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Published: January 22nd 2011
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Emerald City
This is how it looks from the water. No, we did not go swimming. Seeing Seattle from the air, your first thought is, what a cool place to build a city. It looks like someplace where a flying boat would drop you off for a week's fishing, only there's a city attached. It's not on the sea, but everywhere there are lakes and bays and channels. And hills, where blocks of houses crouch under towering evergreens. If a city sprawls widely enough, you can forget that nature was ever there, but in Seattle you're always aware of the water, the hills, and the outsized firs. Not to mention the snow-clad mountains which appeared on Wednesday when the clouds took a day off.
Seattle is blessed in that it has an ample reservoir of vintage architecture, but it didn't really boom until after the 1970's, so it isn't saddled with too many buildings in a brutalist concrete or stale international style. Our hotel dates to 1928, and its only real drawbacks are that the rooms are small and the view is blocked by the central library, an experiment in steel-and-glass geometry that must have looked great in the architectural renderings. And the compactness of our room doesn't bother us, it's the only thing that makes
The backbone of Seattle
This freighter unloads containers, each one as big as an 18-wheeler, of course! it possible for us to afford a nice hotel in the heart of town. It's curious how people have become so accustomed to extra square footage, both in their homes and in their hotels. You couldn't build a hotel with such small rooms today.
We took advantage of the break in the clouds to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, a wholesome stronghold of gift shops and yoga schools. It's a good excuse for a ferry ride. The skyline sparkles on the east side of the sound, the wooded islands beckon to the west, and the gulls are as plump as Thanksgiving turkeys. Seattle has a nice brawn about it, and it's exemplified by the freight port sitting right downtown, where giant cranes unload freighters stacked with corrugated containers. It's a nice counterweight to the city's precious side, such as its progressive obsession with waste products. It's the only place I've been confronted with a line of bins labeled Trash, Recycling, and Compost. And at downtown intersections, pedestrians tend to wait for the walk signal, which I find a little unsettling. What won't they submit to?
Back from our ferry ride, we wandered south from Pier 52 and
What the....?
One of many bizarre descriptions along the railing of the ferry walkway. found Pioneer Square, a marvelous if somewhat seedy area where grand old romanesque commercial buildings pay tribute to Seattle's first flowering. Today it finds bistros and ateliers jostling with head shops, homeless shelters, and ramen noodle parlors. It was made for a stroll, at least in the daytime. And just south of it looms the fabulous Qwest Field, which is almost enough in itself to make you a Seahawks fan. *****Never!!! Go Niners!! - Leslie***** It's such a dramatic structure, and it's so clearly designed to amplify the energy of a raucous crowd, and it's right downtown--it's in your sightlines a lot, like a state capitol or a cathedral--and best of all, it's open on one side so you can see into it and soak up some of that energy even when there is no game. It really works its way into the fabric of the city just as the team has worked its way into the hearts of the residents. I can tell that the 'Hawks aren't going the way of the 'Sonics anytime soon.
Seattle is an idyllic setting that's been enhanced rather than marred by development. It's big enough to be commercially and culturally vibrant, but
Coolest City Hall ever
This is where it all happens on Bainbridge Island/ not so big as to be unmanageable--nor is it unaffordable. It's been around long enough to have a heritage, but it's also got a future. It's got a distinctive look, and neighborhoods with distinctive personalities. You really have a hard time thinking of anything not to like. People knock on the weather, but it's glorious half the year and tolerable the rest--it rarely freezes. It seems like a place you'd be proud to be from.
CULTURAL NOTES:
The self-serve drink stations in cafes typically feature a water cooler with ice water in it--but not a separate bucket of ice. This is a characteristic of places where it doesn't get hot enough that you really need that much ice.
When you're on Pacific Time, you stop in the bar at happy hour and look at the TV, and instead of previews of tonight's games, you see results of tonight's games. It makes you feel as if you know the scores in advance.
As near as we can tell, the most famous person to attend the University of Washington was Bruce Lee.
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