Seattle

Pike Place

From the airport I took the Seattle Light Link Rail, and something that surprised me was they were all 100% driver operated! In Vancouver, the skytrains are completely automated, and are only manually driven when conditions are dangerous, such as heavy snowfall. I soon realised that was was because the trains drove in between and through traffic! The train would be in the middle of the road, and on either side would be cars. Multiple times, the driver had to slam on the breaks because someone had ran a red light.

After about an hour, I arrived at Pike Place Public Market.

At this point, it was around 11 am, and my concert didn't start until 7 pm, so I had a lot of time to spend. At the time much of Washington was experiencing heavy rainfall and floods, so there weren't as many people around as one would expect. I wandered around the market for about two hours, buying an empenada and ice cream for lunch. I also popped inside Target, as those don't exist (anymore) in Canada. I had told myself previously that I would not go to the aquarium, it was expensive and I went there about 6 years previous, and aquariums don't often change drastically.

Seattle Aquarium

Since I had so much time, I did decide to go to the aquarium, as in any case it would get me out of the pouring rain and howling winds. I had neglected to bring an umbrella and was wearing a leather coat, so being inside sounded good at that point. I paid for my ticket and entered the main area, and it was pretty much the same as what I remembered. The person at the ticket counter let me know that they had expanded into another building across the plaza, but I didn't think too much of it at the time. As I wandered around, I felt drawn to the many textures that the corals and anenomes displayed, and they were the focus of my photographs. In the middle photo below, you can see a Pacific spiny lumpsucker. Their pelvic fin on the bottom of their bodies have evoled into a suction cup, to anchor them to surfaces amid the coastal currents.

My favourite spot was the underwater fish dome, surrounded on all sides by an aquarium filled with Pacific marine life, including two sturgeons. I sat there for about an hour, listening to music and watching the fish. I did another loop of the aquarium, and thought I should check out the other buildig, expecting much of the same.

Oh, how wrong was I!. I walked across the plaza into one of the most serene environments I've ever been in. If you've ever played Animal Crossing New Leaf / New Horizons, it's exactly like the aquarium in those games. Just absolutely beautiful and peaceful. You walk into a huge open two story atrium, with the ground floor showing the huge aquarium in the middle row left photo. Around the back of the staircases going up to the second floor, there were smaller tanks filled with marine creatures, including a moray eel. Heading up the stairs there were aquariums full of beautifully coloured tropical fish and rays, but the best was yet to come. The Seattle Aquarium expansion, the Ocean Pavillion, was opened in 2024 and had the largest aquarium I've ever seen. It spanned most of the top floor, and words can't even describe how wonderful it was. I got to watch a feeding show, where they've trained most of the creatures in the water to come to specific targets to be fed, ensuring everyone gets enough food. What a wonderful place! I spent probably two hours in there, and at about 4pm hopped back on the train to go to the University District, where my hotel and concert was.

The Klezmatics

All about the concert. But first, the delicious meal I had beforehand.

The Meal

The prices for everything in Seattle seemed to be about the same as Vancouver, just in USD. So the exchange rate was not in my favour. It was still absolutely pouring rain, and I wanted something warm and comforting for dinner. I stopped by my hotel, dropped off my stuff, and decided on a small Vietnamese place in the University District neaby called Saigon Deli. It was in the basement of a building, and it was exactly what I needed. There was one other customer in there, an older woman who remarked to the server as she was leaving that she was an usher tonight for a folk music concert. Quite unlike me, I interupted their conversation to ask if it was The Klezmatics, and so it was! We chatted for a bit, she asked if I was from the area and I told her I was visiting from Vancouver, Canada. Sometimes if you tell Seattleites you're from Vancouver, they'll assume Vancouver, Washington. She said goodbye, and went to go get ready for the concert. I ate my delicious pho and bahn mi, but quickly realized I would be better off just eating the pho, and saving the bahn mi for later. I walked back to my hotel room, and dropped off the sandwich before heading to the concert.

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The Concert

What a concert! The ticket had said 7 pm, but it actually started at 8 pm, so I had some time to sit and rest. I found the usher and said hello, and we chatted for a while more. I had seats on the ground floor, but wandered upstairs to see the rest of the theatre. It was the Neptune Theatre, opened in 1921, and featured many statues of the Roman God Neptune with glowing eyes around the stage. The theatre slowly filled, mostly seniors, which did not surprise me, as klezmer isn't the most popular genre among the youth. As a side note, it was also the Hanukkah concert! The Klematics 'Happy Joyous Hanukah' album, originally written by Woody Guthrie, was the first album of theirs that I heard, and held a special place in my heart.The concert was amazing, by the end everyone was standing and singing and a huge hora circle had formed, wrapping all around the theatre. The concert ended, and I walked back to the hotel, very emotionally fulfilled. The musicans, left to right, are Lorin Sklamberg, Paul Morrissett, Lisa Gutkin, Richie Barshay, Matt Dariau, and Frank London.

Burke Museum

After a good sleep in my hotel bed, I showered and ate my bahn mi in the hotel common area. The only other person there was an older man who was marking university papers. My flight didn’t depart until the mid-afternoon, sand I considered going to the zoo, but decided to explore the university district instead. I went to a local bookstore, and got a book on Yiddish for me, and bonobos for my partner. The Burke Museum at the University of Washington had cheap admission with a student card, so I walked there. It reminded me of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, and in fact much of the Indigenous art was from the Metro Vancouver area.

My favourite exhibit was the two totem poles above. It tells the story of the human hunter Kaats', using two different medias. Here is the full plaque: The Story of Kaats' — Burke Museum.

I also enjoyed the fossils, especially the prehistoric salmon.

Denny's

After the museum, I took the train back to the airport. Along the way I received a text that the plane had a slight delay due to mechanical error. I then received another text, and another, progressively delaying the plane more each time. A final text arrived, stating I was rebooked to a 9 pm flight… the following day. Since I was already on my way to the airport, I thought I would at least talk to the airline representative and see if there was an earlier flight. At the airport, there was quite a kerfuffle as multiple people were all trying to get rebooked.

As a side note, the SEA airport was the first to introduce the sunflower lanyard for people with disabilities. I wore mine, and all the airport employees were very accommodating and kind.

I got a new flight, booked for 9 am tomorrow morning, which worked out quite well. The airline would pay for a hotel, and since it was mid-afternoon and I hadn’t eaten since my bahn mi. I decided to get an early dinner.

The Denny’s was a 15 minute walk down the road from the airport, and the hotel a ten minute walk from the Denny’s. I had never been to a Denny’s, let alone an American one, and I was excited to try it. The restaurant was quiet, and I was immediately seated by a very bubbly server. She told me that if I signed up to the reward program, I could get a free item with my meal. Nothing to lose but my personal data, I signed up and was allowed to get a free Oreo milkshake with my meal. The server very kindly gave me the extra milkshake in a mug. I chose chicken strips, and for my two sides I chose french fries and multigrain rice. The meal also came with garlic bread. It was a very brown and beige meal. I ate half of it (but all of the milkshake) and took the rest to go. I had spent all my American cash because I assumed I was going home earlier that day, but asked the server if I could tip her in Canadian. I gave her two five dollar bills, and she was very pleased because she said she loved to travel to Victoria on Vancouver Island. What do you like to do on the island I asked? Shoe shopping she replied.