Seattle-landia

Seattle is nestled between two incredibly beautiful mountain ranges and bordered by Elliott Bay.

Seattle is innovative. Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, UPS, Microsoft, Costco, REI, Boeing and many other companies, began here.

It's a big city, but it is still a place where people wait for the light to turn green before they cross the street.

Waiting for the light to turn green on Denny St. in Seattle by Terri Nakamura

I don’t think of Seattle as a trendy place, but I do have friends who have to jump on every new thing,

When Rolfing was in, they were Rolfed. Eggs and butter were banished for years. When low-carb diets were de rigueur, they eschewed bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. When colonics came along, they had their innards flushed. Personal trainers, massages, French manicures, vegan or raw diets, yoga, Pilates, spinning, rock climbing...the list goes on.

Maybe my standards are too low, but I’m basically happy with the way I am. Alone among my friends, I don’t dye my hair. And sure, who wouldn’t love to lose 10 pounds? I tried the Atkins Diet for a few months, but it proved to be too much for me to stick with it.

Recently I had lunch with a friend who follows whatever direction the wind blows.

We met at the Hi Spot, a favorite Seattle breakfast place once featured in a Good Morning America commercial. My standard order, the Northwest omelette with country fries and homemade whole wheat toast, arrived. She ordered soup.

Currently she's on a “raw” diet. She told me how much better she feels and about the weight she's lost. I think she was famished. She polished off her (not raw) soup in minutes.

She told me how much she likes colonics, and described the facility she visits—lined with bays where people have their guts power washed, side-by-side, separated by curtains.

Thought to self: Do we really need to be discussing colonics during lunch?

As she watched me eat, I offered to share my meal. We continued talking as she helped herself to part of my omelette and some home fries. Thought to self: She is delusional.

I felt like I was living an episode of Portlandia.

But that’s Seattle.