New Year's Recap - Part 1

(Blogger's Note: I apologize for the short length of this post, but my current strategy to keep this blog going on a consistent basis is to post frequently but spend no more than an hour on a post. And what you see below is, believe it or not, an hour's worth of work. I type fast, but I think slow, I proofread often, and I edit frequently. I'm constantly rearranging sentences and paragraphs, and linking and pictures always takes longer than it seems to. Still, better to get something down and then hopefully keep it going rather than doing nothing.)





This is the Emerald City. I once lived there. I spent one year living in the city proper, and two years living in the surrounding area (Tacoma), and I always enjoy returning there. Gwen and I did as such for four days over the New Year's weekend.

When we were leaving the Army and Europe, it came down to a decision for us, between Seattle and San Diego. Gwen favored Seattle, and I favored San Diego. I won (we arm wrestled),BUT, it was actually a closer call than some would think (Gwen's got guns). For all of San Diego's charms (the brilliant weather, the close proximity of several lifelong friends, the brilliant weather again), it does not compare to Seattle in the departments of food and a sense of identity. San Diego, like much of southern California, is a sort of sprawling concrete jungle. Its chief strengths, in my opinion, are its astonishingly consistent weather and its downtown and isolated beach communities marching up the north county coast. Aside from beatific rolling hills I could take or leave the entire inland part, and the desert, which is not so far away, holds little appeal for me.

Seattle, on the other hand, is bursting with identity. The downtown is large but accessible, the surrounding districts unique and full of charm. The geography is visually stunning and includes all things I love: hills, water, and mountains, and the restaurant scene in Seattle puts just about every other city I've ever been in to shame, including the fabled New Orleans and even San Francisco (though I've perhaps not explored there enough to judge). San Diego's own restaurant scene, though certainly not bad, cannot compete. The microbrew scene is extensive (though San Diego can compete here), and the proximity to looming mountains is enchanting. It has a waterfront of course, though one that is distinctly different from that of San Diego's. The generally liberal nature of Seattle also appeals to me, but on the flip-side the average Seattlite you run into is much less likely to be openly friendly than the average San Diegan, a minus. (Translation: Seattle liberals tend to be unfriendly jerks.)

The big problem with Seattle, of course, is the weather. It may be a trite thing to comment on, and it might not affect all who live there (see: Gwendolyn circa 2001-2005), but it's no less true for many people, including me. There are nine months of a blackish gray shroud which descends upon the city like an alien mother-ship, and do not leave until early summer. By March in any given year the gray has won the battle against those of us with any slight predilection for seasonal affective disorder, and by April, at least in the years I lived there, I would be wandering around like Frodo in the end-stages of his journey to Mordor, forgetting the touch of grass and the sound of water. Give me several years there, even taking into account the stunning and rejuvenating summer, and I would get fat (less exercise outside, more beer drinking and food eating, and the cold), unhappy, and I would forget the taste of bread as well and be turned into a virtual Gollum.

*GOLLUM COUGH, GOLLUM COUGH*

So, alas, it's not meant to be for me, at least at this point. I'm over cold weather, for the most part, and Seattle, though not typically freezing, was effing cold during our visit. On the upside it was clear and all the mountain ranges were astonishingly visible, probably a worthy trade off, at least for a four day-trip.

And so we traveled there, mostly to see Gwen's brother and Nate, but also to catch up with other good friends including George and Cristin as well as a special guest appearance by "Rowdy" Roddy Marcum and his lovely wife Krista (I hope I spelled that right).

Gwen and I planned most of our trip around seeing Nate and Charles as well as George et al., however on a more secretive level we actually planned our entire trip around eating Seattle food. It was Wild Ginger's for lunch on New Year's Eve, followed by Dahlia Lounge the next night, followed by Rosebud for Sunday brunch and then Shiro's sushi for Sunday dinner. Drinks flowed before, after, and in between, and the calorie intake for the weekend stands at about 5500 calories per day, but worth it.

(Continued soon in Part 2!)