962. Both are remnants of the World's Fair at that time. Especially the Space Needle looks like it could be the template for the cartoon series 'The Jetsons'. It's actually a pity that it didn't turn out that way.

From the future to the past. We move to the old town of Seattle, the area around Pioneer Square. Here we find the homeless people, who were not visible in the cityscape before. Suddenly they are all there, a whole park belongs to them.

Right next to it is the 'Good Bar' with cool happy hour after-work crowd in costume and business outfit. No firearms allowed. The bar is really good, the craft beer from Seattle and the snacks taste great.

We continue to stroll and want to visit a church. The towered building turns out to be a train station. Inside, it could still be used as a movie set from the 1930s with Marlene Dietrich, if she were still available. A great cinema made of white marble and one can only enter the platform when asked for a ticket.

There are chairs and games available for free on Pioneer Square. We watch a Jenga drama. We end the evening at the oldest saloon in the city.