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June 2nd-Hanging out in Seattle……..and with the Liberian. 43 urban miles.
Link to photos-http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.600067912152.2089813.22101179&l=879c70f187
Today I explored Seattle. I first stumbled upon the Starbucks Headquarters. I really was going trying to go to Two Beers Brewery and Georgetown Brewing but their tasting rooms were not open. After trying to get into the “you have to know someone to get into this section” of the Starbucks Headquarters, I went back towards the city. For some reason, no one would claim a girl in spandex. I thought about going to the Mariners game but decided against it as Pyramid Brewing was right across the street. Went in and talked to a very helpful bartender and two people from Portland (who own a zipline company and gave me free passes). I think I now know what my Oregon coast route will be. It was approaching happy hour time and I decided it would be just wrong to not continue my micro-brewing, so I rolled on to Six Arms (a Mcmenamins establishment). A very nice gentleman who works in the pharmaceutical industry sat next to me. He was there for a convention and after some “work talk”, he asked if I wanted to grab dinner at this place with ‘very nice jazz music’. I am not sure if he didn’t noticed my attire, or if he didn’t think I noticed his wedding ring, but I told him that I wish that I could but unfortunately he made a poor life decision in his early twenties. Just Kidding. I said I had an early leave the next day and there were still some things I needed to do. We said our goodbyes and I was off to the Seattle Art Museum.
On Thursdays, all Seattle museums are free! It was pretty cool, but I would have been disappointed if I had to pay to get in. They had a Nick Cave exhibit going on. For awhile I was looking for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or The Birthday Party but then I realized there is a singer and an artist, not the same people. I got yelled at many times for taking photos. Flash was off! but I guess a 6’3 girl in spandex is noticeable? A continual problem I will have, I’m sure…. After that, I went to the Pike’s Public Market. Very cool. Spent some time in there before I rode off to the GIANT REI to try to figure out a couple more things on the bike, like the front rack (that’s what she said). Wow that place is huge (REI, not the rack).
It was about 10:15 before I got back to the hostel and I wanted to pack my bike before my 7am departure on the Amtrak to Vancouver. As I was walking in with my bike to put in the common room, this man, who I am blanking on the name, said “ohhh, do you need an escort, I think you do”. I replied, “I am in for the night but if I change my mind, I will come find you.” As I was locking my bike in the common room to a random table, he came in and said “you can’t lock your bike here, you need to put it in the basement, something could happen to it here”. He asked where I was from and was delighted I was a midwest girl as he spent time in the midwest. He got me hooked up with the basement and I put my bike down there. He then said, so where do you want to go get a drink? I said I couldn’t because of the amtrak early in the morning, pack my bike, etc…..His reply was, I thought you were a midwest girl, why are you so uptight? (Oh shit, I am uptight. He totally just called me out. My high-strungness is written all over me. What am I going to do? I am supposed to be not uptight and relaxed on this trip, but its only the first day, I guess I can still be uptight? Oh Jeez, this thought process is exactly why he called me out). I replied, alright, you tell me where we are going. We walked into this bar and a 55+ overweight african american with a white beard was singing karaoke to some country song. Right after that, a chubby male Japanese early 20-something was singing a rap song. FAVORITE BAR EVER. I told him 1 drink but midway through the first, the entertainment was too good, I said 2 drinks. After 2 drinks, and a little exhausted with him trying to woo me with his ‘upscale hotel industry job’ (I still wonder was he a bell boy and was that why he was so good at getting the door?) , I surprisingly obeyed my 2 drink rule. It was bedtime.