Mr. Caffeine Goes To the City
I took a break from my hacking to visit a client downtown. I used to love working down there, in my 24th-floor office, and now I just don’t get down there often enough. When I do, though, I try to allow myself some time to just wander the streets a little.
My client’s office is a block or two from the Harbor Steps - what? - I guess it’s a neighborhood. I approached it walking up Post Alley, which starts just west of First Avenue by the Alexis Hotel. As I turned the corner, I saw this office or business whose windows were a sort of Matchbox car museum:
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That station wagon in the picture at the far right is an Edsel Bermuda. We would never have driven a Ford in that era, as the company my dad (and 5 generations of my family, if you include my summer goofing-off there) worked for supplied GM with window glass, so the whole Edsel drama was lost on us (in the same class of philosophical questions as “why do Democrats bother to nominate candidates?”). It really doesn’t look that different from the cars we were driving. Guess it bombed in the market, though. And made some guy named Edsel Ford wish he had a more prosaic name.
Once I got to the Harbor Steps, I had some quintessential Seattle photo ops just smack me in the face:
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Tully’s has tried valiantly to be a competitor to Starbuck’s, mostly by slavishly imitating them, and locating stores as close to them as possible. I think their days are numbered, though, judging from business news items over the last few months. Doesn’t really bother me one way or the other, as I have no problem with Starbucks and am sort of puzzled at the animus that people seem to have for them. To me, they (Starbucks) have made the world safe for espresso, and Howard Schultz is a prominent DNC contributor. What’s not to like?
In the background is the Seattle Art Museum, and its iconic moving sculpture, Hammering Man.
The pic on the right depicts the old-vs-new juxtaposition that characterizes Seattle as the incessant building boom, seemingly unfettered by the economic turmoil that pervades real estate elsewhere in the country, creates architectural dissonances throughout the city, from business districts to quiet neighborhoods like ours.
My dad was a Ford man. I don’t know why. But he never bought anything else. I actually felt guilty for owning a Chevy a while back.
FORD. Found On Road Dead. That one was drummed into me at a very early age. Glad you’re feeling better, Phil!
My parents drove only GM products until they broke with tradition and bought a Honda in 1988. They never looked back. Do I see blue sky in your photos?
Glad you’re improving, Phil (not “you,” your health…you understand). My dad drove Chevys, but only because his company bought them new every three years. He drummed into me, early, that “a car is just transportation, son, nothing to get attached to.” I want to visit downtown Seattle. It looks inviting to me.
What’s not to like? Warm milk with barely any discernable coffee flavor, served in a paper cup in soulless surroundings! And the practice of waiting until an indie coffee house is doing well in a given neighborhood and then moving in across the street.
Carroll - How was Hawaii? Any pictures squirreled away online?
Robin - Yeah, must have been blue sky. I’m not good enough with Photoshop to fake it. But it was chilly, fersure.
John - not only did we drive Chevys, we drove station wagons. I had to do my parallel parking test in our ‘60 wagon, 3-on-the-tree. Passed first time, though.
Molly - what’s your fave coffee spot in Seattle? I like Zoka, cuz it’s close by, but also frequent Chocolati on 45th.
Nice shots! Once upon a time, in the beginning, prior to “walmarting the product and fraps” SB was better than it is now.
I firmly believe, since my 1st experience was Caffe Trieste in SF, established 1955, I’ve always been able to know and distinguish a good shot from a bad.
Anyway, having house sat 2X in the past year near your area, and despite some nay sayers as far as attitude (which we ourselves never encountered at the Broadway store) we really like Vivace and order for our home machine in indy-anna.
Sorry, didn’t mean to “butt” inski! ; (
Cheers from NC!