My Seattle: Lincoln Park

 Lincoln Park, located in West Seattle (just catch the #54 bus, you'll stop right by it) is another example of Seattleites love for outdoor activities.  On any given day, regardless of rain, you'll see countless runners, walkers, joggers, mums with kids, doggie parents, and a ultimate frisbey competitors.  This is just one of the many lovely walks throughout the park...

 The prk is situated on something similar to a small penninsula.  This is one of the many views of the sound.  I wish I had a macrolense to better show you how this looked... 

Just another example of the view from Lincoln Park...

 ...another one...

I'm pretty sure this is a view of Alki beach from the park...

 If you're not scared of squirrles, you'll learn to fear them once you get to Lincoln Park...the squirrles will climb up your leg to get to whatever you'll offer them...

this is actually a photo of the only wading pool in all of Seattle.  During the summer of '09 I tried to find a pool I could go to and the only one was the one at Lincoln Park, which had severly limited hours.  This wading pool, which was never open during that time, was all of 6 inches deep...









I wish, again, I'd taken more photos.  I wish even more I had an appropriate lense and filter system for my camera to show these images correctly. 

Anyway, if you ever get the chance to visit Lincoln Park, you'd be wise to do so.

Honeymoon tips

Photo from here

I recently went to the wedding of a neighbor-friend; He'd been friends with my family, especially my brother, since he was about 10-12 and Sam (my brother) was about 8-10.  For the last 7 years or so we kept hearing about this girl named Christine and all of these wonderful things about it, and finally, they decided to tie the knot.  And I know this is overly sappy of me to say, but they are a wonderful couple and I wish them the best in life.

Now, to the post: At the reception as the Bride and Groom were going around to the tables and thanking everyone for attending, the Bride mentioned that they were going to Seattle for a few days after they camped in the Orcas Islands, and a few other locations...of coarse, they were speaking my language.  I mentioned that I'd lived in Seattle for 3 years and gave them a few ideas for places to visit (they had the clever idea of leaving little booklets at the tables to write tips and advice for a happy marriage in, so I left a few locations).

Of coarse, as soon as I get home, a million ideas came swimming into my mind.  Specifically, ideas for a newly married couple that had never been to Seattle that had a love for sea food and nature.

So here it is; the list I wish I had prepared for them.

1. Check out the Waterfall park in pioneer square.  Grab take-out from Salumie's and afterwards run around and check out the lovely architecture.  Be sure to check out the Seattle Aquarium, about a 15 minute walk along the "shore" from Pioneer square (at most).

2. Make a small half-day trip to University of Washington's Seattle campus.  Just pack a small snack and a filled water bottle and camera and take some lovely photos.  If you go around this time of year (spring/summer time), you'll find so many of the trees and flowers in blossom, it'll be impossible to have a bad photo.  After, head to University Way for some nice shopping and eating.

3. Seward park.  Actually, you may want to go here first to get your Nature on!  It's one of the few sections of Seattle that still has old-growth forest.  Ask locals about the Bald Eagle nest, and consider renting a Kayak or stand-board and exploring the banks a little more.  Again, no such thing as a bad photo op.

4. Do the Downtown tourist thing.  Check out Cherry Street Coffee House for some excellent coffee and Gravlox (Salmon Lox).  Afterwards, head along 1st ave to Pike place and spend a little time running around there.  Don't miss the french bakery or Piroshki Piroshki.  Afterwards, head to 3rd and pine and do a little of non-local shopping (yeah, you read me), or head on up to Capitol Hill and spend some time along Broadway admiring all the colorful characters you'll meet.

5. West Seattle.  Definably go now when the water taxi is still free to use to get to Alki beach (genius idea for tourists) and MAYBE dip your feet in the water (may want to check the water quality before you swim in it), afterwards head to Alaska Junction and have supper at the Indian restaurant and check out the Husky deli for some excellent ice cream.

I could come up with a million other ideas, but for the couple I have in mind, I wish I had given them this list...

Why Seattleites like to argue...

When I moved to Seattle, I was told a lot of things about the people.  One of the warnings I was given more frequently than others was that Seattleites love to argue...which is excellent, because I do too.

And when I moved to Seattle, I was astounded by how well versed and well informed a large population of the city (or at least the people I encountered) were regarding various topics; pollution, Puget sound, global warming, the G-20, fair trade verses free trade, so on and so forth.  And since I moved to Seattle, I've been under the distinct impression that Seattleites tend to be well educated or at least well informed and curious.

I was right.

According to Stats given by at seattle.gov (actual link here), the percentage of Seattlites with a BA or higher by age 25 is 56%, and the percentage of Seattlites who graduate from High School or achieve the equivalent of a high school diploma by age 25 is 95%.  These stats are the highest out of a total of 10 major US cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Boston!

Go Seattle!

Seattle Rules: Photo taking

This is a photo of my old apartment complex, right next to a 7-11.  Excellent for midnight munchies...

I was going through my photos of Seattle and slowly realized...I had not taken nearly enough.  And as I was looking back, I realized I had committed a few faux pas and had missed a lot of opportunities.

SO!  To continue the rule game...

Rule #1: Take lots AND LOTS of photos!  Even if you think you've taken too many of the same thing, if you have a digi cam, snap just a few more.

Rule #2: Invest in more camera batteries.  Do not ever turn your camera off, things happen quick everywhere, and so much so in Seattle where everyone is double-fisting cappuccinos.

Rule #3: Carry light!  Carry a wallet, coffee mug, cell, and camera and nothing else.  This is more of a general rule of thumb, but the idea behind it is you'll always be ready to snap a photo.

Rule #4: Snap the finer things.  Seattle has tons of sites to see, like any other city.  But don't concentrate on the big picture; the beauty of Seattle is in the details.  When you go to the library, don't snap photos of the whole building, but the weird book-ladder on the first floor book-return drop.  Or the written words in the floor.  Or the vaulted ceiling on the 3rd floor.

Rule #5: Try not to get any Seattlites in the photo.  If you take a photo of a public place and there are Seattlites in the photo, some of them might get offended that they're in it (I tried to take a photo of the wrong Starshmucks coffee place in Pike Place and was nearly mugged!).  If you can, try to pose the photo for a moment or two so people know to get out of the way.  Or try to time it when as few
people as possible will be in the photo.  And if someone poses...just snap anyway.

Rule #6: Be semi tasteful.  This ties in with the whole "Don't buy something with "sleepless in Seattle" written on it" thing.  People, when they come to Seattle, for some reason want to pose outside the first starshmucks, or pose with the Pike Place pig, or Pose with the Space Needle...this in and of itself is not tacky.  But, for all that is good and holy, do NOT pose with the gum wall...

Rule #7: Be more than willing to disregard any of these rules if they don't go with the flow of the moment...

Loving Hut Links

http://lovinghut.us/seattle/
    The Loving Hut Seattle location

http://lovinghut.us/
   Loving Hut's main site

http://www.yelp.com/biz/loving-hut-seattle  
     Loving Hut Seattle Yelp reviews

Loving Hut, Seattle

Yes, this is Vegan.  And it's probably DAMN good.  Photo from here.



It might be gathered by now that I'm vegetarian, and am rather fond of the Vegan/Vegetarian lifestyle.  So when I heard of Loving Hut in Seattle, I instantly assumed it would be everything I loved.

It was...an experience I didn't repeat on purpose.

First and foremost, the location was ok-ish; its in the middle of the back-section of the International District, and if you try to drive to it, you're going to pass it at least once.  Which is ok.  You might want to keep going.

Second, the food was pretty bad.  The Flavor was excellent...if it was thoroughly cooked and not cold in the center (Microwave, anyone?).  And the advertisement of "buy lunch, get free dessert" was not a bandaid on the wound of terrible food.

But, thirdly, and by far and away the most facinating and nauseating aspect of the whole thing, was the TV in the back playing a specific religious-propoganda channel. 

I wish I could quote verbatum some of the things the TV said, but if you've ever seen the episode of "The Simpsons" where the cult members are thanking The Leader for this glorious day...it was something along those lines.  I'm under the impression that the main center of worship is centered in Australia (based off of the accents on the TV), it's based off of the life, poetry, and teachings of someone from either Korea, Japan, or China (again, could be wrong), and that while a very peaceful faith, it's also a little creepy from the exposure on the TV.

I would love to know more about the faith mentioned there, so feel free to email me information on it or comment on it or something.

Loving Hut has locations in California as well, I think Fullerton of Costa Mesa included, and other people have had excellent culinary and cultural experiences at their local Loving Huts.  But that's them, and this is my blog.  (grrrrrrr....)

Anywho, Loving Hut...in my opinion, worth driving past.

For More information on Totoro

visit the following link...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/

Photo from here.

Setting the scene straight...

photo from here.  And yes, I have a small amount of shame for my love of Totoro.



OK, I know the stereotype: Seattle is always raining.  And when I first visited and moved there, I anticipated many a-rainy walks home.

But it's a huge misconception; just ask a Seattlite,

You can find more information from here.  In fact, I'm ripping off most of my information from the previous site and the Wikipedia page on Seattle.

The fact is Seattle only recieved about 38 inches of rain a year.  Thats less than New York (47 IPY), Atlanta (50 IPY), Jacksonville FL (51 IPY), and New Orleans (64 IPY). 

The difference, if you ask any Seattleite, isn't how much rain, but how it's distributed.  Where as NY may have rain for 100 out of 365 days, Seattle will recieve a light drizzle for about 200 days a year, and then real rain on the occasion.

Oh this is just sad

http://www.peta.org/mediacenter/news-releases/PETA-Names-Seattle-One-of-the-Most-Vegetarian--and-Vegan-Friendly-Cities.aspx

According to this report (by PETA), "PETA Names Seattle One of the Most Vegetarian- and Vegan-Friendly Cities"

Granted, I knew a lot more vegans and vegetarians in Seattle than I know here in CA.  And if PETA was talking about sheer population, I'd be inclined to agree.

But anyone who has tried to go Vegan/Vegetarian in Seattle and eat out regularly knows how hard it can be, especially if you're vegan.  Now, what's nice is that a couple of the Vietnamese restaurants I went to (Green Leaf, Lemon Grass) and my personal favorite Anapurna all had vegan/vegetarian options, and Indian/Ethiopian restaurants tend to have a vegetarian splatter you can order.  But no one wants to eat Indian, ethiopian, and vietnamese exclusivly for the rest of their life (well...).

I remember going out randomly into Seattle to find a new restaurant with my ex and eat, and we had to skip several because the only vegetarian options any of them had was a salad, hold the beef. 

This article leads me to two possible conclusions; either PETA didn't do their homework on Seattle, or the US is really lagging behind in the vegetarian culture.

More information on the Danny Woo Gardens

http://www.interimicda.org/index.php?/sustainable_communities/danny_woo_garden/

My Seattle: Danny Woo Gardens

 Here's more of my Seattle, featuring the largest P-patch in Seattle that I'm aware of, the Danny Woo Gardens.  As you can see to the left, there are regular tours of the gardens, which have existed since 1975.

 This central piece to the top of the gardens is called the Kobe Terrace Lantern, as the top section is called Kobe Terrace (I didn't know that...a year and a half next to the damn thing and I never knew that)...

This is my favorite view from the gardens.  Its towards the top, where there is a gentle split in the road.  Take the one farthest to the right and you'll come across  this little wooden ladder-bridge.  Take some time to take in the view.

This photo to the right is of the entrance to the little wooden bridge-ladder thing I mentioned above.  The section in the forefront is the entrance.

Some of the allotments.  If you enter the gardens from the bottom, and feel adventurous, try to stick as far to the right of the gardens as possible; they're not as well maintained and typically you'll find allotments that haven't been tended for years or you'll find the remains of a homeless camp. 

 Just thought these flowers were pretty...

This was the part that brought out the squeamish, vegetarian, animal-loving nerd out of me.  Chickens.  They're found in a tiny little coop at the bottom of the hill.

Most of the chickens are adopted as chicks.  Here they are!

Hey!  More Chickens!

My Seattle: Ballard Salmon Ladder

I figured now was the time to give whoever might be reading this a small tour through Seattle from my view.  I just wish I'd taken more photos.

Above is one of the many buildings made at the Ballard Salmon ladder and botanical gardens.  I don't know the exact use of this building, but I do know it was  public works project and the architecture suggests 1930's or 20's.  It's almost entirely concrete.  The smaller building to the right (from our view) of the main building really caught my eye in that the windows on the sides were custom made curved glass.

These are some of the terraced hills near the lake.  They're popular with the kids (rolling down them), but they're pretty steep; I slid down one accidentally and nearly sprained an ankle.

The guy in the foreground is my ex, wearing the only clean shirt he had on that day (ironically), "Mr. Messy".  This is actually the seedling garden.  Very popular with the crows.

To get to the salmon bridge, you have to pass over the actual bridge and water-locks.  On the other side opposite the botanical garden, the first thing you see are these 6 tentical stainless steel art.  Again, popular with the kids.

...ok, maybe there are 7 tenticals...

The whole reason to go; my favorite fish in the whole wide world, the Coho Salmon, mighty proud, mightly strong, might large, and mighty tasty.  I named this one Gravalox...

Real Change Seattle

Link to the newspaper I mentioned in the previous post.

http://www.realchangenews.org/

Real Change in Seattle from a Newspaper...

Photo from here

Homelessness is a major problem in any major city, regardless of stats and shelters.  And there are just as many responses to the "homelessness issue" as there are stars in the sky; I have even heard of counties and cites in the US that give homeless individuals a bus ticket to a different city so they'll no longer be their problem! (which is kind of like using ducked tape to hold up your bumper...)

Real Change isn't an over-all solution to the issue, but it is a band aid on the side of an open sore; Real Change is a local investigative newspaper in Seattle that sells it's copies for $.35 or so to homeless individuals, who then sell the papers on the streets and keep the rest of the money made.  The paper is made in a location near Pike's Place at as low a cost as possible so it's as affordable for the homeless to sell as possible (typically people pay $1 for the news paper, so they make roughly [very roughly] 3 times as much money when they sell it, so $.35 can go towards future purchases, $.35 repays the initial amount lost, and $.30 goes straight into their pockets).  I believe it's partially subsidized by advertisements, and a lot of the reporters and authors write for free for the paper. 

It helps in that it provides a (meager) form of income for individuals who would have a hard time achieving employment otherwise, and the main topic in a lot of these editions tends to be homelessness; the latest homeless camp; the latest homeless beating (far too frequent in Seattle); the latest miracle for a well-known homeless individuals (Seattle isn't that big of a city, and you can get to know a lot of the homeless by first name and astrological sign); the latest issues with this shelter; the latest successes with that shelter; and so on.

Again, not an answer but a help.

If you ever get the chance to visit Seattle and you see someone selling one of these, grab one.  You're not only investigating in something local and supporting real journalism, you're essentially giving alms in the process.





Seattle rules; when buying Real Change.

Rule #1: Pay at least a buck.  The people selling these newspapers tend to be mildly dependent on the income generated.  $5= 5 times the good vibes.

Rule #2: if you give someone who is selling one of these a bag of food (or something edible) and they offer you one as a thank you, take it.  It's impolite not to. 

Rule #3: don't expect one of these in exchange for food.  That's not necessarily a kosher form of bartering.

Rule #4: do not EVER tell whoever is selling these to get a real job; the obstacles between a homeless person and a job can only be appreciated by someone (who says this sort of nonsense) once they or someone they love has already gone through them. 

Rule #5: if you don't like one of the articles, don't complain to the person selling the newspaper; I can almost completely assure you they had nothing to do with writing or editing and probably never will.

Rule #6: Say "thank you".

Seattle PI report on the Wah Mee Massacre

Found this excellent article on the previous post's topic.  Check it out, it's far better written and more thorough than my little schpiel.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Wah-Mee-After-25-years-pain-lingers-1264795.php

The Wah Mee Massacre doors

Photo from here

For the last year and a half I lived in Seattle, I lived at 6th and Yesler.  It's prime real-estate in my mind because the rent's cheap, the view's great, and it's smack-dab in between Pioneer Square, International District, Capitol Hill, and Down Town Seattle (technically, it's downtown).  I personally loved it, more than anything, because it was almost right next door to my new favorite tattoo place, Tiger Tiger Tattoo, and right next door to an endless supply of excellent late-night Chinese food.

My boyfriend and I tried almost every restaurant in Int'l Dist, repeatedly cutting down ally ways and weaving in and out of all of the streets.  Several times we passed these doors, and it always gave me a creeped out feeling.  I also noticed very few "locals" would stand in the doorway, and a lot of people specifically made sure not to look at it.  I made up small stories in my head of bad juju or a ghost, but never really thought to look into it.

When I moved back to CA, I finally heard about the Wah Mee Massacre, to date still Washington State's worst mass murder (and I hope it stays that way for at least a few more decades).

Long story short; back on February 18th, 1983, three gangsters gunned down fourteen people gambling at an illegal club, only one of which survived and went on to later identify them.  I've heard several stories about why they did it, ranging from debt to gang rivalry to general assholeness. 

Whatever the reason, the three involved, Tony Ng, Benjamin Ng, and Willie Mac, were eventually caught and sent to jail, Tony Ng for 13 counts of robbery with a minimum of 5 years for each count to be served consecutively, Willie Mac was sentenced to death but his sentence reduced to life in prison (or pushed up to life in prison, if you ask me), and Benjamin Ng to life in prison.

If you're ever in the area, walking in Maynard Alley, pay a little tribute of reverent curiosity to the silent doors to your left... 

Just don't stare for too long.



The Stranger, every Seattelite's Friend

I just wanted to add a link to The Stranger, self titled "Seattle's Only Newspaper." 

Whether you are looking for things to do, local shops, reviews, or shit news reporting, this is a newspaper to go to.  It's also free on every sidewalk in Seattle.  The best part; if you have a bird cage, the paper is just the right size to line it fully!

Anywho, here it is.

http://www.thestranger.com/

Photo found here