Return to Seattle

It is hardly a secret that Seattle is one of our favorite cities in the world. First, it is only slightly less than a two hour flight here from our home in Clovis. Second, we have consistently visited several times a year, on our birthdays, and anniversary, as we are now in June. Third, we enjoy the food, shopping, scenery, and friends we have made in the area.

We never rent a car, unless we are headed out to nearby National Parks, or to visit friends outside of the downtown area. We use public transportation, mostly the Sound Transit (light rail) between the airport and downtown. And we enjoy walking this great city, particularly from the downtown area to the International District.

And yes, it does rain sometimes, even in June, like today. But mostly, it marks the beginning of good weather for Seattle people, after a long and gloomy winter. The arrival of the summer seems to brighten spirits, even though they will not admit it! And they NEVER carry umbrellas!

We have done most of the tourist activities here. But we still enjoy the restaurants, and the music scene here. This trip, we will be at Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, for a concert. I generally walk over to Seattle Center to the Experience Music Project (EMP) for a dose of northwest music (Pearl Jam, Nirvana), Elvis, Dylan, and Hendrix. They have renamed the EMP, now called the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP.

We will miss a few of our friends, like Damon, Leicey, and Wendy, who have moved away. But a few others remain. And I am sure we will make new friends, as we do most everywhere we have been.

I have written about everything I can think of here in Seattle. Having visited three times a year for so many years, there is not much left to dissect. Music, food, sightseeing, shopping, Pike Market, Sleepless in Seattle, Frasier, Amazon, Microsoft, sports, music, we have left no stone unturned.

Interesting, how things have evolved here. With Amazon so big, housing is in short supply, and hotel rates are through the roof. Many businesses cater to the young Amazon crowd only. I wonder how much longer Macy’s (the former Bon Marche’) can survive? Pike is busy with tourists, of course. We saw tons of Midwesterners, mourning the Cavs loss to my Golden State Warriors last Friday night. Waa Waa!!!