Day 17 - Hello Seattle, I'm Listening...

We started the day with a late breakfast and then jumped on a bus as we were heading to Lake View Cemetery. I wanted to visit the grave of Bruce Lee after being informed by a friend of mine, Matt, that he was buried here. It took a while to figure out how to enter the cemetery but we eventually figured it out. The cemetery is huge and we managed to locate the grave of Bruce Lee and also that of his late son Brandon Lee. The graves themselves are actually facing away from the main path and require a short walk on stepping stones to reach a small bench facing the headstones. The graves are all the more powerful and touching due to their discreet and humble appearance. We didn't stay here long but I am very glad that we came to pay our respects to someone who helped introduce to the wider world the physical and philosphical practice of numerous martial arts.

On our way back to Downtown, I had hoped to see another cultural icon from Seattle, the real coffee shop that had inspired Cafe Nervosa from Frasier. It used to be next to the Elliot Bay Bookstore but alas it no longer exists. That latte I was about to order with a Nile's influenced long list of demands was never to be. Maybe that's why they closed, having a bunch of smart alecs visiting and then holding everyone else up was probably not good for business. The disappointment was soon lifted as we were in yet another wonderland of a bookstore. The bookstores that we have visited so far in the states all have a unique and inviting atmosphere that I don't remember from the mainly monotonous chains in the UK. It took all my willpower not to buy another book.

As we continued to Downtown there was a bit of a queue outside a shop and when we looked in we saw that it was an ice cream parlour. Without much persuasion we both went for double scooped cones that in our hands were huge! Just a bit further down we passed a statue that commemorated another Seattle icon, Jimi Hendrix. It's on a sidewalk outside an art supplies shop, fairly apt. We then continued our sharp descent into Downtown, a descent on a par with anything San Francisco had to offer, and we decided to have an aerial view of Seattle. The main tourist attraction that covers this requirement is the Space Needle, however, Alice and I read that the Smith Tower also has a great view of the city and is basically where the locals go. The tower itself is a mix between a living museum of the 1920s, not long after the tower was built, and once you get to the thirty-fifth floor a bar and viewing platform. The elevators are original features and had an elevator attendant present to operate the mechanism and give us a potted history as we ascended. The view itself was lovely and clear and was the first time this trip we've had one of those quintessential views of an American city skyline. More to come I'm sure.

We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours to relax as we had mainly walked around all afternoon. It was also time to build an appetite for dinner. We had a look at a few restaurants before we left and decided to go to Serious Pies, a pizza restaurant. It was quite busy being a Saturday night and so we had a drink opposite whilst waiting for thirty minutes to pass. Once we got our table, the sparse menu still had enough choice to make a decision hard, and I went for the basic mozzarella, tomato and basil option and Alice went for the potato, rosemary and cheese pizza. When they arrived they were very tasty and just the right size. We leisurely finished our drinks and then went to a local brewery, Rock Bottom, and tried a few of their finest. We didn't overdo it mind, as tomorrow, we were back on the road.

Song of the Day:
Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (Nirvana were from Seattle)Read more