So Nice!

I’d visited Seattle before as part of a larger group among whom decision-making is often ceded to the more “responsible” members of the party. The primary concern of “what to do” included “what to drink,” “what to eat,” and “which landmarks should we see.” I certainly enjoyed that experience, but with a much smaller group I spent some more time idly exploring downtown Seattle.

One thing that surprised me was the apparent friendliness of people in Seattle. People on the train were happy to point out how long trips to a particular station may take. I struck up a short conversation with a man wearing a Seahawks jersey and a horse head mask in a shop regarding the relative merits of <football team x>. During the investigation of coffee machines far too expensive to be used by common men (but perfectly appropriate for those from Seattle), they offered us a number of amenities, including several cups of coffee. Thankfully, a (hopefully prank) fire alarm precluded the purchase (not by your dear author) of a calescent chrome coffee contraption. All of this becomes more interesting in light of the supposed existence of the Seattle Freeze.

I’m not a very good clothes shopper by any means, but I had no trouble finding a few things in a few shops in downtown. I’m not sure if it’s because Seattle simply has better taste, or those things appropriate for a typically-Seattle day are left on the rack for Californians to claim. In any event, one set of boots and a bag later, I have decided I have to go back. I CAN. I SHALL.

Good food is not in short supply in Seattle. One evening’s activities started with a Harry Potter-themed pub crawl that we were only loosely following. Ravenclaw started at our bar, Slytherin (the bastards) soon following. The first bar, Unicorn, is well-known for its corn dogs of various styles (including one served open-faced covered with mozzarella, fries, and gravy) and deep fried Oreos, Snickers, and peanut butter balls. Your author, dear reader, only made one corn-dog related mistake and does not regret it (yet). A bar or two further down the crawl had some themed drinks such as butterbeer and Polyjuice Potion (it only got worse the more one drinks it).

Two last food items to point out. Von’s 1000 or Von’s Gustobistoro serves excellent burgers and a tasty lobster chowder, as well as featuring a spinning wheel on the wall that points to that hour’s discounted drink. Also, Serious Pie & Biscuit features flatbread pizzas for dinner that, while expensive, make up for it in flavor. Come back for breakfast/brunch and you can get fried chicken with biscuits and gravy. We liked both of these places enough that we visited them twice.