Sleep less in SEATTLE US city rains supreme, whatever the weather
IT’S raining as the Link light rail makes its way from the airport to downtown Seattle.
The first day in a new city is always exciting but today is tempered by a distinctly English sogginess.
Best place to head on a day like this, or any other for that matter, is the city’s Pike Place market.
We are greeted under a shop canopy by a busker wearing a cat mask playing a Nirvana song on her violin… or maybe the jet lag is just playing tricks with us.
Roaming through the bustling market is an essential Seattle experience and one we revisited towards the end of our stay.
At the fish stall by the entrance, a bearded man in waterproof dungarees hurls a giant specimen to one of his colleagues.
It started as a joke but the “lowflying fish” has become a tradition – and a tourist attraction.
One man shouts the customer’s order to another, who throws the fish through the air to be caught by a colleague, who wraps it.
Nearby is the original Starbucks. It opened in 1971 and there are queues of selfie-taking fools jostling at the door. All the more reason to avoid. Why drink corporate coffee when there are a heap of vibrant craft beer bars here?
The Pike Brewing Company is a must and my favourite was the Old Stove Brewing Company with great food and stunning views across the waters of Elliott Bay.
If you’re of a certain age, Seattle will hold a special place in your heart for the bands and sounds that came from the city and its surrounds.
There is a bronze statue in the street of Seattle-born rock guitar god Jimi Hendrix. In the grunge era, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were on top here. The Museum of Pop Culture tells their story.
Take the monorail there from downtown and pick your way through videos, ticket stubs, posters, guitars and much more.
I later made a pilgrimage to the house where Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain took his life in 1994.
It is mainly obscured by trees
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and sights. but fans have left notes, lyrics and flowers on benches in nearby Viretta Park. And that is touching enough to stop you feeling ghoulish.
You’ll eat really well here. Clam chowder at the Seatown Market Diner is a must, but save room for a sandwich from Salumi.
Their deli is in the heart of the historic Pioneer District and hardhat builders rub shoulders with local hipsters in the queue.
For around £6 you will get the best sarnie of your life, bursting with the likes of porchetta or meatballs. My partner and I enviously eyed each other’s. Nearby is the Seattle Underground Tour, which takes you on a subterranean trip into the bowels of the city.
It’s a whimsical and at times, very amusing guided 75-minute journey below stairs to parts of buildings which were entombed when the city rebuilt itself after the Great Fire of 1889.
Seattle really has enough to keep you sleepless but for a great night’s kip, check in to the Kimpton Palladian Hotel.
It’s at the heart of everything and just as importantly, has a large portrait of Kelsey Grammer in reception – a nod to Frasier being set here.
Our room was huge and if that rain had carried on, it would have been hard to clamber out of the comfy bed or freestanding bath.
But the weather did clear and on a boat ride around the bay on our final day, the sun sparkled back at us from the city skyscrapers.
The best view came on the Link train back to the airport when, for a fleeting moment, the stunning snow-capped Mount Rainier filled the horizon.
We smiled again – something that had become a habit in Seattle, come rain or shine. FACTFILE: A stay at the Kimpton Palladian starts from £200pn.
A Seattle City Pass costs £91.74 per adult and gives entry to five of the main attractions, saving 45 per cent on individual tickets. See citypass.com/seattle.
For further information about Seattle, go to visitseattle.org.