Seattle, Washington

Having done our research for this trip probably more than a year ago, we were both really excited about visiting Seattle, home of Starbucks and the Space Needle.  We viewed photos on Google Earth of its waterfront skyline with Mount Rainer in the distance:

We also read about how it has the highest quality of life and I can honestly say that I was more excited about seeing Seattle than any other USA city, but unfortunately it was a bit of a let down for a few reasons...

Firstly, Seattle is the least RV-friendly city we have come across so far. As we have mentioned before, Walmarts are our saviour when it comes to city trips and have provided a free place to stay with good transport links in many other cities we have visited on the East coast.  Unfortunately due to the irresponsible and disrespectful behaviour of other RVers leaving rubbish, dumping their tanks in places they shouldn't and outstaying their welcome, none of the Walmarts within a reasonable radius of Seattle allow overnight parking.  There were one or two RV parks within 20 miles of Seattle but these wanted stupid money for a cramped sloping site which we resent and refuse to pay for.

So after extensive research we found a Casino which offered free overnight parking. It was situated across the bay from Seattle but using our trusty Google Maps public transport route finder we discovered a do-able route involving a long walk (which we could bike), bus, and ferry combination that would take just over 1 hour each way for much less than the paid campsites (which would still involve extensive public transport in and out).  Not ideal but needs must when travelling on a budget!

After a long drive we arrived at the casino to find 3/4 of the car park under construction, with only the multi-storey section open - not an option for us due to height restrictions!  So onto plan B, which at that point did not exist!

We headed back on ourselves, away from the ferry terminal, to find the one Walmart which does "unofficially" allow you to stay, the drawback being it added an extra hour and 5 mile bike ride onto the each way journey in and out of Seattle. Oh well...c'est la vie.

The  next day we set out at about 1pm to the transit centre with Winnie as we did not want to leave her unattended at risk of being towed.  Unfortunately due to other people parking their normal sized cars in the RV spaces (a constant annoyance), we were left unable to fit  in the car park. Whilst debating our next move we rechecked the Google transport map only to find that no more buses were coming that day, and even if we cycled the 12 miles or so to the ferry terminal by the time we got to Seattle it would be time to come back again as last ferry back was approx 6.20pm. Grrr..

Next morning we were up bright and early and set off frantically on our bikes to catch an early morning transit bus to the ferry. As we waited for it to arrive we realised we had no idea how to use the front bike racks and load our bikes.  2 minutes later a YouTube video saved us the embarrassment of holding the bus up trying to attach our bikes correctly.  Gotta love technology!

We were virtually the last ones on the ferry.  All the cars and foot passengers were already loaded and I think they were just waiting for our bus to arrive so we were waved straight through the kiosks and on board.  Bonus free ride ;)

The ferry ride was very smooth and we quickly approached the impressive skyline of the city.  I was expecting to be able to see Mount Rainier in the distance like in the photos I'd previously seen, but disappointingly it nowhere to be seen even on a clear day.

We had read that Seattle was a very cycle-friendly city, so we were expecting a nice waterfront trail like in other cities we have visited (Ottowa, Chicago, Kingston), but it was not to be. Instead we found a dirty, noisy, and rather ugly highway plonked right on the waters edge. so we set off on our bikes in the direction of downtown along congested roads with narrow bike lanes which were mostly dug up with roadworks and finished abruptly.

We were both starving and followed our noses to Pike Place market. It smelled amazing and even on a weekday it was so packed we had to jostle our way through the crowds and street performers to the numerous stalls of fresh veg, fruit, fishmongers, fruit smoothies, pralines, donuts, pretzels and so much more.

We started our food fest in a German cafe with currywurst and chips, yummy but small portions for USA and Adam is a hungry boy!  Left wanting more, we headed back into the hustle and bustle of the indoor market to get a giant hot dog which by all accounts was the best ever!  Adam hardly paused for breath as he scoffed it with the usual ketchup and onions going everywhere, usually a good sign :)  I was still a little peckish and craving something sweet so we bought a large pot of chocolate frozen yogurt to share, followed by a fruit smoothie!  The guy on the smoothie store seemed to take quite a liking to Adam;  I was apparently invisible whilst they chatted about music and festivals in far away places.  I actually think he was checking out Adams pecks...and who can blame him!

  

After all that nosh, we were virtually in a food coma and needed a little rest before started off in the direction of a city park lookout. As one would expect, to obtain a good view of the city you have to get up high so it was a steep uphill struggle all the way. We got some friendly encouragement from a few locals walking their dogs to keep peddling but we did stop at least twice to catch our breath and calm our sicky stomachs. The view was just OK, nowhere near as good as from the ferry!

Next on the agenda was visiting Bruce Lee's grave at Lakeview Cemetery, but we didn't quite make it that far...

We made it back down some very steep residential streets, where I dismounted a few times because they were so steep I thought I was going to go over the handle bars.  As usual Adam whizzed off with no fear, loving the adrenaline rush.  Then came my little accident:  I stopped for a car as I tried to cross a hilly side street and, reaching for the ground with my left foot, I found nothing but air due to a large pothole, so I just tumbled in slow-motion sideways until my hand, knee and bike hit the ground!  

Embarrassed and shocked I scrambled back to my feet to get out of the road as Adam my knight in shining came rushing across the street to my rescue. I shed a few tears and limped along the road pushing my evil bike to the first cafe we could find so I could stop and assess the damage:  A grazed knee, a throbbing hand (possibly needing hospitalisation...!) and dented pride. After a good long while I decided that perhaps I was being a bit melodramatic and had not fractured my wrist after all, and that I should probably stop moping and get back on my bike as there was no other way of getting back.

Ferrybound, we headed back through the impressive skyscrapers of downtown and then came across the historic district of Seattle which seemed to consist of just one small square with a few old trees and a tourist attraction offering a tour of underground Seattle.  That's "underground" in the literal sense by the way:  In 1889, the streets and buildings were regraded and raised a couple of stories higher than their original level after a fire destroyed about 31 blocks of the city.

We debated going in as my knee and hand ailments were almost forgotten, but we were going to be in danger of missing the last ferry back so decided against it. We also didn't visit the Space Needle simply because we have only recently done the CN and Sears/Willis towers and they are expensive!

I don' t know what else there is to say about Seattle really.  We're probably negatively biased because its difficult to get to in the RV and I didn't have the best day. My overall impressions were that it is dirtier with more rubbish on the streets than other cities we have visited, congested, lacked a pretty waterfront and too hilly for me and my bikes liking. On the plus side the people were very friendly, the market was amazing and the ferry ride had great views.  There probably is a lot more to see and it would probably have been worth a second visit but we couldn't face another day of getting there and back.