Sleepless in Seattle

Slaking my thirst in the Amtrak sauna

The 4 hour train trip from Portland to Seattle wasn't as scenic as the SF to Portland leg. Less of the mountainous, heavily treed vista , more of the cultivated flatlands. The aircon decided to malfunction in our carriage, and there were passengers going ballistic as the temperature in the cabin soared to at least 18 degrees ! I tried to inject some humour into the situation by asking the conductor if he could turn the temperature up as I was catching a chill. We were advised that we could take any alternative seating on the train, at which the Librarian promptly said 'we're moving to business class'. The State of Washington has recently legalised the sale of marijuana - under strict controls of course. It becomes perfectly obvious as you walk along the streets and the smell of hooch from a passing pedestrian wafts by. The homeless still populate the street corners with their handwritten cardboard signs explaining their situation. Somehow you feel more empathy with those who offer something in return - a drum solo on some plastic tubs or a soulful refrain on the harmonica - than those you sit glassy eyed behind their begging cup.

A conservatory ceiling installation of Chihuly flowers

 

What to do in Seattle ? A visit to the Chihuly Gallery and Gardens - check. Dinner at Pike's Market - check. Coffee at the Moore Hotel's coffee shop ( I'll venture to say the best latte I've had for years ) - check. An afternoon at the 5th Annual Washington State Cider Summit - triple check !  I'm growing to like Seattle.

 

 

Postscript : We took the Greyhound Bus from Seattle to Vancouver, stopping at 4 towns in between. When we reached the border customs point, the driver said it was the quickest trip he had made. Canadian customs officers are experts at the art of interrogation. The Librarian took our passports up as I was collecting our ( now 4 ) suitcases. She was bombarded with what, where, why, how and who questions and as she was beginning to get flustered ( not surprisingly since I am the keeper of all the holiday minutiae ), I stepped in and said ' I'm just looking forward to seeing an ice hockey game'. Game over. Have a good holiday. So it appeared that we got the bus passengers through customs in only 30 minutes...the bus driver was rapt.....until the 2 backpacking American girls were taken aside and reappeared 60 minutes later. We were told in Vancouver that since marijuana has been legalised in Washington State, people are 'targeted' for a complete search of their luggage at the border. The sniffer moose was on a day off.