Seattle, in Prose
Here's our trip to Seattle, in highlight form: There may be pictures tonight.
Thursday:
-We arrive around 10 p.m. and secure the rental car without having to set foot outside. This would be fine if it were raining, which it does 10 months out of the year in Seattle. I also buy too much insurance, which means that I am adopting, to borrow a phrase from Gary, the "Never skimp on a splurge" posture.
-Winding through the streets of Scott's neighborhood, we learn very quickly that Seattle is non-orthogonal.
Friday:
-Rachel, working midnights in the ER, arrives home at 7:30 a.m. and proceeds to make us pancakes. She then goes to sleep. This is a running theme.
-I try to drop Anna off for a run around Green Lake near Scott and Rachel's and get hopelessly lost. After finding Green Lake, I also get hopelessly lost trying to find the coffee shop I had indentified to sit in. Anna reports getting lost on her way back to home base as well.
-Anna, Scott and I converge on the house at almost the exact same time despite coming for different locations. This is because Scott is a Jedi.
-The three of us head to Pike Place Market (which is Pike Street Market if you're me and Pikes Place Market if you're Rachel and Pikes Places Markets if you're being contrary). We see the famous fish tossing, encounter the first-ever Starbucks and eat delicious macaroni and cheese. The monorail is in a nearby mall. The only line from The Simpsons' monorail song I can remember is "Not on your life, my Hindu Friend."
-When Rachel awakens at 5 p.m., we hit a beach, then quickly eat Indian food so that she can make her shift at the ER.
-Anna's friend from nerd camp, Laura. arrives. Mostly we tell old stories from various periods of our lives. Laura was chosen to be in the Jeopardy contestant pool late last year, but Ken Jennings' success has created a huge backlog of contestants and she doesn't know if she'll get back on.
-Scott wins an online poker tournament.
Saturday
-We decide not to go hiking in the mountains.
-Anna and I have breakfast at a place near the university called "Atlas Foods." The meal was fine. The Ayn Rand references, I could have done without.
-Trip to the Fremont District means a tour of public art. That includes a troll, Lenin, a rocket ship, and Chia-Pet Dinosaurs. The Dinosaurs are by far the lamest.
-We go for sushi, something that I don't really like. The place we go to has a gimmick that everything moves on a conveyer belt. I am reminded of an auto plant and therefore eat happily.
-Scott, Anna and I attend a performance of The Tempest in a nearby park. It's actually funny, which all of us agreed was pretty surprising.
-After three days of non-stop Lebowski references, we go bowling. Anna bowls a 90 in the final game, a lifetime best. Scott and I attempt to bowl without our thumbs like the pros. I create a wacky sort of spin that has my ball traveling 2/3 of the way up the lane along the left gutter, then taking a near 90 degree turn into the left gutter.
Sunday
-Without another night shift, Rachel joins us for lunch, which is sandwiches from the Essential (as opposed to existential) Bakery and a trip to Gasworks Park. While there, we watch two dogs playing a game of water fetch and are transfixed.
-We bid farewell to Scott and Rachel and head east to Hilarie's in Duvall, Wash.
-Anna meets her neice, Patty, for the first time and we spend a delightful night in a very cool house. There are lots of animals, plants and nice people. I suppose they are in-laws to me. All was great.
-We go to bed wondering just why we don't live in Seattle.
Monday
-4:00 wake-up Ugh.
-Fly back to Sacramento
-98 degree heat Ugh.
Thursday:
-We arrive around 10 p.m. and secure the rental car without having to set foot outside. This would be fine if it were raining, which it does 10 months out of the year in Seattle. I also buy too much insurance, which means that I am adopting, to borrow a phrase from Gary, the "Never skimp on a splurge" posture.
-Winding through the streets of Scott's neighborhood, we learn very quickly that Seattle is non-orthogonal.
Friday:
-Rachel, working midnights in the ER, arrives home at 7:30 a.m. and proceeds to make us pancakes. She then goes to sleep. This is a running theme.
-I try to drop Anna off for a run around Green Lake near Scott and Rachel's and get hopelessly lost. After finding Green Lake, I also get hopelessly lost trying to find the coffee shop I had indentified to sit in. Anna reports getting lost on her way back to home base as well.
-Anna, Scott and I converge on the house at almost the exact same time despite coming for different locations. This is because Scott is a Jedi.
-The three of us head to Pike Place Market (which is Pike Street Market if you're me and Pikes Place Market if you're Rachel and Pikes Places Markets if you're being contrary). We see the famous fish tossing, encounter the first-ever Starbucks and eat delicious macaroni and cheese. The monorail is in a nearby mall. The only line from The Simpsons' monorail song I can remember is "Not on your life, my Hindu Friend."
-When Rachel awakens at 5 p.m., we hit a beach, then quickly eat Indian food so that she can make her shift at the ER.
-Anna's friend from nerd camp, Laura. arrives. Mostly we tell old stories from various periods of our lives. Laura was chosen to be in the Jeopardy contestant pool late last year, but Ken Jennings' success has created a huge backlog of contestants and she doesn't know if she'll get back on.
-Scott wins an online poker tournament.
Saturday
-We decide not to go hiking in the mountains.
-Anna and I have breakfast at a place near the university called "Atlas Foods." The meal was fine. The Ayn Rand references, I could have done without.
-Trip to the Fremont District means a tour of public art. That includes a troll, Lenin, a rocket ship, and Chia-Pet Dinosaurs. The Dinosaurs are by far the lamest.
-We go for sushi, something that I don't really like. The place we go to has a gimmick that everything moves on a conveyer belt. I am reminded of an auto plant and therefore eat happily.
-Scott, Anna and I attend a performance of The Tempest in a nearby park. It's actually funny, which all of us agreed was pretty surprising.
-After three days of non-stop Lebowski references, we go bowling. Anna bowls a 90 in the final game, a lifetime best. Scott and I attempt to bowl without our thumbs like the pros. I create a wacky sort of spin that has my ball traveling 2/3 of the way up the lane along the left gutter, then taking a near 90 degree turn into the left gutter.
Sunday
-Without another night shift, Rachel joins us for lunch, which is sandwiches from the Essential (as opposed to existential) Bakery and a trip to Gasworks Park. While there, we watch two dogs playing a game of water fetch and are transfixed.
-We bid farewell to Scott and Rachel and head east to Hilarie's in Duvall, Wash.
-Anna meets her neice, Patty, for the first time and we spend a delightful night in a very cool house. There are lots of animals, plants and nice people. I suppose they are in-laws to me. All was great.
-We go to bed wondering just why we don't live in Seattle.
Monday
-4:00 wake-up Ugh.
-Fly back to Sacramento
-98 degree heat Ugh.
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