End of the road

Well, I've been away from downtown for awhile since my job ended. I hope you had fun with some of these entries. Thanks for reading.

If I return, I will continue with this blog. Otherwise, catch me at my other blog, Seattle Vegetarian.

http://seattlevegetarian.blogspot.com/

Leroy

Merchants Cafe

Today, Merchants Cafe celebrated their 120th anniversary. Not many restaurants make it to this milestone. They had been celebrating the entire weekend and some.










There were a few people in there who came in for the first time. There were some who seemed like they've been there forever.











Just in case you didn't want to take my word for it, here's a little banner.












The manager was making a few remarks and the musician had asked the crowd if they were properly caffeinated. And they all looked at each other and said, 'Caffeinated?' as in they were drinking something, but not coffee. So, I came up with a new word: beerinated. So, the lunch crowd wasn't properly caffeinated. They were properly beerinated.













Here is the live musician singing Sheryl Crow's 'Strong Enough,' and some of her original compositions, one about Seattle and a few probably about her exes.











Here's Frank, the owner, holding the Mayor's Proclamation that says today is Merchants Cafe Day. The young woman next to him dresses that way all the time.
















I had a burger and fries and one of the cookies that young woman gave me. There must have been something in that cookie because I sure would like another one. Or maybe it was the fries . . .

Snowboarding in Pioneer Square

If you're the type of person who works in Pioneer Square during the week and never think to go into the neighborhood on the weekend, then you would have missed something very unusual. Snowboarding! That's right, they were snowboarding in the middle of Pioneer Square in October. Now, how does that happen you wonder? Since it rarely snows in Seattle and when it does, it's never in October and it usually melts unless it's some sort of freak of nature. Well, they trucked it all in.




This is annual Downtown Throwdown event and this is the second year it's been in Occidental Park. There was media, a DJ. The certified Neapolitan pizza place took out the oven and set up outside and all the typical audience you would find at these events: young, excitable and slightly high.








So, it took awhile for the set-up, but when they set up, it was all action, with some talking here and there. I guess the last twenty minutes were the juiciest.










Despite the off-and-on rain, it still drew a crowd. Now, it would have been really weird if there was a Christmas tree or something.

Belltown Fire Station

It's not very often that I visit fire stations. I guess if you were a parent and your son wanted to become a fireman, you would take him here, especially if they were giving out free food, like doughnuts, or at least stickers. On the day that I went, there were no doughnuts. Maybe the police ate them all? In any case, there was a dedication, a man in a kilt played bagpipes and all that jazz.






The first thing that pops into mind when I'm at a fire station is the fire pole. Maybe I watched a little too much TV as a child, but I wanted to find that pole and ride it down.










Much to my dismay, I found the pole, but I couldn't ride it down because it was a fall hazard.

















No cookies here.

Farmers Market at City Hall

If you have ever been to City Hall, you will realize there is really nowhere to eat. Okay, fine, you can go to some weird floor and find a vending machine, but that's not really food. You can buy a sandwich and a cup of coffee at a stand called City Grind. Okay, fine. I've bought a few cups there myself. Or you can go to the bagel shop downstairs. For a few days in the summer, there's also a farmers market at City Hall. Doesn't City Hall make an interesting background? On the day that I was there, all I could see were flower vendors. Not my idea of a good lunch.

Neon Art Installation

It's not everyday you walk around and find signs that capture your mood, especially not in neon. I mean, you happen to be in a mood and these objects were made so that when you come upon them they seem to coincide with everything you're feeling. Then again, if you happen upon them and they don't capture your mood, then you could ponder their meaning and wonder if that's art in action. Personally, if you want to get the full effect, get into a crappy mood and THEN seek out the neon. We'll have that in common and you will feel like you're part of a larger community.


If you're having a hard time getting into a bad mood, try thinking about a relationship you had many years ago, perhaps exactly ten years ago and dwell on that for a minute. Think of all the good times that you had and imagine them etched into your mind forever because you took ecstasy together and it made what was probably just okay into something incredibly special. Then, imagine that person just smashing your heart into bits. Are you feeling crappy yet??? If so, then maybe you are ready to look at this neon.



Then imagine that for some odd reason this person contacts you and all the minute details of all those years seem to melt away leaving behind
all the good memories, like a city celebrating a new year together and you feel bound to them and bound to your relationship by long bouts of kissing and hugging in the middle of the dance floor and you walk away knowing this couldn't last forever, but hoping it would and you find solace in the sound of soft water flowing in a fountain. You ignore all the bad things because there is always hope.



And here, all anew, after all these years, a new opportunity to re-live it in new ways because you have grown and matured and all the wisdom you've gained since then will lend itself to a better go around this time. And all the things that didn't work last time, you discount them thinking that maybe you were too harsh, but now you are more tolerant. And you think maybe this is what's been missing in your life. And what a story it would make because everyone loves a happy ending, right?




Then the door is slammed in your face and the bubble bursted, this utterly desperate feeling of rejection returned and you wonder where all this emotion is all coming from? This is all old news and you already dealt with it and moved on, yet it's registering in the way you talk to people, the way you view the world, and God forbid it doesn't get cloudy or starts to rain. You lose your appetite or maybe you start to eat more or you need to take a long, long walk. Maybe you'll sneak into your clinically depressed friend's apartment and make off with a few anti-depressant pills.





Well, great. Now you're ready to find this neon and pretend it's one big coincidence. You can become the art and marvel at the simplicity or how impractical they are for a window of a diner or how utterly useless they are for any commercial endeavor. You do become the art or you are the art coinciding with the art. You knew there was reason why you had to walk by, perhaps not to stare at your reflection, wondering if there are tears falling down your face, but maybe learn to smile that others have felt your pain and maybe it's about time you felt better for yourself and no one else.

Oh, you discover that it's a way to fill up space and you think at least you do more than fill up space. You have stuff to do. You will get over this. You're already onto the next thing. Your brain is already finding ways to make you feel better and to heal you. For a moment, those memories burned into your brain can be there because they will be surrounded by other goodness that you will generate in a natural, organic way. You've got some living to do and you're not going to run out of smiles today or ever.

President Obama's Visit

Okay, I was off to Grand Central Bakery for my daily croissant and coffee when I noticed a lot of police officers and yellow police tape. Was this a scene of a crime? No, silly, the President of the United States of America is coming for a turkey sandwich. No, really. I must say if I knew this ahead of time, I would've called the White House warning President Obama not to order the sandwich on their artisanal bread. As much as I love the bakery, the bread is very hard and difficult to chew. Get me through to the president. He must get the potato bread instead!!!


Alas, alas. I didn't get through. Actually, I didn't even try. They might have thought there was something wrong with me. Maybe, I'm too hard on the bakery? Nah, Many people agree. Maybe if you order soup with the bread, you could dunk it and eat it that way. Just stick with the pastries and coffee. While you're there, you can take in the historic building and the park.






Crowds were gathering and it was beautiful, sunny day.


















Right at 11:4o AM, a motorcade arrives, President Obama gets out and the crowd starts to cheer. Most everyone is waving or gently jostling try to get a picture. He waves a little and goes in for his turkey sandwich. This is SEATTLE, Washington. Not Washington, DC, okay? Is this like Oprah making a run for some of Ezell's Fried Chicken?







Just like that, he was inside, but everyone was still happy. Maybe they were waiting for him to come out. Maybe they were wondering what he ordered or if he liked it or not. Who knows?










I'm not worrying. Everything will be back to normal and I'll get in line for my pastries and coffee and people will ask if I saw the president and they will tell their friends if I had. I'll just eat my pastry and sip my coffee and I'll be glad I was able to get in.