Seattle State of Mind

My brother's new house in Capitol Hill district -- Picture by blogSpotter

by blogSpotter
I have mid-October writer’s block for whatever reason. I know Bush just vetoed health insurance for children and the Mexican Consul General has received death threats here in Dallas, for wanting to help illegal immigrants. Those are bloggable topics, but probably somebody else needs to give them the attention they deserve. I will say this about people who've threatened the Consul General. Nothing shows your naked insecurity and the ultimate lameness of your argument more than making death threats. These people need to get a grip. In another news area Al Gore just got the Nobel Prize he richly deserves, but again -- I'll leave it for the Sunday pundits to discuss in detail.

I just returned from a terrific vacation in Seattle. It's the second time I've been there, so my friend Eric and my brother skipped the tourist areas that we saw back in 2001 and explored the local ‘hood. My brother just moved to the Pike Street area near downtown – I think it's called the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Seattle is a beautiful city with many well-restored neighborhoods; newer housing frequently is done in the arts and crafts style of the early 20th century. The city is tidy and well-kept; the cool temperate climate is friendly to all kinds of plants. I thought magnolia trees were exclusively southern, but saw excellent examples up there. The city is home base to Starbucks and Microsoft's HDQ is in nearby Redmond. Techies and smart people abound.

What goes along with the cool weather is the cool attitude of the locals -- they are liberal and laid back. Cashiers are a bit slower to check you out, and restaurants may have you wait a while prior to taking your order. It’s very nearly a European quality in our Pacific Northwest. I now have relatives living in two of the nation’s best cities: Austin TX and Seattle WA. Combine that with flight benefits where I work, and I can take some really nice, cheap vacations. Flying stand-by sometimes wears me out, but the savings is considerable. A round trip to Austin would be $244. Dallas is flat, dry and hot but it has a vibrant job market and a low cost of living. I think what I’ll do for now is stay put and use Dallas as my “hub”. I can always fly away to the Pacific NW when I have a Seattle state of mind. My apologies for not making today’s blog political and contentious. I think travel fatigue got to me – stay tuned and we will stir the pot in my upcoming blogs.

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