Sunday, May 27, 2012

Krusty: "If you really want to be a clown, you need to practice saying these funny town names. Wala Wala...Cuckamonga....Seattle...." Homer: "SEATTLE!!! Stop it!!! You're killin' me!!!!"








Hello, all! Sorry for the long title, but I always think of that episode of The Simpsons when I think of Seattle. 

It was a great week in another new city and state I've never been to!  And, I got the chance to fly my brother out to see me, which made the week even better.  After a very long flight from Maine, he got in late on Monday night, and then next day we started our sightseeing. 

First we went to the Hard Rock Cafe near Pike Public Market to watch the boys and m'am do a promo, and for my brother to meet everyone.  They had some great memorabilia on display (see the autographed jacket above).  After the promo, we found an amazing hot dog place near the market, and I got a coffee at the original Starbucks.  We walked around the market for a while, checking out all of the different shops, and I even found a can of Duff energy drink....and I got one for me and David (see the picture above.  We both love the Simpsons....thus my quote as the title of this blog). 

After walking around for a few hours, we headed back to the hotel to rest a bit before opening night.  It was great to actually sit and watch the show with Rick, and see his reactions to everything.  I think he was pretty surprised at what the show was really like after only hearing the cast recording, and that this is really what my job is.  It was just great to get to spend some time with him. 

That night we went out for a little bit, and he got to meet Rob Lyons, who plays Carl Perkins in New York, and has been a part of every encarnation of Million Dollar Quartet. 

The next day we ventured out to see the Space Needle, and we ended up spending a few hours at the Experience Music Project; a giant Gugenheim looking building, housing music memorabilia, artifacts, and tons of interactive exhibits.  I think we were both pretty surprised as to how much there was to do there, and how long we actually spent.  There was an exhibit all about classic horror movies, the movie Avatar, Nirvana, AC/DC, and music lab where you could play an array of different instruments, and even mix your own music.  We got a couple of great pictures of each other, especially the one in the AC/DC display (see mine above).  After the EMP, we walked around and took a ton of pictures of the Space Needle, then headed home. 

On Thursday, we walked around a few parts of the city we hadn't yet seen, and ventured down to where Safeco Field and Century Link Field (where the Mariners and Seahawks play, respectively), and took many more pictures.  On the advice of a friend of mine, we also stopped by a store that specializes in vintage baseball jerseys and hats.  The price tags were a little steep, but what an awesome store! 

After that, we were both pretty exhausted, so we headed home.  Rick flew out early on Friday, so I was left on my own for the rest of the weekend.  It was great to have my parents and my brother visit in back to back weeks, but it was definitely a bit of a let down when it was all said and done.  That said, I met some great people in Seattle, and that brightened my weekend.  It really is a great town, but I could certainly do without being accosted by every bum around.  The difference between the homeless in Seattle and the other cities we've been to (it really is unfortunate.  If there are really still people in this country that don't understand how many people are living on the street and are out of work....just travel this country and see for yourself.  It is a sad state of affairs) is that the ones I encountered were all so drunk or high, I was often a little afraid at what they might do if I didn't give them change. 

I took a tour of Seattle's underground on Friday.  If you don't know anything about it, I highly suggest you do some research.  It's pretty fascinating.  A combination of poor city planning, the great fire and the seedy underbelly of the town.  Pretty amazing. 

After a great week, we took off to Portland, where we heard the homeless population was even worse......more about that soon.......

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