Mon 15th Nov : Silent Seattle

Back in Seattle again. It's nice to slow down a gear. You have to or the relaxed attitude will wind you up too much.

The city center is ok. This time I tried a different hotel: I downgraded (!) and went to a Sheraton. Well it had a pool. The difference between the W and the Sheraton - I feel like I'm a long way from home at the Sheraton. The whole ambiance makes me miss my loved ones.

I think a visitor needs to be on their guard in Seattle though. There's something odd going on. I couldn't find a single pub in the downtown area. No Irish bar all Grill This or This Grill. I ended in Zoe's on 2nd - the starter of Bluetail was heavenly, the main course with scallops and corn and bacon and Japanese mushroom and cream potato was a tad too complicated. I told the waiter but, nice as he was, he was too interested about to know where I came from. I told him New York. He gave me a Zagat's America's Top Restaurants for free.

Another reason not to trust Seattle is the way some people dress for dinner. We're in a pretty decent restaurant and most the crowd are comfortably affluent looking, no hipsters - hey, this is Monday night -BUT here and there are a couple of pockets of couples dressed like they just popped out to take the trash to the front of the drive. Dismal sweats on dismal jeans with weary hair sat on a weary face - and that's just the women. It's like those big tech company's that let anyone wear what they like at work and people start turning up in Bermuda shorts and no one bats an eye lid. Somehow they're forty eight an bald and think they're cool. If  I flew half way round the world for a business meeting and someone turned up to a meeting like that with me I'd march him down to the canteen, have a good shout about it, make an example of him to teach the rest a lesson. Anyway, I can't to night. I'm in a restaurant on my own. I am just looking at similar folk. I just watch these gormless fellows chew their food with their mouthes open: America really can be a classless society at times

In fact when you walk down the streets and swing past the vast amount of homeless and junkies - more per capita than a large British seaside town in the winter - you wonder how this all works. These poor chaps sit beside grand buildings built in good times with their hands outstretched for a taste of food whilst a couple in a restaurant - dressed pretty similar to the homeless person (just a little cleaner) - eat without registering the taste of the food, of life, of any time.

Phew. Must stop. Maybe that glass of red wine got me on a roll.