Seattle, WA

Ahh, Seattle. This is the third time I've been to this fine city, but really only the first time that I've had a chance to explore it. I actually ended up having much more of a chance to see it than I anticipated.

Lemme 'splain.

Amy shipped a package containing some parts to me care of the hotel where my folks were staying, and the hotel was notified to keep an eye out for the package and to hold it for them. Well, the hotel whiffed and refused the package, and it was sent back to NYC. They were very apologetic about it, however, and offered to let me stay free of charge until my package could be re-shipped.

Instead of spending one or two nights there, I ended up staying four nights in my plush room a few blocks from the Space Needle. Oh, yes, the room was plush, see, because the original room they booked me in didn't have a tub, so I asked for a different room with a tub. The room they moved me to had a sweet party-sized tub in the room with hot tub jets. Hea-ven. Nothing like a good tub after a day in the saddle.

I feel like I finally got to put my finger on the city's pulse, and I really liked what I saw. Seattle is sort of a nice cross between San Francisco and Vancouver (massively oversimplistic comparison, yes), and I mean that in a very complimentary fashion. What I loved most about Seattle is the fact that it still has a little grunginess to it. They even still have a punk scene, something that pretty well died in NYC after Coney Island High shut down.

My first night in town, I got to have a good meal with my parents at Flying Fish, a really great restaurant in Belltown not far from the hotel. They had excellent martinis and one of the better wine lists I've seen. Nice place.

My folks left for NY the next day, and I was free to explore the city a bit. First, however, I had to cruise over to Aurora Suzuki for a nice new front tire for the DL (a matching Metzeler Tourance, since I've grown to love the one on the rear). I probably could have gotten another couple of thousand miles out of the stock Bridgestone, but a) I've grown skeptical of the Bridgestones since wiping out in Joshua Tree, and b) when the heck might I get a chance to change my tire again? Fairbanks?

My time spent at the dealer was remarkable. First, the dealership was amazing. Like Golden Gate Cycles in San Francisco, they carried everything, including a very respectable selection of road accessories. They also spooned on the DL's new rubber and got her back out the door in less than an hour. Sweet.

But I also - finally! - met another DL 650 owner. He came up to me in the dealership and asked if I owned the DL with the NY plates. We then talked about everything we'd done with and to our respective bikes. It turned out that we'd added many of the same things, right down to the same size Givi trunk. It was great to finally have someone to talk to about all the little things that no one else but an owner of the same bike could understand. Yeah, there's that buzz right around 5200 rpm, or oh, yeah, she's a fucking SAIL in a crosswind. There's some vindication you feel, too, when you hear that someone else has made the same decisions you have in "building" their bike. I also just really enjoyed being an uber DL nerdo for a while unabashedly.

When my new friend went out to do a test ride (imagine that!), I asked the guys at Aurora where to go for lunch and they insisted I try out Beth's Cafe down the block. The place was awesome! I had the best damn burger I've had on the whole trip (their Mondo Burger). My server also never let my coffee dip below the halfway point before coming over to refresh my cup (I must have had like six cups while I was there - zzzznnnnnnnngggg!!!), and everyone in the place looked like they stepped right out of CBGB's circa 1992. They were all superfucking cool, too, and gave me great recommendations for places to go for music while I was in town.

I also discovered that the Seattle International Beer Festival was going to be going on while I was there! That's over 100 beers from 15 countries in one place, with some seriously rare ones among them. My favorite? Probably the Hercules Double IPA from the Great Divide Brewery. Hardly a subtle beer, but the only one I tried that I seriously considered having a second sample of. Good times were had by all in attendance it seemed. I know I went home happier!

Another highlight of my time in Seattle was going to the Funhouse to see some live music. Real, live punk rock in a bar. Hallelujahgobble. I woke up the next morning with ringing in my ears for the first time in ages and it was good.

I hate to admit it, but I think one of the reasons I find Seattle appealing is because they can smoke in bars and restaurants. As a non-smoker, it sorta sucks to be around sometimes, but let's face it: smoking is cool (why the hell else does anyone start? Full flavor?). That weirdo sitting next to you in a bar has a whole new dimension added to him when he's burning his way through a pack of Marlboro Reds (my former choice), you know what I mean? And the sound of a distorted guitar really does travel better through smoke-filled air.

Finally, my package arrived, I got the bike set up, and I left Seattle behind. I really enjoyed getting to bang around the town a bit and meet some of the locals. Also, without a doubt, Seattle has had the best coffee I've had on the whole trip. I even went - without irony - to a Starbucks.

Now it is time for the DL and I to head north for the real adventure of this trip. After a short layover in Vancouver, we're headed to the great Alaska-Canada Highway. That's where things might get interesting, and not necessarily in good ways. But I have faith in the DL and think this might just be the most amazing part of the journey yet.

Ride on!