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San Francisco yes, New York yes, but it was without much expectation that I went to Seattle, nicknamed the city of rain. A little gloomy the city of grunge?
Think I’m just happy
In 1962, at the World’s Fair, the Space Needle came out of the ground, to represent the conquest of space and soon become the symbol of the city. Right next to this must-see tourist stop is a very strange building. The designer is well famous, the architect Frank Gehry. This is the Museum of Pop Culture, from which a vibe of music constantly emanates. It is the seat of the temple of local rebels, Nirvana. With a great reinforcement of unpublished archives, photographs and possessions of the time, we plunge back into the group of marginals that have become mainstream. The other local offspring is Jimi Hendrix, true genius of the guitar. Fender, Gibson… nearly twenty of the most emblematic guitars of American music through the times are also to be looked at in this museum. All this could titillate your artist’s soul. This is good, because the sound lab offers installations of all kinds which allows you to indulge in the art of mixing, to play electric guitar, percussion and even to scratch!
My fish is fresh
The other place of pilgrimage for tourists is the Pike Place market. At 156 steps to the seaside, we find Pike place fish and co, a strange place where employees throw fish at each other, in a strange dance and under the amused gaze of onlookers.In any case, it’s more stewing than the wall of chewing gum not far away. But the real local specialty is the dungeness Crab. At Ivar’s, the crab cocktail can be enjoyed at the water’s edge in the company of a horde of hungry seagulls. If it doesn’t look good in its plastic cup, the freshness of the flesh is finely enhanced by a bed of slightly spicy celery and tomato. At Etta’s, we eat delicious crustaceans, especially during the Crabby Hours, for the claws. But there’s more to life than just fish. It seems to be the point that Manmoon, a Lebanese restaurant, is trying to make with his decoration made of… chickens. At the end of the street, you can see the Italian Princi, recently bought by the local prince Starbuck. If you’re more interested in a brunch than a diner, we can mention the Bacco Cafe for its generous portions and the London Plane for its decoration.
Quenching your thirst
The sunsets have a special aura in Seattle. From the top of the Space Needle attraction you can admire it for his share of dollars. So even if you have to spend money, you might as well do it while sipping a cocktail, like at the Nest at the top of the Thompson Hotel. If you walk past the Connect Lounge Bar in Belltown, talk to manager Iulia, a former employee of Microsoft, the local giant company. Her great mission: to reconnect people. During The Happy Hours on Tuesday, for example, she offers a discount to all those who stay away from their mobile phones.
Legend has it that when the economy was at its worst, a sign on the edge of town told the last person leaving needs to turn off the lights. Today, no one would dare to doubt the city’s radiance… not even me.
Music: Nirvana – Dumb