28/01/23 – 11/02/23
Hey hey. I will just put some pics and random notes of things I get up to while in Seattle. Here is the first couple of weeks. Twin Peaks got its own entry of course 🙂
1. On The Way
2. UW Campus
3. Sunn O))) @ Neptune Theatre
4. Ballard
5. Judge John Hodgeman @ Neptue Theatre
6. U District
7. Grand Illusion Theatre
8. Unwound – 2 nights!!
9. Underground Tour
10. Downtown Seattle
11. Huskies Basketball
12. Capital Hill
11/02/2023
I can’t believe it finally happened. After 30+ years and 3 visits to Seattle I was finally able to visit places indelibly etched into my brain.
I was a HUGE Twin Peaks nut back in the day. Still am I guess. If I am ever asked then ithout hesitation I will name it as the greatest TV show of all time. Like the rest of the world I was sucked into that dark and mysterious world, and the reality is I never left.
So with a bit longer here in Seattle this time I was determined to make it happen. Thanks to the internet I could locate most key places, and so I was just going to hire a car for the day and visit. Logistically that ws working out to be a bit of a pain, and so with more thanks to the internet I found David who runs dedicated tours (https://www.twinpeakstour.com). I figured what the hey, why not let someone who knows their thing guide me, so with ease I organised my tour.
From the outset David was a gem. We met downtown where he was resplendent in black FBI suit, and he was the right mix of professional guide, but Twin Peaks nerd. From there is was 4 hours of visiting key Twin Peaks locations all the while listening to soundtrack tunes and getting peppered with trivia questions. I did pretty well, so he started hitting me with the real hard questions and then it was all over!
All the locations were about 30 minutes east of Seattle, in either Snoqualmie or North Bend. So here we go, enjoy the trip through Twin Peaks 🙂
1. Laura and Donna Picnic Spot (also a scene of James on a motorcycle brooding ha ha)
2. RR Diner!!!
3. The “Ronette Pulaski” Bridge
4. The actual “Twin Peaks”
5. Welcome to Twin Peaks!!!
6. Sheriff’s Department
7. Shelley and Leo’s House
8. The Big Log from the opening credits
9. Murder Traincar
10. Great Northern and Snoqualmie Falls!!!
11. The Roadhouse
12. Ed and Nadine’s House
December 2022
Here is a summary index post for the Japan 2022 trip. Ah Japan, so amazing to be back. It had beautifully felt like nothing had changed…
Day One: Back In Japan (Nara)
Day Two: Wandering Kyoto (Kyoto)
Day Two Bonus Edition: Otoboke Beaver! (Otoboke Beaver gig in Nagoya)
Day Three: Okonomyaki… Hiroshima Style (Hiroshima)
Day Four: Action Packed (Himeji, Arashiyama, Bamboo Forest, Golden Pavillion)
Day Five: It’s a-me, Mario! (Universal Studios Osaka)
Day Six: Jiggle Jiggle (Fushimi-Inari, Osaka)
Day Seven: Into the Mountains (Travel to Hakone)
Day Eight: Fuji Hiding In The Clouds (Hakone)
Day Nine: Murakami!! BORIS!! (Travel to Tokyo, Tonari-no-Fingaro, Boris gig)
Day Ten: Wandering Tokyo (Tokyo)
Day Eleven: Sensory Overload (teamLab, Record shopping)
Day Twelve: Tokyo Disneyland (Disneyland)
Day Thirteen and Fourteen: Mata Ne Nippon (Tokyo, Travelling home)
22-23/12/2022
A catchup post to finish off our Japan trip.
The last couple of days were relatively chill. The Thursday was just about getting out and doing a little more wandering and shopping in Tokyo. We mostly spent time in Akihabara, exploring the toys and pop culture.
As the sun went down we went to visit some more Christmas lights, this time in Roppongi. The view was great looking toward Tokyo Tower, and the number of TikTok’ers was testament to that too.
We capped off the night in another Ginza cocktail bar, this time the Music Bar, home to 3000+ records and a dedicated DJ. Nice strong, unique cocktails too 🙂
The Friday was one of those awkward days where we had until about 1pm before needing to head to the airport. We had a lazy morning and a Ginza brunch, and then made our way out. A final airport (not too bad) okonmyaki and it was on the plane home.
Mata ne Japan. See you soon.
21/12/2022
What trip to Tokyo is complete without Disneyland? We decided to just put one sneaky day in at Tokyo Disneyland. We had all been before so just wanted a bit of another taste for a day.
Tokyo Disneyland is one of (if not the) most fun as the crowds are in general quite relaxed and really get in the spirit of things. There were some new parts for us to see (although I wasn’t prepared to wait 2+ hours for the Beauty and the Beast ride!), but mostly it was getting on the rides and wandering.
Weather was pleasant, crowds were not too bad, got on some rides quickly. All in all more Disney fun.
