Seattle

Visiting a friend in Seattle. Flight here was wacky - trapped between 2 babies and a 5 year old travelling alone. But somehow, that wasn't as bad as the fact that one of the baby parent couples was evangelistic christian and passed the time by reading passages from the bible and then discussion how "cool" those ideas were. Ugh.

Got into Seattle at noon on Thursday and hopped the 194 into town, after getting good advice from bus-stop patrons about which bus to take. It dropped me directly at the Public Library, the architectural centerpiece of Seattle. I managed to glom onto the last 20 minutes of a public tour, but hope I can go back for the architectural tour later today (Saturday). That's the peril of staying with a friend - can't really do your own thing completely. The Library was stunningly beautiful, full of airy, light filled spaces. Neat furniture - modern plastic square looking, but suddenly foamy and body conforming when you sit down. I loved the 5th floor with it's dark, red hallways and creepy green-lit elevators. Got a bit of vertigo looking down the 10 story atrium from the perch on the 9th (?) floor.

After that, walked down to the Seattle Art Museum - what luck, the current display is Tiffany glass! Beautiful lamps and windows. Briefly stopped in at the modern area and saw Jackson Pollocks "Sea Change" and some Warhol. Stopped even more briefly at the NorthWest native art section.

Headed down to Pike Place Market. Stopped along the way at cool contemporary clothing and design stores. Sigh. Good shopping in Seattle. Pike Place was OK, I think it's more of a good thing if you actually live here and are purpose-driven in your visit. Just wandering isn't very satisfying, although I did get to taste some good produce. Ate at 3 Girls Bakery, which was delicious since I hadn't eaten real food in about, oh, 8 hours. Scott came and picked me up and we headed to Bellingham (?) for drinks at the Viceroy and dinner at Marrakesh Morrocan restaurant. Met a gang of his friends, very very fun! And what luck, one of them (well, someone there that Scott didn't know) works as a grant writer at the local Museum of History and Industry (MOHI). He also needed a Halloween costume, so we arranged to go thrifting all day Friday!

Friday, John picked me up at 10 and we did the town. Started at Archie McPhees - I didn't even know it's in Seattle, but boy is it a fun store! Got started on the pirate costume there - wig, pirate hat, and tattoos. Had a muffin at (?) , bumped into Johns best friend and hung out chatting for a while. Then off to GoodWill, Thrift City, and Red Light, where I rounded out the costume with an eyepatch, black velvet jacket, and white floofly shirt. John drove me all over Seattle, with running commentary about the history of things. Saw Jimmy Hendrix tribute statue, Lenin, the Troll. Wandered through the resevoir park that was capped over due to homeland security (whatever). Drove run windy roads by and through Volunteer Park, where Bruce Lee and his son are buried. Learned about the 6.5 hills on which Seattle is built, the 4 drawbridges, etc. Could not have had a more fun guide to the city!

Evening wasn't so good, dinner at Lombardis Italian with Scott, then down to Mr. Spots Chai House to whittle away 2 hours waiting for the band (KLED) to start before we gave up and just went home. Oh well.