Mr. Scott showed me around Seattle and the vicinity.
大きな地図で見る
Seattle is located in the north of the West Coast and a 2-hour drive will take you to Vancouver. It's higher than Hokkaido in latitude, and even during daytime in May, it's chilly in the shade. And, it takes a long time before the night comes after the sunset, but it doesn't get extremely cold even in the middle of winter because of the climate influenced by the ocean current. In the rainy season, it drizzles everyday and the town becomes gray. After the rainy season, now the weather becomes clear and sunny. It's a very interesting for photo walking. There're some historical areas such as Seattle downtown while there're new towns like Belleview where Mr. Scott lives. There's also beautiful waterside scenery including Lake Washington and they become even more photogenic with scenic sky.
Japanese people feel close to Seattle. The most famous person they can associate is Ichiro, the former Seattle Mariners player. Also, many chain coffee shops in Japan are from Seattle. In the PC world, you can remember Microsoft. Speaking of aircrafts, there's Boeing. Music? Nirvana appeared from the Seattle grunge scene and their influence to the industry was so strong that people coined an expression "before/after Nirvana."
Let's talk about the history.As Mr. Scott mentioned in his blog, it used to be home to Native Americans. In 19th century, they were forced to immigrate by American Federal government, and Chief Seattle made a very famous speech. It was a letter to the President at that time. Mr. Scott quotes the speech in his blog, so please check it if you're interested. By the way, there're a portrait bust of Chief Seattle in Pioneer Square Park located in the south of Seattle downtown.
There're a lot of slopes in Seattle, but the city got the "platinum" (1st) ranking as walk-friendly city in the US (according to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center). Indeed, most streets are wide and they have bike lanes as well as sidewalks. The downtown is compact enough to walk around, but I recommend you to take the free bus because of slopes. As for safety, it's mostly safe except some small areas. Anyway, it's Mr. Scott's major battlefield, so I asked him to show me around.
There're many stately and historical buildings. With street trees, they look like buildings in Europe. If it's sunny, I should just keep looking up while I walk. This street appears in his photo on the preceding page.
Even though I become tired from walking, I can stop by cafes located anywhere in the city. This is a café in the Pioneer Square Park. It looks like many food courts in Japan, but President Obama once had a sandwich there. Since then, they had "Obama Sandwich" in their menu for a while.
In the central downtown, there is "PIKE PLACE MARKET," the oldest market in Seattle. They have fresh seafood, vegetables, and fruits. Inside the market, I felt as if I were in the Nakano Broadway in Tokyo.
The fish shop is famous for the performance of salmon throwing when the purchase is made. There were so many people around, so I couldn't photograph their flying salmons.
It's hard to capture daily scenes of foreign countries, but in PIKE PLACE MARLET, it becomes easier.
There's the first Starbucks coffee shop, too. A street musician was playing in front of the coffee shop and it was somewhat fresh to me. And, there was another musician waiting in the back. Is it some kind of stage effect?
If you rent a car, just head for Gas Works Park. You can get the whole view of the city and enjoy waterside scenery.
大きな地図で見る
It was originally a coal gasification plant, but it was closed when natural gas became common. The city of Seattle purchased the site for a park and the plant was preserved. Now, it's a place for picnicking, sunbathing, and relaxing.
The plant is preserved in just the state it was in the 1950s.
The park is located by the Union Lake, and you can get the whole view of the city on the opposite shore. While I was shooting, many ships were passing and many airplanes were landing on the lake. This is something I cannot see in Japan.
Marine sports is of course very popular, so many people feel close to water. There're just so many things to photograph inside or outside the city.
Speaking of Seattle, I should mention Ichiro. It was the first time for me to see him live. His pictures were displayed everywhere in the Safeco Field and I had an impression that he was "our Ichiro" for people in Seattle. He's a top player in a foreign country and I realized how great he is. Ichiro is Ichiro and it doesn't matter if he is a Japanese or an American. It was my first time to watch a baseball game in the stadium in the States. Don't you notice something different (from Japanese stadiums)? The bothersome safety net in front of the infield stand almost doesn't exist. There's a small one just behind the home base, so I felt the players very close. It seems that there's a difference in the philosophy of baseball.
After leaving the Safeco Field, Mr. Scott invited me to Seattle Symphony's concert. He said he goes there all year round. It was my first time to listen to live classic music and I was surprised by the large number of audience. I saw many old couples as well as young people. Everyone was listening earnestly.
Speaking of the United States, I think of giant meat. Speaking of Seattle, I think of Seafood. Luckily, I had a chance to enjoy his homemade dinner.
First, robsters. They were still alive!
He cuts them with a knife saying "I'm never good at it even though I try many times."
After adjusting the taste with salt, all he had to do is bake in an oven. It's a simple recipe, but it's the best way to cook fresh seafood.
The vegetables on the side are very tasty as well.
Next, beef. It's so thick that I felt dizzy. It's chewier than Japanese meat, but it's never hard. It's less fatty and I think there're many people who prefer American one because of it.
It's his style to roast after preheating the pan to the highest heat
It's thick, chunky, tasty, and I can't stop.
They are so tasty and tender! Thank you so much, Mr. Scott!
