The hustle and bustle that accompanies most mornings here in Seattle failed to manifest this morning. As I made my way out of the hostel, and headed into the depths of downtown, it was the tranquility about the place that I noticed first. Just the rustling of crisp autumnal leaves, and the birdsong. I guessed that everyone had either decided to have a lie-in, it being Thanksgiving, or were frantically running around the kitchen preparing the turkey for the evening's family feast. Shops, cafes and restaurants lay dormant; the occasional notice offering their customers a "Happy Thanksgiving". All the attractions seemed closed, so I decided the best way to spend the day was by going for a long walk. My planned hike would take me south of downtown, right across to the western coastline and Lake Washington and then to the north-west, before heading across the city again to the hostel. A 15 mile walk it turned out to be; if I had known that before I started, I probably would have had reservations!
The first port of call was a particular Starbucks opposite Pike Place Market, not because I was necessarily thirsty, but because the city guidebooks claim this to be the original Starbucks; the first ever built. Everywhere you turn, it feels, there is a Starbucks; in fact, they are probably more prevalent here than McDonalds! The Americans do love their coffee! The year '1912' in gold plated writing hangs proud above the entrance; I was surprised at this, thinking the company was much older. What did people do before 1912?
It was on my journey this morning that I suddenly felt very vulnerable; not scared for my safety, but much more aware of a class difference. There's always a class divide in any city. Here in Seattle, it seems this is distributed in a North/South divide; the more affluent residing in the north, whilst the slightly poorer occupying the south. With the usual levels of city life absent in the south this morning, it was quite clear the people who hadn't got a place to go this Thanksgiving. Often they would approach me and ask for some change for the bus and others tried to voice their opinion on the government, and why is it when you hold a map- even for a few seconds- someone thinks you're desperately lost and attempts to guide you to your preferred destination. After some wrong turns and some on-the-move map reading, I finally arrived at Pioneer Square.
For a special attraction listed in many guidebooks here in Seattle, Pioneer Park offers very little for the traveller, apart from an interesting arrangement of potted plants, a tribal statue and a monument of Chief Seattle, who had supposedly founded the city.
I was quite interested in going to see the International China Town district of the city, and was not let down in terms of walking interest. Lamp-posts were decorated with dragons, and there was this aroma of spice and herb; the odour of the orient. A group of pigeons gathered around a scattering of sesame seeds. It was clear from the dramatic increase of activity that the Chinese population here were not celebrating Thanksgiving, or if they were, they were doing it alongside their daily routines.
I made my way east now that would eventually take me towards the other side of the city, and Lake Washington. The Chinese district continued like a ribbon development along this road for about a mile or two, and as a side interest, I decided to explore a Chinese garden that had adopted an interesting hydrological system.
Just like the terraced rice paddy fields, this terraced garden had made a really good use of space, although it's a shame that some of the plants hadn't been shown as much care and attention as they probably ought to have been shown. Rain water is captured from the top, and is stored inside a cistern. An imported traditional chinese hand pump is used for irrigation, and is filtered through a series of planters. The cleaner water flows into the drainage system.
After a good 30 more minutes of walking, I finally reached the other side of the city, and at another park: Leschi Park. This one was much more developed than the one I visited yesterday. Less attention had been put to maintaining the pathways, and the vegetation was much more dense. Autumnal scenes accompanied the walk through it, and a bird choir were in congregation amongst the trees, bellowing their little hearts out.
Emerging on the other side of Leschi Park, I came across a mini waterfall, but nothing spectacular. I'm looking forward to seeing some though on the rest of my scholarship. Lake Washington which borders the eastern and north-eastern portion of Seattle was where I decided to have my packed lunch. I spent my time munching on my Blueberry Bagels and fruit bars staring at the Cascade Mountain Range, which although slightly hazy and shielded by the clouds, was still impressive.
A small harbour was my foreground attraction. With their owners probably seasoning the turkey by now, the boats were free to rock around in the breeze; it was like they had formed their own orchestra. I only spotted one ferry on the water today, which goes to show the impact that Thanksgiving has on daily activities.
Without a map, I only guessed that following the shoreline path of Lake Washington would eventually lead me in the right direction. Well, not necessarily in reality. The path soon veered off, in the opposite direction of the lake and I had no alternative but to head into unknown territory. Soon enough, I was walking through another suburban nieghbourhood, although today's was much more grand in scale. There's a few things I'm noticing about American city and suburban city housing. There is no front door, but often a spiral metal staircase up to the door, meaning every house's bottom floor is actually on what technically should be called 1st floor. Garages sometimes are built directly below housing, although is true somewhat of some cities I've visited in the UK. Windows are also a significant feature. Many apartments have large windows, which are well cared for, and most often or not, one side of the building will have a small balcony with possibly a balcony garden. Most front gardens with bird feeders will not only attract the birds, but grey squirrels. Here in Seattle, they each have this red tinge about them, as if they've actually sat in wet red paint. I was lucky to see a couple today.
I managed to get my bearings and found that my instincts were right; I was heading towards the north-east corner of Seattle. There's some good elevation changes here, and some good opportunities for some serious muscle toning. There was only one more place to visit on this walk, the Washington Arboretum. I had the feeling that I had visited something like this before. It was a large garden, effectively, which mixed species from all around the world, creating a very international mood. It would be interesting to see where the wildlife go in this garden; do the birds have their favourite country?
Now 3:00pm, I decided to head directly to the hostel, in preparation for the hostel Thanksgiving Dinner. What a night it has been! The basement common room was jam packed full of both hostelers and staff, each wishing to enjoy this special day together. The menu brought back memories of Sunday roasts I used to have: turkey, mash potato, cranberry sauce, and the dessert consisted of apple pie but there was also pumpkin pie on reserve too! I met Lee and Nancy, the owners of the hostel aswell. The hostel tradition for this dinner is to each individually get up, say your name and what you are thankful for on this day. What's great about being amongst fellow travellers, is that everyone is very motivational. They speak words of inspiration, and what's more, mean them totally. Lee left us with his Thanksgiving message: "Whatever you want to do and be in life, pursue it, but pursue it with excellence. Whether it's dreams of being a cleaner or a doctor, pursue your dreams and you will succeed."
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