Second stop: Seattle

Famous Pike Place Market, Seattle


People on the west coast seem so much friendlier than those out east. I'm not sure if this is because I am in a different frame of mind than when at home, or if they are truly nicer, more community-minded. It feels like coming home - people ask how you are and actually take the time to listen, and it doesn't feel like a social nicety but something they genuinely want to hear about, even for just a few moments. Such a welcoming atmosphere can only make visitors feel more comfortable (or maybe there are some who get freaked out and paranoid and run back where they came from). I guess it could be disarming, and on days when you feel all scratchy and irritable it could get a bit jarring...but so far it just makes the whole place seem so much more human.

I have been wondering if this feeling also comes from the rain. Now, in Vancouver it rained too and I hated it, but so far here it has been this mizzly greyness and, what with the Christmas lights and lack of wind it feels oddly like England. This may add to the feeling of home, but I think it is greatly aided by Kathy. I met Kathy through couchsurfing, an interesting website where you can find people all over the world who are open to you staying on their sofa. Although you can read about people and see their level of verification (regarding their address) and recommendations from people who have stayed with them, I was still quite nervous about the whole experience. However, Kathy set me completely at ease and made me feel very welcome in her home. In fact I came a stranger, and feel like I left having made a new friend.