My trip out to Seattle this past weekend was fabulous but too short. I spent most of the weekend going to meetings with other lit librarians. The meetings were actually really good, but I would have liked to had more time to wander through the city and see some sights.
I spent Saturday morning traipsing through the city. I had planned to visit the Space Needle, but its unimpressive appearance paired with a highway and a somwhat questionable looking neighborhood between me and the tower, persuaded me against it. Seriously, the Space Needle is so much shorter than I expected it to be. Pictures of the Seattle skyline always make it look like it towers above the city's skyscrapers. That's a total lie. I don't know from where or what angle they take promotional pictures of the city, but the needle is absolutely not the tallest building in the city.
Since that plan didn't pan out, I spent the morning window shopping and wandering around downtown Seattle. The city reminds me somewhat of San Francisco. I think that's probably from a combination of the waterfront, the hilly streets, and the nature-lover meets high-end technology population. Oh, and there really is a Starbucks on almost every corner, and if it's not a Starbucks, it's a Seattle's Best Coffee or some other coffee shop. I visited the the original Starbucks, and it was, well, very much like every other Starbucks just older.
I took a few pictures of the city, which I've uploaded to my Picasa albums. I wasn't in much of a photo mood, but I figured I'd kick myself later if I didn't at least take a few pictures.
One thing I wish I'd known before I went to Seattle: There a whole underground city underneath the streets of Seattle. I guess there are purple squares in the sidewalks that allowed light to the underground city. The city was reserved for the Chinese people who lived there up until the early 1900s; they weren't allowed to live above ground with the white people. I guess it was that way in a lot of cities in the Pacific Northwest. If I'd known that before I went, I totally would have gone to see what's left of the underground city. I guess I'll just have to visit Seattle again...
3 comments:
I heart Seattle. It's one of my favorite places. But I agree, I was unimpressed by the height of the Space Needle. I also expected it to be near the other tall buildings, but it's not really downtown. I also felt the same way about the Statue of Liberty. That's all the taller it is? Definitely oversold.
THE SPACE NEEDLE! I have been trying for weeks to remember what that thing was called.
Interesting! I never knew about the underground city either.
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