Seattle

Rainy grey Seattle. Yet always the magical thrill of seeing the hint of mountains in the distance.

Staying with Stefan and Karen Lise:

Disappointment at the Space Needle. They should have kept it orange.

Walking through Pike Place Market. The inevitable curiosa shops, the throwing fish market. The convinced Left Bank Books where fierce hope reigns still (I bought A People’s History of the United States there for Stefan).

Walking in the Discovery Park to find the Daybreak Star Cultural Centre, a haven for Native Americans in the Seattle area and a natural point of attraction for passing anthropologists. The Native Americans are only represented through their artifacts, their totem poles. The city generally giving the impression that they aren’t here anymore and are of no influence or relevance.

They’re still there.

Walking through the greatest rainfall of any November in the history of the city. Walking back from the pub through the university campus one night when the raining finally had ceased. Only to find that the university grass sprinkling system had been activated, sprinkling even more water onto the soaked lawns!

The amazing story of the Underground beneath Seattle.

The Columbia Centre Skyscraper:

And the views from its 73rd floor:

The joy of hanging out with a photogenic couple:

Getting a well-cooked Thai meal at the tiniest, busiest restaurant in the University district, Thai Tom’s – all while listening to grooving reggae. Who would have thought that reggae and Thai food go so well together?

The idea that you can use the premise of installing Linux on somebody’s computer as a way to get a date. Well, at least a “maybe-date”.