The Nimzo Indian

Hip Hop Homie : East Coast put your hands up. West coast put your hands up. East coast. West coast. East coast sucks west coast rocks. West coast sucks east coast rocks.
Guy in Crowd : Yo dawg yo yo we in Spokane, Illinois man.

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Well I am back. I was supposed to have spent the last couple of weeks with my uncle in Vancouver. In reality, I spent exactly 12 hours there thanks to some sundry excitement, the kind of sundry excitement that can only be provided by visa and passport offices. So, I returned , and spent the next couple of weeks (Sleepless) in Seattle (ha ha!...errm).

Seattle is a nice relaxed city, bang in the middle of the Pacific Northwest. Its not as bustling and businesslike as Chicago, and nor is it a California style mega strip mall. Its the home of Starbucks and Microsoft. It used to be the home of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Bruce Lee, before the guy in the sky requisitioned their services. It has an interesting and fun feel, but just a little bit weird. It rains most of the time, and that appears to have driven its residents just a little bit crazy. You will agree with me if you see them back up 50cm behind you on 40 degree grade traffic lights. Yes, the rockies are hilly. And the sky is blue.

Of course, the most fun things about Seattle are not in Seattle. Mount Rainier and endless opportunites to bike, trek or just simply enjoy the rockies are a couple of hours away. There is also the ocean, you can kayak, sail, scuba dive, or just simply head out to check out the Orca whales. What amazes me about the US is how well kept up and organized its natural resources are. One can just buy a tent, a sleeping bag, some biscuits and head out on a trek, blindly following directions. You can choose the 2 mi trail or the 20 mi trail depending on what suits you. It makes me sad because in India, despite all that it has to offer, its just about impossible to organize a trek. Your only choice is to go through overpriced agencies, that make the whole thing a deluxe holiday type affair - not the fun relaxed out experience you are looking for.

There are also a number of quaint sleepy townships, Vashon, Port Townsend, Bremerton, San Juan ... , that pockmark Seattle, most well preserved from the late 19th century. Here you can get a feel for small town America - sans Walmart, sans Best Buy, sans McDonalds. The movie theatres play only a single show a day and most shops pull down shutters by 9'O clock. It isn't really as liberating as one would imagine it to be, used to the concept of anything anywhere at anytime!

That is not to say, that there aren't any fun things in Seattle. There is the Boeing Factory and the Museum of Flight. There is the Underground Tour. Till the early 20th century, Seattle used to be on a marshland, before the entire city was raised a full 3 metres. There is the Experience Music Project. The EMP is a rather cleverly done thing. In addition to checking out Wacko Jacko's 'Thriller' glove, for 10$ you can get stage time and record your own concert. Its fun. However, the one thing that should be avoided like the plague is the Space Needle. In addition to the Sears Tower, Empire State Building, Petronas Tower, Eiffel Tower, John Hancock Tower, etc. etc. , there really isn't that much of a need for tall buildings. Agree?

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Seattle is named after Chief Sealth. Of course, the ethnic name had to undergo Anglical corruption!



The city was built on marshland. When the city was raised, the ground floors went below the ground, thus giving us the....underground.



Downtown. Most downtowns look nice, and this one is no exception.



Downtown up close.



'3 beers and 50 cents'. At a bar called 'The Bishop' in Vashon. Vashon is a small town a couple of hours out from Seattle.



A lonely theatre. A solitary movie. A single show.



Most of the trouble starts when you start getting god into the picture!



Cafe in Vashon. 'Bar Bishop' moonlights as 'Cafe Bishop' during the day.



I simply love this shot! I took this past midnight from the youth hostel in Vashon. Its grossly overexposed. Thats why it has an eerie surreal feel.



On the drive to Mount Rainer. The road winds through the forest, with 100ft pines on either side of it. I took the shot with a 10 second shutter from a moving car.



On the flight back.



Mount Rainier from the sky. Both these shots were taken around noon, so thats why the images just glare the eye :(.


Your beloved photographer :). My reflection on a pair of doors across the street. There are 2 images because one door is at slight angle to the other! Oh dear oh dear, aren't mirrors so fattening?