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.

Seattle

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.

Comments

  1. tried following you with the widget.....will keep trying. Love all things Seattle but mostly admire your talent.

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    1. Dear MHF,

      Thanks for trying and thanks for the shout. It is a pretty unbelievable day today. I can't believe the Seattle Seahawks just won the Superbowl!

      Warm regards, Terri

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  2. Great article!! Agree and love " it is still a place where people wait for the light to turn green before they cross the street. "

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    1. Dear Mithu,

      Seattle is a big city that still feels like a small one in some ways. If you come to visit one day, you'll see what I mean :)

      Thanks for the feedback, and wishing you well, always,

      Terri

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  3. Sounds like you are a bit like me. I always go to the same places - they know me by name and what I'm going to eat. I like it that way though :)

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    1. Hi, Bobby,

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, and yup, it's nice to know the people in the places we frequent, and better yet when they know us :)

      In one of our favorites, we walk in and sit down, and five minutes later the food arrives, without ever exchanging a word.

      Have a great week!

      Terri

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  4. I like Seattle! I visited for a week and enjoyed it!
    Nice place.

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  5. Diets alone can drive people crazy. I eat, I starve, trying this and that, but still no real results. I long to visit Seattle though for many reasons, from the rich indie music to the hunt for Bigfoot, to the wonders of a beautiful state. In the meantime, Go Broncos!

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    1. Dear Ernie,

      Thanks for the comment, and I agree, dieting can be crazy. The newest thing that I forgot to mention is "gluten free." It's crazy because the people who put themselves on gluten-free diets don't even have celiac disease.

      Enough time has elapsed since having lunch with the friend I mentioned. For all I know, she's now on a gluten-free diet :)

      The Superbowl win was great for Seattle. Something was definitely off with the Broncos, though. I expected a much closer game.

      Here's hoping you visit the northwest one day! There is much to see and do :)

      Cheers/Terri

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  6. Added Seattle in my travel destination for 2014 ;-)

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    1. Thanks Alain :)

      My advice is, visit Seattle during July, August or September. Usually the weather is reliable then.

      But on the other hand, it's hardly rained this fall/winter, and hasn't snowed (yet). So who knows? Anything is possible!

      Cheers/Terri

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  7. And I thought Seattle is the place where it rains all the time... ;-)

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    1. Thanks for the comment, George.

      Seattle is known for its rain, but it has been noticeably absent!

      Cheers/Terri

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  8. ok, need to have a stop in Seattle on my next trip to US - will call you for guidiance ;-)

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    1. Dear Detlev,

      It would be really great if you travel through Seattle! If you do, please contact me as I have a list of possible places to see and experience while in the area!

      Cheers and thanks,

      Terri

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  9. Anonymous2:42 AM

    Lots much came to know about Seattle.

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  10. Great info about the city. L eaned a lot more from it. And I admire your skills in telling a lot in only a few words. Thanks

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    1. Thanks, Toon, for visiting and commenting.

      It wasn't so many years ago, Seattle seemed like a sleepy town. It's changed a lot. Along with its omnipresence in tech, retail and e-commerce, we now have some of the worst traffic congestion in the U.S.

      I enjoyed recently learning about the project you support in Burundi

      Cheers, Terri

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  11. Anonymous3:01 AM

    Seattle nice place

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  12. Great post, I was born and bred in Van (BC) and so miss the trips we used to make to Seattle. A very special place indeed.

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    1. Dear Murray,

      Thanks for the comment. Vancouver is such a terrific city. I love how international it feels, and yet it's only 3 hours north of Seattle.

      Your comment makes me wonder where you landed :)

      Cheers/Terri

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  13. I live in Western Pa - a Seattle like renaissance is taking place but years behind.

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    1. Hi, Tru,

      Gentrification is the first phase, and a good time to jump on board!

      Best wishes to you and the renaissance in W. PA!

      Cheers, Terri

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  14. Anonymous4:00 AM

    Too cold & rainy for me.

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  15. LOL, living in Olympia every time I go to Seattle I see some of the weirdest stuff. And the parking is horrible. But you have to love the Emerald City no matter what. GO HAWKS!!

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    1. Gosh, Clint!

      THEY WON! Can you believe it?! I'm still trying to grasp that it actually happened!

      There was a movement in Portland, "Keep Portland Weird." In our case, it could be "Keep Seattle Strange." :)

      The traffic AND parking are beyond awful.

      It's odd—Seattle invested untold volumes on creating bicycle lanes everywhere (almost always empty), and removed parking spaces downtown to make room for bicycle parking (again, never full), especially when the changes incurred expenses that have no mechanism for bringing in revenue to maintain them.

      It's park of the quirkiness of living here. In spite of it, I'm glad we're in the northwest!

      Thanks for the comment and HOORAY for the Seahawks!

      Cheers/Terri

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  16. Dear Candace,

    Thanks for the shout. Rain has been elusive this season, and the snow even more scarce!

    Is it just Seattle, or are there characters everywhere?

    Cheers, Terri

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  17. Hey Terri. Nice article. I've always been interested in visiting Seattle but never made it there yet - I spent a remarkable summer in Vancouver once, and fell in love with the great Northwest as a result, but we never ventured south of the border lol.
    Your excellent, offbeat take on the place makes me want to visit even more. One of these days...

    Dave

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    1. Hey, David,

      Many thanks for reading and leaving a comment.

      Vancouver, Seattle and Portland are three terrific Northwest cities, each with their own personalities, but woven of the same cloth: beautiful vistas, bustling places, and interesting people.

      Maybe the next time you're in this neck of the woods, you'll stop and visit. When you do, be sure to give me a shout. I'll send you a list of some great places you won't want to miss.

      I think from Vancouver, heading south, it gets increasingly quirky :)

      Cheers/Terri

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  18. "Do we really need to be discussing colonics during lunch?" - Wow, indeed! I'll listen to my friends about their trendy diets, but I draw the line at colonics.

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    1. Hi, Steph, and YES! You understand my point!
      In our never-ending quest for perfection, there will always be new diets and fads to make people believe they can "get thin quick!

      I sometimes wonder if it's just Seattle, or if the whole world is going just a bit crazy :-/

      Thanks for the comment!

      Terri

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  19. Thanks for sharing such great days with us Terri. It's great to see people enjoying the world, enjoying life and living it as we please. Many thanks :)

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    1. Hi, Vanda, and thank you for reading and commenting. It's actually fun to have friends who are extremely trendy. Once in a while you might discover something cool :)

      The sun is shining today. There are few things as wonderful as a beautiful day in this unique and amazing place.

      Wishing you a fabulous weekend, and again my thanks for taking time to read and comment!

      Cheers, Terri

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terri

i'm a graphic designer who loves words. - terri nakamura