Dear Diary
Seattle has been a insane whirlwind experience. The amazing people I've met and things I've seen here has far outstripped the expectations that any Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie could have imprinted upon me. For the first few days I stayed with family in a city called Bellevue. Bellevue is a short trip on the I90 across Lake Washington from Seattle and is the setting for one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. Bellevue is full of leafy suburban areas with monster houses on large grassy hills overlooking Seattle and Bellevue centre. It was my luck that I was in this specific area for Independence Day, a day all about the red, white and blue. There were hot dog vendors everywhere, people dancing polka (that was a bit odd), I think I even saw some emo's smiling at one point. But the clear highlight has to be the fireworks. Sweet leaping Jehova do they know how to abuse fireworks. Across all of the Seattle and Bellevue night sky were bright flashing multi coloureds - snap, crackle and popping for like 4 hours to a point of causing epileptic fits.
After the excitement of Independence day I had a couple days left in Seattle which I figured to spend hostel hopping for some city centre love. Seattle has got to be one of my new favourite cities. The pike place market on the bay is a must do experience. Grab some rustic food and chill out on the grassed area overlooking the Seattle bay. I feel like Seattle has the perfect level of multiculturalism. I'm not sure where that comment came from or that it is necessary but I just really liked its cultural blend... random...
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Seattle was also setting for my first proper occurrences of alcohol fuelled random adventures. My first night started with intercontinental beer pong and a failed attempt by some canadians to play flip cup*. And it ended at some point in the blur of haze, but not before one newly acquired friend explained to me how he wasn't gay and he didn't want to "gay me"... yeah that was a bit of an awkward conversation, apparently my general happy flamboyance gives off a gay vibe.
Getting past that the next day explored more of Seattle, found this amazing sandwich shop on a lost wander but hit a snag when I could barely manage 3 bites into the sandwich I was that hungover. Eventually got back to the hostel around dinner time chilling out trying to get through the rest of my sandwich and a girl from melbourne who I thought I'd never met before starts talking to me asking me about my night etc. Halfway down the conversation I admit I have no recollection of her and she proceeds to tell me how in my drunken haze with my new bromance we had walked back into the hostel at like 5am singing merrily and then stole her mushroom soup... I felt so bad :)
After all the soup thievery reconciliation and a couple more sorrys it was back on the booze for a saturday night out in Seattle. We left the hostel with a group of about 15 but had no idea what was any good and somehow got steered by these two random girls to this bar cos they said it had good music and free entry if we said we were there for Jess' birthday. The bouncers were a bit sus about so many people being so late for Jess' party so we just explained we were another birthday party that just finished dinner and in we went.
All was going well cheap drinks, cool cheesy 80s music, hanging out etc when suddenly these two girls come up to us dressed as Snow White and Pocahontas and we had the weirdest conversation which went something like this...
Pocahontas: Is this a gay bar?
Casper: Uhhh what? I have no idea, why do you ask?
Pocahontas: There are all these queens here?
Casper: *turning to closely inspect dancefloor* where are they? they all look ... oh god thats not a woman.
Bro 1: neither is that one...
After it dawning on us that half the dance floor were alternatively dressed men in dresses we were a bit taken back (apparently the Queens of Seattle come the 80's music and stay for the cheap drinks), thought nothing of it and proceeded to have an amazing night. One question did come up though, why of everyone in the bar did Pocahotness ask me whether I knew it was a gay bar... it was happening again...
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*PS to all flip cup enthusiasts, I do not understand your game, it is silly and makes no sense. That is all that needs to be said about that
PPS Staying in hostels is awesome but they can sometimes be quite noisy when your trying to making last nights pain stay with last night so you can get some shut eye, so I've been aiding my sleep with a lot of nice gentle acoustic to lull me to sleep. Ben Howard has been my audio lover in Seattle. He hooked me with a cover of 'Call me maybe' but his awesomeness has to be realised for your own. Buy, steal, download his album Every Kingdom. The song below is my favourite off the album I hope you enjoy
PPPS This entry is poorly written and rushed so sorry if it doesn't read to well I couldn't be effed editing today :)
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