Donna and I have done the math, and it seems that we’ve traveled to more countries than U.S. states. So in an effort to at least equalize this lopsided record of sojourns, we decided to visit the West Coast.
Seattle retains the same futuristic vibes as when the Space Needle and monorail were unveiled for the 1962 World Fair. Not coincidentally, that year also saw the debut of The Jetsons, whose Skypad Apartments of Orbit City were inspired by Seattle.
I was here 20 years ago, and while lots has changed, Seattle’s fusion of breezy repose and entrepreneurial energy hasn’t faltered. The sheer number of major companies that started here is head-spinning. The Seattle music scene was the soundtrack to my formative years. And Pike Place is as vibrant and delectable as ever, the epitome of what a waterfront marketplace should be. There’s also a shrine to Cthulhu here. I mean, it’s not labeled as such, but there’s simply no other reasonable explanation.
Oh, and as anyone who remembers Kolchak from The Night Strangler knows, modern Seattle is built atop an earlier incarnation, which can be visited. Secret rooms, vast open spaces, old doorways… it’s all down there. I have some undeniable fascination with underground spaces. I’ve been to the bottom of the a Bavarian salt mine, the interior of Egyptian tombs, and caves from Orvieto to Bermuda… and for some reason, I can’t get enough. Maybe I’m trying to condition myself for the days when asteroid mining or lunar colonies are a thing.
After this descent into the underworld, we ascended the 605-foot tall Space Needle for drinks and a view, and later visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass, which looks like a dreamscape inspired by Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, and Willy Wonka. And once again, some of these things look like they should be decorating a certain house at R’lyeh.
