Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Seattle: Port City, Hip, Diverse, and Confusing

We arrived in Seattle on Monday. I headed for a neighborhood north of downtown because I remembered going to a toy store there once. We walked around, then I had the strongest latte I've ever had. It affected me. My heart was pounding and I felt jittery for a long time. We selected a couple of gifts for our two granddaughters and headed north on 99.

The family went out to dinner at a steakhouse that night. We never got to try a Montana steak, but I doubt it could be better than the one I had at Jak's. Granpa J. was babysitting when we arrived, so it was nice to have a visit with him before he headed home to his mountain.

We babysat for a few hours today while mama was working in her home office.  Hungry, I went out this afternoon and found a Pho place in White Center, a neighborhood to the west of  us. The area reminded me of Denver's Federal Blvd. The restaurant was clean and decorated in a way that it might have looked like in Viet Nam. The woman who took my order said, "Number!" I said,"Eight!" She said, "Small" and walked away. I thought Okay! It was very good soup. The area was the most diverse I think I've ever seen.

I love that Seattle is an old port city. I've never been anyplace before that has such a visual mix to it. There is great natural beauty next to funk. More hipsters than you can shake a pair of skinny jeans at, bookstores galore, coffee everwhere, and bakeries full of lucious treats guaranteed to be decadent and bad for your heart but good for your soul.

The roads and neighborhoods are the confusing part. I should know this city better by now, but its complexity is its charm.

3 comments:

  1. Was the toy store in Queen Anne or Magnolia? I lived in Magnolia for 5 years - beautiful green neighborhood surrounded by water and spectacular views. I did not qualify as a hipster or grunge due to the three little people who followed me everywhere but we had a lot of fun at the Science Center and Pike Market. (Great magic store downstairs!) I used to shop for Japanese food in the International District, in south Seattle. Miss the place. Sigh...

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  2. It was the Ballard neighborhood this time. I want to explore the Queen Anne neighborhoods next time. It's raining now so I don't know what we'll do next. Tomorrow is a drive to Lake Oswego before turning east toward home. Our magnolia was just starting to bloom but I'm not optimistic that the buds survived the spring storm.

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  3. If you let the rain stop you in Seattle, you won't get much done. That was the one downside - no sun!

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