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I met someone from Seattle recently who gave me some tips on music clubs and neighborhoods. She said I'd probably like Capitol Hill near downtown. It was a place to start. While driving in on the freeway from Mount St. Helens, Darren booked us two nights in a hotel on Broadway and Madison just a couple of blocks from the main strip in Capitol Hill.
We rolled in with just enough time to change clothes and head out to dinner. We would be here on a Monday and Tuesday night, so we weren't expecting a ton of nightlife, but we'd try to find something to get into.
Darren scored the first point. He yelped the neighborhood for good reviews, and came up with The Honey Hole, a delicious sandwich shop/cocktail bar on Pike Street. I actually found it with my nose before we saw the sign. I had a fantastic pulled pork sandwich. Cool vibe, solid food. Four thumbs up.
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The bar was cool and the movie was quite entertaining, but we soon got bored and retired to the hotel.
Darren's an earlier riser than I am, so the next day he left the hotel ahead of me to check out the Experience Music Project, an interactive music museum in a building designed by Frank Gehry and launched by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
I caught up to Darren there and retraced his steps while he checked out the adjoining science fiction museum.
All in all, for such a touristy place, I thought they had some good stuff to get kids into playing and recording music, as well as some very interesting exhibits on Jimmy Hendrix, the history of Seattle music (hint: it's not all grunge), and nice a display of gowns worn by The Supremes. Fun for the whole family.
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Seattle isn't just known for music. It's also known for coffee, so we had to try some local brew. We passed on the original Starbucks (which is also in Pike Place Market), even though they still make their espresso using the original machines, not the chain setup. Instead we enlisted the help of Yelp again and found another local spot, Seattle Coffee Works.
In there we chatted up the young barista to give us some exploring tips. She suggested checking out the Fremont neighborhood to give us a taste of real Seattle living. She gave us bus directions and we navigated the bus system without incident.
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Besides that rain thing.. this place is a real gem. So far one of my very favorite cities.
Later we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island for a cheap cruise along the Puget Sound. There's not a whole lot on the island, but we had a good supper at Shima Sushi at headed back.
We were determined to see some more music on Darren's last night of his month off. It was still only a Tuesday night, but there were still some decent looking listings.
Darren liked the review he read of Ariel Pink. They were playing at Neumos down the street in Capitol Hill, so we checked it out.
The venue was great. It reminds me of my favorite spot in SF, The Independent. I wondered if we had just gotten lucky, or if Seattle is full of venues like this. I suspect the latter. The band was solid too, hints of Bowie and Soundgarden.
We felt accomplished, packing a lot into one day. I drove Darren to the airport the next morning, returned to the hotel with just barely enough time to use their laundry machines to wash my road-funky clothes, and then realized I had no idea where I was going next.
Where's that map?
2 comments:
... still stalking. :) Your blog is awesome and you are an excellent author! Maybe its time that you became a travel writer for the AARP magazine... Im just sayin'! :) Keep it up... wishing you safe and amazing travels!
ps... tell Darren hi... if he remembers me. if he doesn't, keep mum.
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