Aside from Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Bruce Lee, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles will keep you sleepless in Seattle
When Philippine Airlines started its direct flight from Manila to Seattle last October, movie fans thought they finally could visit the site where Sleepless in Seattle was filmed.
One of the greatest romcoms of all time, Sleepless was directed by Nora Ephron in 1993 from a screenplay she co-wrote with David Ward and Jeff Arch, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
“Don’t go looking for love. Let love find you.” Arch said this, as if explaining the theme behind the iconic hit movie. “It is about emotional fulfillment. It’s about hope.”
Fans can visit the Sleepless floating home that’s moored on Westlake Avenue, but unfortunately, you can’t go inside, as it is privately owned. However, you can see the stool where Tom Hanks sat inside the Athenian Seafood and Bar in Seattle. The floating home and the resto are part of the Sleepless in Seattle tour available in the city.
Though I am a diehard fan of the late Ephron, I didn’t take this tour. Instead I opted for a four-hour Seattle tour by Viator, as recommended by my friends Freddie and Sony Palileo, a gracious couple who also gave us their own private tour of several iconic sites in Seattle. There I realized we have been over-romanticizing Tom and Meg, and forgetting other celebrities like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Bruce Lee, Elvis Presley and even the Beatles who have a connection to Seattle’s history.
Here are other sites, aside from the floating home in Sleepless, that may keep you pondering and sleepless in Seattle:
Chihuly Glass Museum and Garden
A totally mind-blowing experience. A glass act. This museum left me speechless as I gaped at the endless beauties in glass made by glassblower (read: artist) Dale Chihuly. No words are enough to describe his works; they are better viewed and appreciated up-close. Chihuly is acclaimed as one of the best glass artists in the world. However, he had to stop doing his art when he lost one eye after a car crash in London in 1976 that hurled him through the windshield.
The Bar at Chihuly
Seattle is a place that embraces all ethnic groups, hence you can find a variety of world cuisines in their districts like Little Saigon, Japan Town, Chinatown, Manila Town, and Korea Town. There are intriguing food places like Tacos for the People, People’s Burger and Voodoo Doughnut. And yes, it’s a literate city with a public library and bookstores such as Twice Sold Tales.
But it was at The Bar at Chihuly that satisfied our craving for good food, and tickled our mind as well. Comfort foods such as Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato Soup ( $16) and Battered Fish and Chips ($18) were exceptionally delicious and so filling (as always, only American-sized meals in America), and these came with excellent, friendly service.
And the highlight of the place? Mind-boggling collections of Dale Chihuly pieces, all 25 of them, on the walls, from the ceiling and beneath glass-topped tables. Starting with accordions hanging from the ceiling, circa early 20th century. On the walls, transistor radios and bottle openers. From inside tables, you can view flat irons, clocks, pen knifes—you name it, Dale collected it.
Museum of Pop Culture
Aside from music icons, featured here are exhibits of Barbie dolls (2019-2023), and items from Star Wars, Terminator to The Wizard of Oz—oh, my! It takes you behind the scenes of your favorite fandom through immersive exhibitions and stunning artifacts, from Nirvana and horror films to everything in between. It was built by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Oh, yes: every tech giant from Microsoft, Amazon, Google to Facebook have their presence felt in Seattle.
The Beatles - Edgewater Hotel
The Beatles performed before 14,300 screaming fans in 1964 at Seattle Coliseum where the stage was raised 12 feet higher for their protection. And their mode of transport in Seattle? An ambulance. The only hotel that could accommodate them was the Edgewater Hotel where the Beatles famously went fishing from their hotel suite. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Bruce Lee Walking Tour
Bruce Lee was born in China but he settled in Seattle where he studied at University of Washington. His notebooks were said to be filled with Eastern philosophy and kung fu principles, and he trained people in alleys and at a school he opened with his wife Linda. He died at 32 in Hong Kong from brain swelling due to an allergic reaction to painkillers. His remains, together with those of his son Brandon, are buried in Lake View Cemetery which is a tourist attraction. Places he frequented, including what is now HoHo Seafood Restaurant and Szechuan Noodle Bowl, are also visited by fans.
Elvis Presley Memories
When we took the Viator, the tour guide told us to shout: “Elvis is alive!” every time a Monorail passed by. Weird! But maybe not, if you consider how sentimental Elvis’ fans in Seattle are, because he visited the Seattle’s World Fair to film the musical It Happened at the World’s Fair (though most interior shots were said to be done inside a studio) and performed in three concerts in Seattle in 1957, 1962 and 1970. Of course, the concerts were jam-packed, and the fans usually waited for an encore (when there was none). So someone had to announce the legendary phrase, “Elvis has left the building” to convince the fans to go home. The hotels where he stayed in Seattle highlight memories of the rock ‘n’ roll star.
Kurt Cobain home
Seattle is called the birthplace of grunge, and the face of grunge was Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, one of the “big four” from a music genre that also includes Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, all responsible for putting Seattle sounds on the scene in the early ’90s. Kurt committed suicide (though coroners determined it was a heroin overdose) in a greenhouse in his Seattle neighborhood in 1994. A bench serving as a memorial was installed in the park next to the house, which has been torn down. His ashes were reportedly scattered to the Pacific winds into the Wishkah River.
Pike Place Market
I always like discovering the soul of every new place I visit, by looking at its market. The historic Pike Place was built in 1907, and has faced attempts to modernize it, against much resistance from the locals. (Seattle indeed has a history of activism.) Fresh produce is sold alongside art, books, antiques and assorted food, and of course, that includes Filipino food. My faves were fish tacos, clam chowder soup and cinnamon bagels with brown sugar. And me and my travel partner ate half of the time standing up, and half sitting down. That is part of experiencing the soul of a crowded market. Forget about white-covered tables.
Starbucks’ First Store
What really keeps you awake and sleepless in Seattle? Its coffee shops. The coffee culture there began 100 years ago when Dan Davies started roasting and selling coffee in 1887. “The coffeehouse scene of the 1960s introduced espresso drinks to local aficionados who would then transform Seattle coffee culture into various multimillion-dollar businesses.” A celebrated pioneer is Starbucks Reserve, established in 1971 along the cobbled streets of Seattle in the historic Pike Place Market. Aside from Space Needle, this is probably the most-visited site in Seattle.
Space Needle
What Eiffel Tower is to Paris, the Space Needle will be to Seattle.” This was said in 1962, when the Space Needle opened in time for the World’s Fair in Seattle. Built to withstand an Intensity 9 earthquake and 100 mph winds, the 605-foot-tall tower reflected the forward-thinking spirit of Seattle. At the time of its opening to the public, the admission fee was $1. Today, it’s $26 to $42.50, depending on your age.
Jimi Hendrix Park
This 2.3-acre park, shaped like a guitar, pays tribute to Seattle’s own son and is described as “a truly beautiful experience, from Jimi’s artistic purple signature to the six stools which represent the turning knobs. Next is the neck with each fret serving as the highlight of his career. Then the guitar body that blooms like a flower with a wing-sheltered amphitheater.” Hendrix died at the age of 27 from an overdose of barbiturates in London, and we remember his words: “I’m the one that’s got to die when it’s time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” His remains are at the Jim Hendrix Memorial in Greenwood. Strum a little prayer, left-handed, when you visit.
