Seattle, USA

Seattle was a brief stop, and I didn’t do it any favours by getting absolutely hammered on the first night. Wasted about half the next day recovering, which is the kind of self-inflicted punishment that you’d think I’d have learned to avoid by this point in the trip. I hadn’t.

Once I finally dragged myself into the land of the living, I grabbed a burger for lunch and wandered around the Pike Pine corridor, which is a solid stretch of bars, restaurants and shops. For dinner I found the Elysian Brewing Company, a local craft brewery with great beer and decent food. Seattle has a proper craft beer scene and Elysian was a good introduction to it.

The next morning was Pike Place Market, which is the thing you have to do in Seattle. It’s been running since 1907 and it’s everything you’d want from a public market — fishmongers theatrically throwing salmon, fresh produce stalls, flower vendors, and that original Starbucks that everyone queues up to photograph. From there I headed to the Space Needle, which gives you a panoramic view of the city with Mount Rainier lurking in the background on a clear day. That evening I watched the Champions League final, because no matter where I am in the world, football finds a way.

Popped back to the markets for one more look, then had dinner on Pike Street before moving on. Seattle deserved more time than I gave it, and I reckon it’s a city I’d like to come back to properly — preferably without writing off the first day.