Seattle Pig
@Sep/'02 USA
[North America] [Articles 2004] [Top]

Seattle Pig

West coast of Washington State in USA, picturesque silhouette of narrow peninsula and cutting water are spreading down the street. This is Seattle, Microsoft, Boeing and other cutting edge industry locates their offices and plants in this beautiful town of northwest part of USA.

Cascade Mountain

It is only 2-3 hours drive of state highway #2 or #5 over the Cascade Mountains from Brewster where I am staying now. Not like Brewster a typical local American town, Seattle is real international metropolitan with full options of super mega-city.

We drove down to Seattle on one weekend during our stay in Brewster. Took route #97 along the River Colombia to Wenatch. From Wenatch, we got on the state highway #2 heading to the Steven Pass in Cascade Mountains. I love driving route #2 in the Cascade Mountains covered in thick pine or fir forest. Splashing water was running in river Wenatch. The air is cool and fresh. Few miles before the Steven pass, there is a parking area. Not like service area in Japan, there is no shop but just huge parking lot with toilet facility only. This is American style parking area. In some occasion, in rather early hours in the morning under chilly cool air, you will find volunteer people who is service hot coffee and some cookie in the corner of parking area to comfort the traveller.

In Seattle, you will notice the country where car is indispensable necessity, finding parking lot everywhere. Paying system is rather unique. Most parking lot just equips billing box, but no one there. On the billing box, it is written "5 dollars per 2 hours". This box has numbers of parking lot, there is a slit and a hole just above each number. One can pay the charge in coin or note into this billing box. A slit is used for putting coin, and a hole is used for inserting note. You make a note in round stick shape and insert it into the hole. This self-paying system works in USA, but I am quite ambiguous whether it works in Japan or not. To my sorry, I was thinking that system of paying might not work in my country, Japan

Plate showing No.1 Starbuck's Coffee Shop in Seaside Market Street

I love walking street along the seaside, especially market place where always congested with people living there. Some shops deal XX rated books and discs. I seldom go to these kind of shops, but to me, the matured town looks more settled having of these red hot shops. In the variety shop in water front, I saw a shrunk human head among many other souvenirs. Today, you will find Starbuck's Coffee shop every corner in the world, in Melbourne, Tokyo or in Beijing. In this town, the original Starbuck's Coffee shop, a tiny little shop is in the market street. This place is totally invaded by Japanese young ladies. I have to pay my dear respect to our young ladies who have so strong power to invade every famous spots in the world.


In front of Starbuck's Coffee #1 Shop

Ah, I have to talk about pigs. In Seattle you will find pigs everywhere in the street. Similar experience I had in Luxembourg, there were tremendous number of cows in the street, a bit different cow that is in India, painted in bright color of different design. Pigs in Seattle are also painted and made in the same way. Animals even in artificial made figure, influence human's mind very much. I felt so relaxed in foreign city having these pigs in the street.

Seattle Pigs

Sep/'02 Rinzo@Seattle USA (Updated on 29/Aug/'05)

[North America] [Articles 2004] [Top]