Goodbye, British Columbia and hello, Washington! Today was a driving day for the most part. We had a few things to do in Vancouver before we left (return the rental, get some money exchanged, etc.) and then we headed to the border hoping to get to the Fairmont Walmart in Yakima for the night!
The border could not have gone smoother - the customs agent was very pleasant and wished us a good trip. I don't think we were stopped even three minutes!
Dave received a wonderful welcome to the USA as he spotted an eight-point buck right after customs!
The one place I wanted to check out on today's route was Seattle. A book I recently read entitled Where'd You Go, Bernadette? is set there and from the description of the city as well as what I have heard over the years, there is just something neat about "the Emerald City"! It has a vibrant arts community and is, of course, the birthplace of grunge music (Pearl Jam being my favourite grunge band). It also where Starbucks coffee got started! In terms of sports, Seattle has both an MLB team (the Mariners) and an NFL team (the Seahawks). If we were going to be in Seattle on the 5th, we would have been able to go to a Seahawks home game, which would have been awesome.
Clearly, Seattle's got a lot going on!
And it has so much going on that the traffic today was a nightmare. Apparently, Seattle is in the top 10 of American cities with the worst traffic congestion. We would have liked to have done more than what we did in Seattle, but we were caught in gridlock for quite a while. No Pike Place Market for CC today. :(
But we did get to the Space Needle! And it is really cool! It probably wouldn't be much fun for anyone who has a fear of heights, but if you don't suffer from acrophobia, you should really check it out! The Space Needle is one of the most recognized buildings around the world and for many people, when they think of Seattle, they think of the Space Needle! It was built for the 1962 World's Fair - and the theme was "Age of Space" so it makes sense that the design was very futuristic for its time. It stands 605 feet tall and has the most amazing views from two levels - the bottom one has a rotating glass floor (yes, it is a bit freaky at first!) and the upper one has floor-to-ceiling glass (with a café and wine bar), both of which maximize the view below.
Fun Fact #1: 17 Elvis impersonators have visited the Space Needle.
Fun Fact #2: Elvis Presley himself visited the Space Needle in 1963 (he filmed a movie there).
As part of one's ticket to the Space Needle, you are also able to experience a virtual reality bungee jump off the Needle - it was so much fun! And it is for sure the closest I will ever get to actual bungee jumping!
We drove the last ninety minutes or so in the dark, and it's too bad as I think we missed some beautiful mountains and waterways. I'm sure that Washington will have more lovely sights for us tomorrow, as will Oregon and Idaho.
We are now in Yakima and will be calling it a night soon.
Should I tell Dave that his Leafs beat my Sens? Not sure I can handle his would-be glee right now! :)
Love to you all,
Carolyn xoxo
