Seattle (updated)

On one level it's "All Space Needle, All The Time."  :)

Day and night.

On another level, it's San Fransisco North, complete with hills, fog, fish market, street entertainment, coffee shops, liberals and conservatives mixing it up in public... fun!

Both D and I had been to Seattle as grade schoolers (separately, of course) for one day of a tediously long Western family trip, remembering little about Seattle, really, and a lot more about the car breaking down in the desert...  Apparently a lot of other Boomers had, too, at least from conversations on the elevator.  Must have been the thing to do from '62-'66, you know: head West so your radiator could boil over and you could watch Dad splutter and Mom snip.  :P

So, we're riding the airport shuttle to the hotel when the dispatcher comes on the radio and tells the driver "hey, there's a protest march going on by the Sheraton - they're blocking the streets, you can't get to the hotel."  Protesters? Cool!  What about?

Well, here's the weird part.  They were protesting about some other state's problems.  Huh?  Why in Washington are you trying to mobilize people to overturn California's Prop 8?  You can't even vote there!  Nor can the crowd.  It seemed... pointless?  Talked to my friend Scott about it this afternoon while listening to SQ play at Potbelly's, and he thought the same thing. Why there?

Hm, I suppose it was a show of solidarity, but still - the signs made one think that the ballot initiative had happened in Seattle, not 700 miles south.  

The other feature of this protest that struck me is how peaceful and civil it was, despite the strong feelings on both sides.  :)  

I suppose the mounted police helped in that regard...

Plus, it was pretty entertaining - in an off-kilter way. ;)



Okay, the "genderless interpretive dance" (I think?) actually took place at the Space Needle, accompanied by the ubiquitous group of Andean musicians who seem to be everywhere these days,



but it seemed a fitting part of the whole day's atmosphere. ;)

Anyway, at the protest people were having intense conversations, but they actually seemed to be exchanging ideas and trying to understand each other.  Gee, wouldn't that be nice?

The next day in the local paper, there was a quote from an organizer saying that "persuasion is impossible without civility.  If we can move anybody past anger and have a respectful conversation, then you can plant the seed of change."  

Hear, hear.  Agree with you or not, I'm all for respectful conversation about it.  I'd kind of like to put down all the signs, stop shouting, and just talk about this over coffee.  A large breve' with sugar-free caramel for me, please.

Moving on, then...

Ostensibly I was there for a conference, and yes I actually went! Some of the workshops were small (30) and pertinent, others enormous (1,000) and largely irrelevant. But they all count for continuing ed. credits, right? And after all, that was the point.




After the meetings, though, the Pike Place market was pretty cool.



Packed with people and commotion, smelling of fish, flowers & fruit.





There were interesting vendors, too - everything from candle rings from peppers, to engraved pacific ocean rocks, to salmon jerky! Mmmm.







And there was other cool stuff to see as we poked around on the wharf, like an outdoor carousel, the original Starbucks location, and the lights of the ferry as it pulled out after dark. Nice.

It would've been even nicer if my meniscus tear hadn't decided to be offended by my walking up and down the hills. Ow, ow, ow. For once it was actually a relief to sit down in the meetings and rest up for walking around at night.

I guess I do need the surgery. :( Actually getting it scheduled is becoming a challenge. Medical records, insurance pre-authorizations, calendar conflicts. I hope I can get it done before Christmas.

Fortunately the distance from downtown to the Space Needle was covered by the elevated monorail (vintage 1962 - oooh, right out of The Jetsons!)



And in the area of the Space Needle, there was a science museum



and a music museum, co-housed in a building designed by Frank Geary. Except not in his usual white or chrome. This one was more like Frank Geary meets Nickelodeon. :)




When not painfully recreating or dutifully listening, there was studying to be done - for both of us. But the setting was nice. :)



The hotel was a Dale Chihuly showcase.



Love his stuff, and it made the hotel a little more comfortable. Beats "reviewing the scholarly literature" (prep for my exegetical paper in Hermeneutics) in cramped airplane seats with a busted tray table. :(

All told, though, a nice time. And equally nice to be back.

And oh... I think I've discovered a new retirement career. I want to be one of these guys. :P