And then... Seattle (day one and two)

"It kind of looks like Coventry"
Sophie, on Seattle

Seattle looks like this:
As far as I know, it never got blitzed. And I'd quite like being sent to Seattle.
In a generic list format (I'll write some more interesting stuff when I think of it. I'm still cliche alert jetlagged) here is why Seattle is "quite nice".

1- The International Fountain- it does a show like the Ballagio in Las Vegas, on the hour, whilst tinny music plays on the tannoys. It's quite nice. Better than the Space Needle. You can see photos on the interwebs. It's just as good that way. And Baudrillard would say it's the same anyways.

2- Pikes Place Market- fish is thrown between the 'mongers, vegetables are piled in rainbows stalls, Sophie's fortune promises her death. Didn't say when though. Loads of independent stores, one of which sold a Paul Daniels magic book.



3- Utilikilts- where Jean Paul Gaultier failed, Utilikits will succeed. Kilts for the working man. Samuel L Jackson is probably a happy customer. The owners clearly enjoy marketing based on flashing your bollocks at the ladies.

4- The view from the Bank of America Tower- 73 floors up. Views are grand. The floor is shared with the traffic report radio station. Is that how they all do it?

5- They have a Lush, and it played Matt and Kim. I jived and talked about shampoo.

6- Monorail.

The first Starbucks is like every Starbucks that came after. I am a consumer. I am sorry.

There was absolutely no Frasier Crane merchandise anywhere. Maybe it's because they only filmed the Frasier Crane Day episode up here, I don't know. Poor Frasier. So little love from his home city.

Al from Home Improvement now presents Family Fortunes over here. Does this make him more like Les Dennis, or Vernon Kay? (Or Bob Monkhouse?) We try harder to understand baseball. O! The vaingloriousness of America, inventing all their own sports, just so they can be champions. The World Series...

The loneliness of Jehovah's Witnesses recruitment

Pioneer Square is where the vagrants hang. In a trans-Atlantic battle between the homeless, then the US would own it. They have ragged clothes. They have big beards. They have no social security. They have desperation. Everyone seems to pretend they don't exist. Tragedies of capitalism etc etc etc. It's just the same everywhere etc etc etc. It's still tragic etc etc etc.