Seattle Tally

Days in Seattle: 2
Days it has rained: 2
Minutes spent going under 20 miles/hour on the I5: 45
Starbucks beverages consumed: 3 (they're everywhere! one block downtown has a Starbucks on each corner)
Political activists encountered: 50+ ("Have you heard Al Gore's global warming scam? It's all lies!" Outta my way, lady. I'm just trying to get to Starbucks.)

As I sit typing this, I can look out my window & see the Space Needle. All I need now is to see an indie band perform at a local coffee shop & Seattle will have fulfilled all of its cliche duties. One thing not as easy to slap on a postcard is the vibe of this city. Even in the heart of downtown it feels alternative in the realest sense of the word, not to be confused with the mainstream teenage angst masquerading as "alternative". You know - the "I'm so much cooler than you because I have a barbed wire tattoo & a hole in my face"? Not like that. Seattle feels alternative in a way that makes anything you want to do possible. There is no norm to which you need to conform. Want to start your own business? Go for it. I've never seen so many woman-owned businesses. Want to live downtown and own dogs? No problem. We'll just make a terrace area so you can walk your dogs without needing to even leave the building. You though you had to go down to ground level so your dogs could poop? Hah! Not in Seattle, baby. Oh & did you want some Starbucks? There's a kiosk in the parking lot.

I am thoroughly enjoying exploring the city & all of the possibilities, both the city's and my own. It's exciting to be starting a new chapter of my life. A little daunting too, I suppose. I know I can't really do it wrong exactly. Still, there is some pressure to make the most out of this starting over phase, to go BIG. That's the good kind of pressure.

Today I'm going to head out to visit Trixie while I'm waiting for my apartment to be painted. I still need to do some basic setting up house stuff, like buying a bed for starters, but I have a few days before I can move in so visiting Trixie & Tucker seems like a grand idea. Plus I get to take a ferry. Exciting stuff for a prairie girl!