Small Seattle Stories

A bunch of disconnected little Seattle stories:

A couple weekends ago Jana and I walked to the Seattle Public Library book sale in Magnuson Park. They had a warehouse full of books at ridiculously cheap prices. I could have spent hours there, but we don't have much room for even more books. With due deference to our limited shelf space, we left after about an hour with just one grocery bag of books -- $12 worth of classics, cookbooks, and local guides. So very awesome to be within walking distance of that sale. And we've already made a few recipes out of Fields of Greens.

The head chef and manager of Cafe Flora came to the office last week to talk about the venerable vegetarian restaurant and its cookbook. They had some good stories and made me like the restaurant even more. Plus, I got myself a free copy of the cookbook. Of course that didn't stop me from eating at rival restaurant Carmelita the next night.

Last weekend Jana and I went to the Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse to see Halcyon Days. It is a political satire that criticizes the Bush Reagan administration's invasion of Iraq Grenada and maybe even more strongly criticizes the rise of spin and disingenuous rhetoric (lies) as political justification. It ocasscionally felt like the small play that it was, but it was very smart and well-done. Conservatives might have gotten worked up when a character tackled the cardboard Reagan cutout that loomed over some scenes, but I just took it was a cathartic commentary on our past and present government failings. Read the Seattle PI Review.

Last weekend we also hiked to the top of Mt. Si. The mountain is only about 4000 feet at the peak, but it towers over North Bend, the town where Twin Peaks was filmed. We went with some friends and brought our dog Lyra. It was a steep hike, but Lyra did well. We got to the top in time to have a great view of the area. Then the sky opened up and we walked down in the rain. Rain or no rain, it felt great to be surrounded by all those trees and all that green.

First week back in Seattle

Jana and I drove into Seattle a week ago. It was a sunny afternoon. As we made our way North on 5 we could see Mount Rainier, which just built up the anticipation. A short while later, we had our first glimpse of the skyline. It was like a vision. I was smiling ear-to-ear. Jana mentioned that it had been a long drive up. I thought, yeah, it took us over five years.

After signing our lease and checking out the new apartment, we took Lyra out for a walk. The entrance to Magnuson Park is right out the back door of our apartment, which is great. We made our way through a hilly green trail and down to Lake Washington. The sun was setting behind us as we looked across the lake at Mount Rainier, regally reflecting the sunset. I was home.

The next morning was my first commute to Kirkland. I decided to try going north around the top of Lake Washington on city streets and then back down to Kirkland. That way I could avoid the 520 bridge. It was a gorgeous drive, but it took about 40 minutes. On subsequent commutes I tried the 520 Bridge (very slow during rush hour, not bad early in the morning) and biking around the north end of Lake Washington (not too bad, but a serious one-hour workout each way). After a few tries I found what might be the best solution: Driving across 520 at 7:00AM, going for a run in Kirkland, and showering at work. Still, I'll be a happy man when the Fremont office opens.

Thai Tom. Those two words make my mouth water and yen for peanut sauce. I've yet to find another Thai place to match the hole-in-the wall dive on the Ave that is Thai Tom. As Jana and I took our seats at the counter, Nirvana was blasting on the stereo and the chefs were just returning from their break. We ordered from the painted slab-of-wood menu and watched the chefs hustle their way through the backlog of orders. It was like a dance with fire and pans going everywhere. The food was spectacular, almost living up to the expectations of a five-year absence.

One of the great things about where we live is that we're about two blocks from the Burke-Gilman trail. On Saturday Jana and I rode the trail into campus. She wanted to see where her academic buildings were and we both wanted to enjoy the weather. The trail was busy with runners and bikers, and as we approached campus, it was full of football fans. UW was playing Ohio State that afternoon; we were biking right through the pre-game. The band was warming up along the side of the trail and everyone was wearing purple. I felt a bit sheepish in my red biking jacket, but when someone asked us for directions, he said that he knew it wasn't Ohio State red. Nothing like an early autumn day on a college campus.

The next day was rainy, but I was back out on the Burke-Gilman. This time I ran north to Matthews Beach. The beach was vacant and covered in a misty shroud; the partial views across the lake were surreal, like a poem about the beauty of loneliness. As I made my way back home, surrounded by trees and the misty rain, I felt right at home. This was Seattle, and I was happy. Not bad for a first week.