Below is a journal of the adventures I encountered on my trip to Seattle. Enjoy!
Thursday, May 22
I made a "newish" friend at the airport. About a year ago, Kelsey Dake from Phoenix did some artwork for Liberty Market during the renovation period. Joe Johnston, the owner and my boss, shared her Instagram handle to follow her artwork, so I followed her. It turns out, she posted a photo of her boarding pass to Seattle, which was the same flight I was on. So I mentioned on Instagram that I would be there as well, and she invited me to sit with her. We instantly clicked: we discussed our creative outlets, things we love about Phoenix, and she suggested some Seattle sights to me. On the plane, she shared some drink coupons with me.
After (finally!) landing in Seattle, I made my way to the lightrail and headed to the hotel. It was about 9:30pm when I got off the lightrail and had to find my hotel, so it was dark and frightening. I knew the general area of where to go, but I'm so used to the grid Phoenix layout, whereas Seattle is so scattered-brained with its directions. Plus, the sun was down, so how could I find east/west? Thankfully, a gentleman helped direct me of where to go. I found my hotel and checked in and found my room: IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL! (Btw, BIG PROPS go out to my dad and his lady for helping me out with a hotel and paying for it when my original place to stay fell through...you guys literally saved me!) Since it was late and I was tired, I decided to hang out in the hotel for my first night and relax. Plus, I wanted to do some research of where some places were that I wanted to go. So, I called in a pizza, turned on the TV (it's been sooooo long since I watched TV) and relaxed.
Friday, May 23
I got lost on my way to breakfast, but I finally found Top Pot Doughnuts. I bought a doughnut, a coffee, and a Beatles lullaby album, made my way upstairs, and flipped through the pages of a local culture newspaper in search of what to do this weekend.
I went roaming around the city and found a girl performing on the streets. She was playing guitar and singing with a guitar case open, and she sang "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. I left her a dollar and my business card.
I had attempted to find Sonic Boom records, but instead found their old location which is now a clothing store. The cashier was very helpful and told me where I could find a nearby record store and suggested a show I check out this weekend.
On my way to the record store, I found Stumptown Coffee, a coffee shop I had been wanting to visit for so long! We roast Stumptown coffee at Liberty Market, so it was great to finally see the shop. After having a delicious almond milk hot chocolate, I headed to Everyday Music, and I was overwhelmed! Their selection was vast and their prices were unbeatable! I found seven albums for six dollars...yes please! I talked to Hans about the local scene and his radio show on KEXP. I decided to head back to the hotel to give my feet a rest and to charge my phone. I ended up getting lost (again), but it's not so bad. Getting lost in the city is exhilarating because I love finding new things and seeing all of the sights.
After resting my feet, I decided to check out the Hard Rock Café Seattle for dinner. There, I met Justin, a wandering traveler like myself. We exchanged travel stories: he was originally on a road trip with friends before it got bad and he had to leave. He booked a flight for home (West Virginia) for the next day, and was having one last evening of vacation to himself. It was nice to have a quick "friend" for an hour or two, before we parted ways. I walked around the Pike Place Market for a bit, but it was getting late and everything was closing, so I decided to save it for another day. I headed back to the hotel, where I listened to my new music and rested for the upcoming day ahead of me.
Saturday, May 24
I woke Saturday with my legs throbbing, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from another day of adventuring. I headed to the original Starbucks to grab a coffee and get some Mixtape Mandi blogging done. It was so busy! I met a couple who had told me that they usually go to the market and go to Starbucks every weekend, and she mentioned that this spot was a tourist-favorite.
After a couple hours of blogging, I packed up my stuff and headed to the Pike Place Market. It was also very busy! I wandered around and saw many fish markets and a HUGE selection of large flower bouquets, all of which were very cheap! I wish I could have bought some, or had someone to give them to. I made my way into a collectibles store, which was filled with comic books and lunch boxes and memorabilia from movies, comics, and music. I found a Ringo Starr license and had to get it (side story: my coffee name is "Ringo Starr" so now I have the identification to prove it).
After hearing all the rumours, I wanted to check out the gum wall, an entire wall with old chewing gum stuck to it. I made my way down the stairs to Point Alley when there it was: The Gum Wall! So many people were posing and sticking their gum to the wall. I asked a couple of strangers to take my photo. It's hard traveling alone because I am not in any of the photos I take, but luckily someone took my photo. I used my old gum to stick my business card to the wall.
I headed back to the hotel to rest my poor legs and figure out my plan for the next day. It was hard to believe I only had one day left! What was I going to do? I ended up having dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery, which was a block away from my hotel. There, I met Richard the bartender, who talked music with me and even gave me a suggestion of something to check out: The Experience Music Project. I decided to use my Sunday as music day: experience the music (literally) and find Sub Pop Records, a lovable independent record label that has produced albums of some of my favorite artists, such as Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Death Cab for Cutie, and Iron & Wine. I left the bar feeling full of food and full of sadness. I only had one day left in this beautiful city. I was not going to waste it!
Sunday, May 25
I woke up with a sad realization: today was my last day in Seattle! With no time to waste, I quickly got up, got ready, and packed my bag. I checked out of my hotel, and they were nice enough to hold my bag at the hotel for me while I roamed the city.
I headed out to find the Experience Music Project. When I arrived, the desk clerk could tell I couldn't contain my excitement. She told me all about all the exhibits I was about to see and recommended I try the audio guide, which was an iPod with tracks of music industry professionals and artists discussing the objects of the museum.
I first checked out the Nirvana exhibit, since Nirvana was such a huge musical standpoint that put Seattle on the music map. I quickly glanced through because I'm not a huge Nirvana fan, and then I headed to the Guitar Gallery. This part of the museum was a room filled with guitars spanning from the mid-1800's to today. There was a video of guitar legends, from bluegrass to rock n' roll to classic rock to jazz to blues to country. It was interesting to see the guitar used in so many genres.
After that, I went upstairs to see the Sound Lab, an interactive room that allows you to demo some of the gear and instruments used in today's audio recording studio. They had private studio rooms with instruments inside. In this exhibit, there was a huge wall with notes saying "MUSIC IS..." with answers from various people. My personal favorite simply said "MUSIC IS...YES." After the Sound Lab, I noticed a touch screen booth that asked about songs on different playlists. I clicked the screen and it asked me "What's your favorite song to dance to?" I typed in Washed Out's "It All Feels Right" and casted my vote!
The last exhibit I checked out was absolutely my favorite and spent the most time in: Spectacle, A Look at Music Videos. It explained the history of the idea of music videos and where it all began, and spanned all the way to the music videos of today. It discussed social messages in music videos, illustrations, concept videos, cinematography, animation, interactive videos (such as Arcade Fire) and some of the most creative ideas used in these videos. It was absolutely spectacular to see the history and evolution of the music video.
After the exhibit, I returned my audio guide and talked to the counter attendant, Dominic, about the Seattle music scene and his upcoming music project. I headed downstairs toward their café and enjoyed a pizza before deciding where my next destination would. I opened up my map app on my phone and typed in "Records" to find the nearest record store. Only about seven blocks away was a pop-up that read "SUB POP RECORDS"....are you kidding me?! Sub Pop is just down the street?! I packed up my things and headed toward the pop-up according to my phone and began the search for Sub Pop. What I found was a coffee shop called Uptown Espresso. I went inside and bought a hot chocolate and asked the barista if Sub Pop was close by. She had no idea what I was talking about, so I set up my laptop and did some research. Apparently, Sub Pop was on the same street just a few blocks down. So I headed that way and found the EXACT building Sub Pop is in, but you need a door code to get in. I decided that that was probably the best I could get, and headed back to the hotel to grab my bag and head to the airport.
I had heard recently that Sub Pop Records opened up a store in the Seattle airport where you can buy merchandise from the record label. I NEEDED TO FIND IT. When I got to the airport, I checked in, checked my bag, and got through security, and continued my search for Sub Pop. Luckily, all I had to do was turn the corner and there it was: the holy grail that is Sub Pop Records! I wanted to cry, but I didn't and went inside and looked around. They had T-shirts, coffee mugs, hoodies, notebooks, backpacks, stickers, magnets, stationary, and most importantly: music. You could buy albums (both CD and vinyl) in the store! I literally stood in the middle of the sales floor, staring at the wall of vinyl and happy-cried. After looking around, I picked up some stickers and a magnet from my refrigerator. I discussed music (obviously) with the cashiers, which one of them owns her own cassette label. We talked about the uprising of the music scene in Seattle, Portland (where the cassette label started), and my hometown of Phoenix.
The last part of my trip worth documenting was both comical and non-musical related. Fortunately, my flight home only had thirty-five people on board, so everyone flew comfortably. There was a single dad with his 14-month-old son on my flight, and the young boy instantly grabbed my heart. He would wave, high-five, fist-bump and smile from ear to ear. The father and I talked about going to Phoenix and talked about his son. We talked in line on the way to board, and when we arrived at the ticket counter, the lady asked me "Do you have a tag for the stroller?" I looked at the guy and the son and back at the ticketing lady and said "Oh no...that's his..." And the father jumped in and said "We're not together. We're flying separately." I was off the hook! It was so funny. Upon boarding the plane though, the little boy (who I assumed had just learned to walk) was a walking machine! The father was folding up the stroller with his bags on his shoulder and I noticed the little boy wanting to escape. I offered to hold the little boy's hand while the father got his stuff together so he wouldn't run off. Luckily, they trusted me enough to help him out. Honestly, I wasn't much of a fan of kids until about a year ago. Most of my old friends from high school now have kids, and with having a baby sister, I've learned the difficulties of parenting: you don't have a free hand or sleep or energy. I knew traveling alone for this man would be challenging, but he handled it like a champion, and so did his son.
Seattle was beautiful, and the vacation was definitely needed. I explored so much on my own and learned a lot on my trip:
1) Plan ahead.
2) Bring walking shoes.
3) Everything is expensive.
4) Don't walk on metal sewer drains when it's raining. You will slip. It will be embarrassing.
5) Being alone doesn't always mean you're lonely.
6) Saying "I have a music blog" is not news to anyone in Seattle.
7) There is great music playing EVERYWHERE.
8) Bring a phone charger wherever you go.
9) There is no use doing your hair, it's running, just throw it in a bun and call it good.
10) Don't be afraid to ask for help. People are willing to help if you just ask.
I drove off. I turned on some music. I flipped my iPod to the only thing that NEVER fails me.
I trekked down to the venue, sat in a stadium of 15,000 Beatles fans, and witnessed the best concert of my life (and I've been to A LOT of concerts).
