Seattle

To be filed under the section "this never happens" we checked in for our flight to Seoul with onward connection to Seattle, only for the check in staff to inform us that our seats had been changed. I get very protective about the seats I choose, and just about to argue the point, only to be told, sir we have moved you to First Class. It was a lovely to experience the service of the Asiana crew. It’s not every day a flight crew bow to the passengers before take-off.

On arrival in Seattle, we caught the local train shuttle to our hotel just out of the centre of downtown Seattle. After checking in to the Executive Pacific, we made our way to Pioneer Square. We joined one of the underground tours available, outlining Seattle’s history which mostly took place at least 15 feet below where Seattle currently stands. Who'd have thought?

We had done some research as to how we would spend our one full day in the area. Jet lag ensured we had an early start and we ready to board the first ferry to Alki just across the bay. For early summer the morning weather was cool. After the 15 minute crossing, we had a very pleasant walk right around the promenade to the sea side park, stopped for the ubiquitous coffee before catching the ferry back to Seattle.

We continued to walk to downtown starting at the Sky View Observatory, which in my opinion gives a much better view of Seattle than the Space Needle. Seattle celebrated pride weekend during our stay and we followed the parade all the way into town. It was a very colourful spectacle. We made our way to Pike Place market, avoiding the fish throwing on the way. The front is populated by many bars and restaurants and we plumped for lunch at a local craft brewery, it was a welcome relief to the now warm afternoon.

We then walked through Olympic Sculpture Park, up to the Space Needle and the EMP Museum showcasing music, science fiction and the arts. Coincidentally a display of wearable art was featured, the same one as we saw in Nelson, New Zealand during our visit in 2015.

There were also Star Trek exhibits, and many other interesting film and memorabilia articles. It takes a good couple of hours to take in all the floors and displays. We then took the monorail back into the centre and stopped off for tea at a local diner.

We found Seattle, a friendly, comfortable place to sightsee, with (as you can imagine) a Starbucks on every corner. By the way, the very first Starbucks can be seen just along from Pike Place market.

Transport is efficient and relatively cheap, and transfers from the airport are regular, punctual and good value. It is worth noting to make extra time for check in and security procedures at Sea-Tac. It took around 60 minutes to complete the necessary formalities, and get to the departure gate.