Seattle, Day 1: Hostels Trying to be Hotels, The Dock Bar, and More

Today, I said goodbye to Vancouver and hello to Seattle.  It was very strange; I was beginning to feel like Vancouver was my home city after two weeks there.  But it was time to move on.

I said goodbye to Alex and Maria as they left for work.  I finished packing, and headed out.

At 9:30 AM, I arrived at the station whee the Amtrak bus would take me back to the United States, and ultimately to Seattle.  At 11:30, the bus arrived and I hopped on.

After filling out the customs form, we started moving.  We passed Richmond, Surrey, and Delta (the southern suburbs of Vancouver), and finally we arrived at the United States border.

I hadn't done any land border crossings before.  I was a bit nervous, but I made it through all right.  The delay at the border was maybe 30-40 minutes.  Not bad.

We eventually arrived in Seattle.  I hadn't realized how spread out the Seattle metro area was before.  We got in the Seattle city limits about 25 miles from the actual exit that we took to the station.

Upon arrival, I went to a coffee shop I had looked up at the Vancouver station.  It was called Zeitgeist Cafe. The baristas were snooty and the espresso was terrible, so I'm definitely not going back there.

I took bus 5 to Fremont N and 27th.  I got lost on the way, so I called the hostel and asked for directions.

Once I stepped in the Hotel Hotel Hostel, something was off.  It wasn't subtle, either, with the decor akin to a large nightclub.  The staff was friendly, though.  It had more amenities than most motels I've been in.  I guess the "hotel hotel" at the beginning of the name of the hostel should have tipped me off.

This is an example of a hostel not only losing a sense of community, but actively trying to.  I guess some people don't like hostels due to lack of privacy, but come on.  This hostel does not have privacy, as it's technically still a hostel (shared bathrooms, dorms, and common areas).  It just tries to look fancy.  My advice for them: be a hostel or don't.  Most people who usually stay in hostels (including myself) do not want fancy accommodation.  They want to be focused on the area surrounding them and meeting the people in it, not distracted by amenities which they don't need nor necessarily want.  I understand having a few might be nice, but it I felt like I accidentally walked into a rave club owned by Tony Stark.  Not cool.

Anywho, I had to do laundry after a bit, so I went to a laundromat nearby.  I then looked for a place to eat while I waited for the wash to be done.  Right next to the laundromat was a bar called The Dock Bar and Restaurant.  Those of you who know me know I don't drink, but there was a sign advertising two tacos for $3.  I went in.

I ordered the tacos, and chatted with the bartendress about hot sauce and food trucks.  I liked the place, so I ended up getting a crab and shrimp macaroni and cheese.

It was delicious.  The Bechamel-cheese sauce had clam juice in it to thin it a bit, which went well with the seafood.  There was plenty of seafood, and it was real crab (no imitation crap crab here!)  The best part: it was only $13, and had as much crab and bay shrimp as what you would order in an expensive seafood restaurant.  I'll definitely have to come back.

I then went back to the hostel, and went to bed.