a little Seattle

For once, a trip to Seattle contained a little extra time for me to get out and wander the city a bit. I still remember my way around from when I lived there long ago; my main concern is unexpected changes in the bus routes. The temperature was usually about 40-50 F, but that's no bother at all. Without wind, I like it that way.

From the Potlatch hotel it was a half-hour walk through Belltown to the Pike Place Market, and I went down there every day (good exercise) to browse and nosh. I also got, finally, to the no longer so new main public library, which I found an interesting and somewhat alarmingly attractive building. Perhaps if I had to use it regularly I might learn to hate it with the passion of some of the locals I talked with about it, but no luck with that so far. The most disturbing thing I found in the library was its recommended fantasy literature reading list, the contents of which would be enough to convince me that if that's fantasy, I hate fantasy.

And I got up to Capitol Hill for bookstore-hunting, as Elliott Bay Books has relocated from its bayside location, and Twice Sold Tales (the Used Bookstore With The Cats), already in the neighborhood, had to move a couple blocks away from its old building being demolished for the new light rail station.

I had an early dinner at the Coastal Kitchen a hefty walk away, a restaurant notable for serving paella for one, but that was in fact the only dinner I had on this trip alone, having made arrangements beforehand with several friends, most not at the convention though some could have been, and some more elusive than others, and succeeded at having several joyous feasts thereby.