Monday, 24 June 2019
Seattle, Washington, USA
Wake up alarm at 0500hrs.
Way, way too early.
There’s only one 5 o’ clock in my day.
And this isn’t it.
Train from Vancouver and across the border to Seattle. Back in the USA.
US Immigration at Vancouver railway station takes 2hrs 29mins less than the 2hrs 30mins it took to board the cruise ship all those weeks ago. This is more like it.
Fingerprints are taken.
Photograph is taken.
Passport stamped.
And board the train.
Advertising for said train says that it’s like a European train. They forgot to add, ‘…from the 1970s’. If you thought British trains were bad you should travel in America. It’s one thing they don’t do. Trains.
Due to my height, elected to travel Business class for the necessary legroom. However. Only just fit in. German ICE train it isn’t.
Seats are knackered brown leather. Very 1970s. It’s a dreadful train. And slow. Takes nearly five hours to travel from Vancouver to Seattle, a distance of only 150 miles.
America is not good with trains.
An hour after leaving Vancouver, cross the border into the USA. Customs agents board the train to check passports already checked when boarding in Vancouver and to take the Customs Declarations form. Always wonder what they do with these forms as no one seems to take any notice of them.
Customs agent boards with a hand held machine, about the size of a shoe box. It’s radiation detection equipment.
Crikey.
Didn’t know the train is a hot bed of terrorism.
Not clicking like a Geiger counter though. He just walks through the carriages with it.
After the border, the tracks loosely follow the coastline and it’s a scenic trip until entering the Seattle suburbs and arriving at King Street station. Regular readers of the blog will recall that this is the station I arrived at after my 46 hours of sleepless nights aboard the Empire Builder overnight train from Chicago. But this time, arrive feeling a little bit more awake.
Short walk across the plaza to the Embassy Suites by Hilton (https://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/washington/embassy-suites-by-hilton-seattle-downtown-pioneer-square-SEAPSES/index.html). Final hotel of this trip. And another room with a view.
Quick lunch at Beechers Cheese in Pike Place market. Interesting to watch them make the cheese on the premises as you consume, in Mac & Cheese form, what they make. Another stroll through the market and once again the highlight is the flying fish. You may recall the last time I came here. The fishmongers throw fish from the display stall to the filleting and wrapping section. See video below.
Seeing the Seattle Art Museum, make use of my Student Union card (yes, dear reader, still have a Student Union card from Masters degree a few years ago, and very handy it is too!) and get discounted entry. Wish I’d saved my money. Dreadful museum.
Although there is one artwork which I find quite arresting. Certainly catches the eye as it looks like a photograph. Such is the colouring and detail. See the photograph of the ‘photograph’ below. Artist is Jules Bastien-Lepage.
Told that the hotel has complimentary drinks and nibbles from 1730-1930hrs. Which obviously requires attention. Unbelievably, each night, they have a free bar for two whole hours! Can you imagine.
Stiff gin o’clock.
As the hotel is a block or two from Chinatown am directed to a restaurant. But it’s full so find another which has good recommendations. The Tai Tung Chinese Restaurant is something of a Seattle institution. First opened in 1935 and Bruce Lee’s favourite restaurant. Apparently.
Order the crispy duck and pancakes.
Particularly partial to Peking Duck.
Tuck in. It’s stone cold. Both duck and pancakes.
Assume it’s meant to be like that. As am in such a well known and famous restaurant. So carry on eating.
Merely mention it to the waiter when he’s clearing away plates away, in a ‘is it meant to be cold?’ sort of way.
There’s then that Chinese pause…aaaaawwww…as he thinks.
Clearly not meant to be cold as given a 50% discount on the meal and profuse apologies.
