Naked in Seattle
If my fifteen year old self knew that one day she’s be hanging out in Seattle, she would have lost her mind. And yet somehow I nonchalantly booked it into my itinerary with barely a thought. I headed to Portland because I wanted to chase the delicious vegetarian food but Seattle was merely a convenient stop as I made my way across the border to Canada.
As soon as I stepped off the train I loved it, even in the drizzling rain. I made my way to Fremont, which is one of the hippie-arty districts of Seattle these days, and famous for the giant troll that sits under the bridge. Really.
It’s fair to say that I fell in love with Seattle from day one. I stayed at Hotel Hotel (which, incidentally, is a hostel), and straight across the street was a vegan gluten free bakery, a record store and a bookshop. Perfection. Even better, when I got a cuppa from the bakery they made me the wrong one and so I got two! Double deliciousness.
I did have an ulterior motive for being in Fremont. Naked people. Thousands of naked people. On bicycles.
The Fremont Solstice Festival happens every year around the summer solstice. It involves a huge parade, some bands playing in Gasworks Park and lots of spectators. But the biggest drawcard for the parade is thousands of naked locals on bicycles. Even better, the majority of them are covered in elaborate body paint. There was everyone there from Wonder Woman to Where’s Wally to Chubacca to Santa and his reindeer, and just about anything else you can imagine. Participants ranged from late teens to late 80s, and body shapes were varied and wonderful. The community spirit in Fremont is so great, and it was mind-blowing to see so many people getting involved! I swear, if I ever get an opportunity, I will absolutely participate next time.
The festival is run by the Fremont Arts Council, a localnon-profit organisation that supports local artists. And they have some pretty interesting rules for the parade. 1. No motorised vehicles. 2. No live animals. 3. No functional weapons. 4. No written words, signage or recognisable logos.
I think that last one is pretty cool. It means that people need to get creative. A man carrying two flags walked past in the parade, stopping every few minutes to tell people that he was looking to be elected into the local government, and spouting his policies. His hype man followed with his name and credentials. This rule also meant that we had no idea what the hell was happening for half the parade - like when a bunch of twenty-something men in wolf masks howled their way down the street, or a giant fish-mobile went past us surrounded by people in silver onesies. Only in Seattle, right?
Being foot-powered, the parade took forever to get down the street, and there was a lot of waiting around as groups stopped to line dance or squirt people with water as they made their way to Gasworks Park. Once there, I’d expected bands playing and a huge party, but actually a large number of people left once the parade was done (and, if I’m honest, when the naked bike riders were done).
There were about eight food trucks there, which was nowhere near enough for the remaining crowd, and a gated-off area for the booze hounds. Maybe that’s what the twenty-somethings in their masks were, come to think of it.
I strolled over to see one of the bands and it sounded awful, both due to the PA set up and the quality of musicianship. I have no idea who they were, so I can’t name and shame, sorry. By this stage it was raining (surprise!), so I opted to head for a warm bed, some pizza and red wine. Not necessarily in that order.
With a week in Seattle, you betcha I headed to a few local music haunts. From the moment I arrived I had Nirvana songs stuck in my head, and every time I saw the sign for Benaroya Hall I read it as ‘Pennyroyal’. Hah. Seattle delirium had definitely set in.
But more about the music of Seattle next time…
Thanks for traveling with me, and keep swinging me your suggestions of things to do - I’m loving it!
