(Check out my first ever vlog on YouTube! Fittingly, it's about this trip to Seattle! - Weekend in SEATTLE)
Time flies so fast! It was seven months ago when I took my first solo trip to Seattle. I booked my tickets and accommodation rather spontaneously after I've well settled in and thought it was time to kick start my travels.
- 21 January 2017 -
My train was scheduled to depart at 8.30am, so I woke up early to get ready and called for an Uber as public buses were not yet in service and I didn't want to walk to the Amtrak station. Don't remember why didn't I have breakfast at home, but I got myself a Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookie from the vending machine which tasted pretty awful.
Light breakfast at the train station
The train cost approximately 1.5 of a bus ticket (weekend rates), but it's much more spacious and comfortable than the bus. Not to mention, the view of the Bellingham Bay is magnificent. I've always wanted to travel by train overseas, looking out the window to beautiful nature views...and the moment I had the bay in sight, it hit me that I was getting what I wanted and actually teared up, being so thankful for the chance (yeah, I was a little overwhelmed).
This photo does no justice to the actual view at all.
With my duffel bag and iPhone in hand, I navigated my way to the hostel which was about a 23-minute walk away. The walk was fairly easy as it mostly consisted of walking straight in one direction. I could tell that the Pioneer Square area was the dodgier side of the city, but I was in for a surprise later that evening.
I stayed at the Green Tortoise Hostel as its location is very strategic - just across the Pike Place Market, price is relatively cheaper than the hotels around, and amenities provided are on point.
In case you're interested in the Green Tortoise Hostel, they have free breakfast, free WiFi, a fully-equipped kitchen at your disposal, plenty of bathrooms, towel rental, bicycle rental, and free beer on Saturday nights. The staffs are friendly, the place is very clean, and each bed has a curtain for privacy (which I really appreciate).
Since check-in time was at 2pm, my early arrival meant I could register but not get into my room just yet. So I left my bag at the hostel's baggage storage and went hunting for food as I was hungryyyy.
The pepper jellies were not bad, but even their spiciest wasn't to me...at all *sobs*
If you're into free food, Pike Place Market is known for stalls giving out food samples! You can eat your way through the entire market - nuts, yogurt, pickles, cheese, chips, pepper jelly...etc.
Walking around Pike Place Market got my stomach rumbling as I couldn't find the food section. Not sure if I was looking in the wrong places, but I only saw a couple of food stalls which food I wasn't quite feeling.
Turning into a lane, I stumbled on the famous Pike Place Chowder! Finally, something I recognized and was up to try...although the queue was pretty long and there weren't any tables available. Thankfully, I managed to snag a bar seat as soon as I got my order...phew! The good thing is that people there leave as soon as they're done eating instead of lingering around (so you don't have to watch them like a hawk watching its prey).
The initial plan was just to have lobster roll, but then it only made sense for me to try their namesake clam chowder too. I don't remember exactly how much it cost in total, but I definitely remember it being expensive...at least for a student with Malaysian currency in the bank.
The New England Clam Chowder came with bread (I didn't get the bread bowl...too big!) and it was very delicious. They're so generous with the fresh clams, my mouth is watering just at the thought of it! As for the Maine Lobster Roll, it was good but not my favourite because I generally don't fancy lobster that much. It was a good lobster roll to try out though, to say at the very least.
New England Clam Chowder (small); Maine Lobster Roll (half)
Soooo full, I dragged my heavy belly off the high chair and made my way out of the restaurant. In order to digest better (#excuses), I walked through the Women's March and went around the shopping area on Pine Street where I got to see familiar brands like Zara and Sephora!
Of course, I had to enter those stores because we don't have Zara in Bellingham and the Sephora we have is a small one inside JC Penny. Needless to say, I didn't come out empty handed *wink*.
No idea what was I thinking, but I wanted to make the 25-minute walk anyway just to check out what the International District had to offer...at sundown.
As soon as I got to Pioneer Square, I knew it was a baaaaad bad idea to be in that area in the evening. There were soooo many homeless people around, and gangs too. I quickly made a U-turn and speed walk back to the Pike Place area where there's more light and felt more alive.
I was quite taken aback by how dodgy it was, given it's a city.
How I looked being out to explore the city.
How I looked after realizing Chinatown was closed.
Window-full of booze
Since lunch burned a hole in my wallet, I had to go cheap for dinner...cheap as in food from Target. Went into the store, browsed for easy cheap meals and found Hot Pockets, Chobani yogurt and raspberries for a total of less than $10!
Thank God for the useful kitchen in Green Tortoise Hostel (not that I cooked, only used the microwave oven), I got to heat up a Hot Pocket.
Food is not allowed in the rooms, so I sat in front of the computer at the common area to browse through Facebook while having my dinner. I was a little tired and not so much in the mood of socializing, but I felt a presence on my left looking over a few times.
Feeling obliged, I offered him some raspberries (lol) and made some small talk. I don't remember exactly where he was from, but he's American...just not from Washington. Another guy from India joined our conversation soon after. The Indian guy was the sort who hog conversations, which would usually annoy me...but it was a blessing at that time as it meant I didn't have to talk much.
The exchange of stories and experiences was pretty nice. Nevertheless, it wasn't long before I excused myself and left for bed.
Postcard-writing before bedtime.
- 22 January 2017 -
Rise and shine! Early start of the day for me despite getting less than 7 hours of sleep. Can't waste any time now, can we?
The Pike Place Market opens at 9am, but the individual eateries, bakeries and coffee shops open earlier at 7:30am. There's a rather refreshing feel to being out and about as the sun has just risen. First stop was for breakfast. Yay food!
I got myself a bacon and cheese croissant before approaching a stranger to help take my picture with this rather historic bakery. After getting past the tad bit of awkwardness, I continued strolling along the corridors of still-closed stores and sat at a staircase as I finished my breakfast.
Too early for Jack's Fish Spot.
Not sure if it was such a good idea to visit the Gum Wall right after breakfast, but that was what I did due to its convenience of being in the vicinity. Don't worry, no stomachs were harmed.
The last time the Gum Wall was cleaned was in 2015, the first in 20 years. Oh, loooord!
It looked pretty disgusting at the time of my visit and definitely made my OCD soul twitch. Seeing two years worth of gum was already quite gross, I cannot imagine what 20 years worth of gum and bacteria would be like. Omg, imagine the amount of bacteria flying around the air in that tunnel!
Crossing the Gum Wall off my list, I headed straight for the first Starbucks store! After some research on the internet, the so-called rumours I heard about the Pike Place Starbucks not actually being the first store is true. It is considered as the original Starbucks store because the first first store they had that was on Western Avenue (from 1971-1976) moved to the current location in 1977.
The store didn't look as old as I expected. They must have made some changes to the interior throughout the years while keeping the exterior in its original form.
The store is pretty cramp, unlike modern Starbucks stores with tables and chairs for customers to dine in - very grab-and-go. Needless to say, it's almost always crowded not just with regular customers but tourists too. Exclusive merchandise are sold there and it's worth the money if you're a Starbucks bottle collector as the original old-school logo is printed on the items.
Before heading to Kerry Park to view the Seattle skyline, I went back to the hostel to pick up my bag and check out. It was a rainy day, so sad...and wet.
Just before checking out of Green Tortoise Hostel, I went to the fridge to leave my Hot Pocket for whoever that wants it. I like the idea of having the top shelf reserved for food donation. No food wastage on my part, and save money on some lucky guy's part.
I made my way to Kerry Park by the very efficient public bus ($2.50, non-peak). Although it was raining and quite demotivating, I didn't want to give up.
Kerry Park being in the midst of a residential area, there was no shelter. As soon as I got off at the bus stop, I walked in the rain (with luggage and phone in hand for GPS) for around 10 minutes. The worst part was the park not having shelter either!
Thank God I found refuge under what looked like the entrance of a building's parking garage, where I spent approximately 15 minutes listening to music and browsing social media while hoping for the rain to stop. And as soon as it did, I dashed towards the park to see the Seattle skyline and take some pictures.
Satisfied, I left Kerry Park for Chinatown. Plight with yet another shelter-less bus stand, I found shelter at the entrance of an apartment building next to it...which space was just nice for one person or two. Phew!
My view of the bus stand from the apartment entrance.
Chinatown was my final stop of the trip. Upon arriving, I had a weird familiar sense of surrounding from seeing Chinese characters on signboards and Chinese people walking around. Funny how I felt "at home" there, maybe it has to do with not seeing any Chinese for a couple of weeks (not that I missed seeing them, it was just a strange familiar feeling I had).
Chinatown was very gloomy then, since it's been raining all day. Hungry and unable to explore much, I gave in to demotivation and went to Boiling Point for lunch. When all else fails, eat.
Beef option, medium spicy
Boiling Point serves Taiwanese hot pot and tasted quite authentic, as in it didn't taste like it's been altered to fit Western taste buds. Although Taiwanese spicy soups aren't too much to my liking, it was decent and satisfied my Chinese tongue at least. Omg, they had quail eggs as a side order and I had to get it!
Satisfying lunch it was.
To end the trip, I went to Daiso to pick up some cheap-ass household items before heading to the Greyhound station. Daiso and the Dollar Tree will always have a special place in my heart. Some things are just not worth the price tag, and some things you can get away with buying cheaply...but definitely not foodstuff (...like you know, a pack of frozen broccoli from the Dollar Tree).
Albeit a super short trip, it felt so liberating and carefree.
At that point of time, I was feeling a little claustrophobic in the sense that I was overly stimulated by the new environment and new friends, while barely having any time alone to myself. Fellow introverts out there would understand my need to wind down and recharge (away from people) from time to time. And not having it for a few weeks was starting to make me feel uneasy and restless.
Usually, my way of taking time to be alone was either by going back to my room or having meals by myself. For the former, it was hard because Vara stuck to me like glue and I was getting used to having a roommate again. As for loner mealtimes, it's usually feasible as I tend to have my dinner earlier than others...but it wasn't enough.
I didn't want to chase Vara away because I genuinely enjoyed her company (love you, Vara!) and didn't want to hurt her feelings. Nor did I want to throw a fit and scare people away (that would be something). After all, I knew I could work my way around the issue (because I'm resourceful and capable like that *flicks hair*).
As it turns out, all it took was a trip two hours away from everyone and I was back in Bellingham happy and re-energized.
More travel posts coming soon!
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