Having grown up in the suburbs of Seattle, then returning from "afar" to spend the last several years living in the Seattle city limits, I'd had my fill of the great Northwest. For a while at least. To be honest, the city was starting to feel smaller and smaller each year. It wasn't too small, but it was getting more an more comfortable; more broken-in. The honeymoon was over and the little things were starting to bug me. Living near Capital Hill, every once in a while I'd find myself fantasizing about walking up to the dread-headed "People Now! Socialism Now!" sign holders and petitioners on Broadway to get up in their faces and throw out a sharp: "SERIOUSLY? Are you DENSE? Oh wait, you are! Okay, carry on." Or even walking up to a UW student shopping at Whole Foods and whispering into her ear: "Pssst... guess what? Just cause it's soy-based Mac and Cheese, doesn't mean its GOOD for you! In fact, a little bird tells me that over-production of soy is depleting ground water reserves in China! What are you gonna do with THAT?!?" then swiftly running away...
I loved (and still do love) Seattle, but I was ready for a change. Until a few days ago, the only things I truly missed about Seattle (besides the obvious of family and friends)
were (in ranked order):
1 Off leash dog parks in nearly every neighborhood
2 Taco Time
3 Decent customer service as the norm, not the exception
4 City streets that aren't littered with potholes (the streets north of Yessler at least...)
But now it's the dead of summer in DC, it's supposed to hit 104 tomorrow and stay nasty for the rest of the week. Thankfully, the peak season of mugginess here has corresponded nicely with my summer travel schedule: I will be on a cruise to Northern Canada all of next week, I spent time in mild San Francisco and Montana earlier this month and will be heading to Seattle twice in September (both trips are for weddings, and in the first one, I hope to attend to a few details of my own, as my marriage is somewhat of a 2 part mini series, with the "wedding" yet to happen...). Thinking about these trips made me realize that I really do miss Seattle. I love living in DC, and there is still much to-do on my list (which I don't anticipate ever not being the case), but I am very much looking forward to my visit home. I am also very much looking forward to the season to hurry up and get here... this humidity stuff is for the birds.
Things I want to do while I'm in Seattle (in no particular order):
1) Touch Yakima River, preferably while floating down said river in an inner tube.
2) Order a soft taco meal at Taco Time (I know, I have a problem)
3) Karaoke. Maybe even at the Rickshaw. But that's like, Varsity Seattle. See photo for example of my skills:
4) Go to any retail establishment and have employee ask me, "Can I help you?"
5) Surround myself with thousands of people who know what the word "WAZZU" means (AKA: go to Coug game in Seattle in the 16th)
6) Listen to KMTT, the Mountain. I admit, I really miss that radio station. I can listen online, but its just not the same.
There are many other things I'd like to do, but with a tight schedule, I'm trying to remain realistic in what I anticipate having time for. So... kayaking around the San Juans etc will just have to wait until retirement.
To all of you Washington State ex-pats, if there is anything you'd like me to do in your honor while I'm there, please advise.
12 comments:
hanks for the message. Still settling down in deep suburban Chicago.
The whole fatherhood thing has been great and apparanlty the child is mine. The paternity test has not come back yet, but she does seem to like it when I am around.
She is a redhead in case you wanted to know, we are both stumped about that one.
I hope you are enjoying chocolate city. I did not read your entire post, but when Taco Time is one of your Seattle longings, you must not miss that burg at all.
Take care,
Ryan
Hi Gina, I can't remember if we ever met, but I went to RHS (and Germany) with Lisa, and once showed up at your house at some ridiculous hour of the morning to kidnap her on her birthday. I, too, am missing the wonder that is the Emerald City, particularly Dick's Drive-In - please, if you have the chance, eat a Dick's Deluxe in my honor. :)
I miss the Seattle area every day and am trying to motivate myself to do good work in grad school and keep it up so I can get the heck out and back home. Don't get me wrong, I heart PA and it's fab living over here for the time being and taking advantage of all it has to offer (major cities nearby; HOT summer nights, awesome old architecture; amazing pizza; different religious backgrounds and cultures, etc. ) But home is home is home.
OMG, Wendles, that's right, enough time HAS passed that we can reveal the secrets of high school shenanniganz;) OK, here's what I want you to do for me, seriously:
(a) go to Emmet Watson't Oyster Bar at the Market for the lunch plate and savor those two oysters on the half shell you get; ask the guy what kind they are because the selection changes daily depending on what's fresh
(b) go to Victor's Coffee in Deadmond and sit on the porch if it's raining because you won't get wet and the coffee is amazing.
(c ) request stuff on KMTT
(d) Get a Dick's Deluxe and a shake (preferably strawberry) because The Wendy Lady is RIGHT and "Dick's is the place where the cool hang out"
(e ) go to Phiily Fevre and get the Seattle Storm cheesesteak and think for a moment how it's the shiznit that you can do that (whilst realizing that there are no better cheesesteaks than in Philly PA)
(f) Go to Pine Lake and laugh at all the Sammamishers who DIDN'T grow up having picnics there.
(g ) take lake road when you go from Redmond out to the Olde Log Inn
(h) The Ranch, The Ranch, The Ranch
(i) Kep's in Easton (now called "The Easton Saloon") for pull tabs and cheap light beer and The Brick in Roslyn, because...it's The Brick. Don't forget the burgers and fries at the Old No. 2 in Ronald, WA.
(j ) beyotch about how bad the traffic is, because it really is.
(k ) find me a job at the UW;)
(l) that pho place in downtown Redmonders
(m) get some fish 'n chips and hit Golden Gardens and ask yourself how the hell we got so lucky to have a beach like that so close by
(n) go up to Vancouver for BC lottery tix and Nanaimo bars. Smarties optional.
that's all I can think of for now....
Um, I'm only there for a weekend at a time. And each weekend revolves around a wedding.... so I will TOTALLY add a Dicks' Deluxe to the list (how could I have left that off to begin with?? But sorry- I'm getting a chocolate shake with it) but the other items might fall under the "kayaking around the San Juans etc" category.
What I really want to know is, gosh almight, how many freaking weddings have you been to in the last two years???? Insanity!
Ah, Taco Time. Mexi-fries. I understand Gina. While Chicago has its ups (and it's roughly 254 degrees outside) there is too much I miss. I enjoy lists.
1. Thai food
2. Correct pronunciation of A v. O
3. The slight 'west-coast' bias
4. Organizational Meetings with the Bellevue Business Woman at the Pumphouse
5. Thumbprints at Hoffmans
6. A body of water on the west side (I'm all thrown off)
7. Less smokers, ahem, cigarette smokers
8. Hills, Mountains, Snow caps, oh my ...
Ahh, Seattle. You are little but you are lovely.
Jennifer
Yeh, also be sure to share that story of how you stopped at Taco Time on Christmas Eve day whilst driving home from Operation Tannenbaum and I was apalled that you would do fast food on the eve of Baby Jesus' birth! Gosh!
Left coast bias, here here! I'm totally a west coast snob and not afraid to carrry that banner.
throw up the W- not G.W.
i love dicks...
i mean Dick's
oh and the geography geek in me has to add that we're not really going to 'Northern' Canada, but rather, the Maritimes. I think for northern we'd have to bring ice picks. But it still might feel north because it's on par with Maine...and WA St. for that matter.
So there's another question: Can I really consider BC the PacNW? Or the PacSW? Help me!
Good Point L. Its actually southern Canada huh? Canadians are so backward...
If it were northern Canada, we'd have to watch out for Polar Bears eh?
G-g-g-g-UNIT!,
When we were driving back from the Midwest, all I wanted after a week of drinking and flying back at 120mph in the benz, the driving was sober of course, was a damn bean soft taco meal with mexi fries, but we just kept driving, and driving, and driving without spotting that damn cactus. By the time we spotted anything close, it was Taco Bell, and I damn near blew chunks because it was so nasty. The f*#(!@g guy working in the window had the nerve to post a sign that stated that Taco Bell employees worked just as hard as chefs at prestigious restaurants, but were paid a mere fraction in wages. They had a damn tip jar next to this stupid sign with misspelled words. When we pulled up to the drive through he greeted us with, “Hey, what’s up man?” WTF? My point, I know exactly what you mean about missing Taco Time!
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