Emerald City Sagas

It has been rainy this week in Seattle.

So rainy that the buses are soaked with wet smelly people with wet multitudes of shopping bags pushing and shoving and fighting for their ride home. 

The other day a woman rang her umbrella out on my lap while I was sitting on the bus. Then she shook it really hard to make sure every last bit of water fell onto my feet, then looked at me offended as if I was in her way. I had to give myself an attitude check before slapping this lady with her own umbrella... because that.would.not.be.nice. (Though I'm not going to lie and say I didn't think about it.) But, when the rain stops, people get friendlier- especially this time of year. The twinkly lights in the dark windy downtown makes people smile and say "hello" to strangers. Coffee shops are filled more with laughing than yawning and groaning. And Seattle is really a lovely place to be. 

Emerald City Sagas

Yesterday, while minding my own business on the bus, headphones on, 

a gentleman (who I quickly found out was named "GENE")

began talking at me. 

I pulled out my headphones, thinking that he was going to tell me to move over, or something... 

Nope- Gene wanted to tell me the following:

1. "You know what you remind me of?! A starbucks cup!"

2. "My name is Gene!"

3. "Did you dress up for Halloween?"

4. "My friend dressed up as a ............"

5. "What do you do downtown? I'm a software..........."

6. "One time my choir teacher told us......."

7. "You should devote yourself to whatever art you love!"

8. "See ya!"

Emerald City Sagas

Seattle didn't get to see to much of my exploring this week. Work is picking up and it's getting colder outside. I did discover the city underground though, and Mister treated me to underground tacos. For the record, it turns out that I am completely okay with impromptu mid-day -mid-week-  just - because - you're - my - person dates (especially when tacos are involved) .

Emerald City Sagas

I went on a grand hunt TWICE to find "Coffee and... a Specialty Bakery". It's this much touted about bakery and coffee shop amongst Celiacs because it's supposedly one of the only completely gluten free dedicated shops in the area. They have gluten free sandwiches so obviously I wanted to get some of that goodness in my belly.

Pike is maybe a mile walk from my office so it's not too bad, but TWICE- with no luck. 

... That's because I found out that they went out of business and had passed their once-was shop nearly 6 times walking up and down Western Avenue trying not to look like a tourist. 

Things discovered in Seattle this week: 

The Macy's Flagship store has never ever ever gone through a renovation. If it has it's definitely not apparent. While I appreciate their ability to tap into the retro-hipster look of Seattle without trying... even I think this is a little too 1929. 

• Cinnamon Works Bakery at Pike Place is my new favorite destination. 
• I'm a lazy coffee drinker. While most lazy coffee drinkers go to Starbucks, I've upped my laziness level to not even crossing the street to Starbucks, but only going to cafe Miglione inside of my building. (It's better anyway)
• 2nd & Pike typically smells like poo and should be avoided. 
• If I get abducted it will likely be on 2nd & Pike. 
• There are more than two levels of Pike Place... (not sure how I didn't know this before, but welcome to my brain, new basic Seattle knowledge)
• The only thing worse than sitting next to a sick person on the bus is being the sick, sneezy petrie dish of a person on the bus. 

Emerald City Sagas

This week in Seattle...

1. Best Coffee: Specialties Bakery- white chocolate mocha no whip- because they didn't have peppermint for a peppermint latte... wuh? (Dear all coffee stands, it's September in Washington... which means it's basically Christmas time. Get with the program!) 

Really wonderfully made with art which is always a bonus,

2. Best Gluten-Free find: Cheese Onion Quiche, also from Specialties Bakery. I thought it was supposed to be a G-free bakery... nope. Only quiche. However it was an OMG A+ GIMME MORE QUICHE type-of-quiche. When I asked the clerk if anything was "gluten free" and she looked at me like I was crazy and she responded with, "ummm noooo, we don't have anything for 'free'", so I said "no no no, gluten free" she responded with "no, I told you, you have to pay!" and I said "Is anything in this pastry case without gluten?!" ... we went back and forth on this subject for awhile until she finally said, "oh ya, no- nothing except for the quiche." Dear Lord...

3. I made office art. Cannot stand naked walls.

4. I figured out how to ride the bus so I don't have to worry about murder in stairwells so much!! Level up! I also discovered that riding the bus gives me more time to read. ... So I joined a book club.

5. Mister Boss Man gave me a free date night because he's currently boycotting the Mariners due to performance reasons. The Mariners loss is my gain.

Emeral City Sagas

This week in Seattle: 

1. Was totally turned off from ever joining the CSI Seattle team after stepping over what appeared to be a murder scene in a parking garage hallway... I now have a fear of all stairwells, regardless of building type. Thanks Seattle.
2. Imagine this scenario: I was walking down a rather steep hill on Spring St. towards 1st and walked past a man reading a novel while walking rather quickly. I looked at curiously at him, because I was actually quite impressed. This seems like it would be way more difficult than reading a PEOPLE magazine while on the elliptical. Anyway, I passed this guy, and once I was about five feet in front of him he took off sprinting in front of me towards a bus. I screamed (naturally thinking I was about to be attacked by an avid speedwalker-reader), he stopped abruptly, turned around and stared at me like I was the crazy one...
3. Best Coffee: Miglione Cafe - Irish Cream Latte. Hellllya
4. Best Gluten Free: Miglione Cafe - Gluten Free Biscuit and Jam
5. New Discovery: Do not stand too close to the edge of the sidewalk. Buses go fast.