Nothing Like the Sun

Video of Tuesday night's celebrations in Seattle (all over the world, for that matter) is already up on YouTube and lots of other places. But even though it's a few days late, I just have to post a few of these--some of the best footage of that night's celebrations in Seattle was recorded in my neighborhood, on the block of Broadway between Pike and Pine Streets. Just in case you've seen them before and are over it already, though, I've placed the footage behind an LJ cut, below.

( Capitol Hill Hipsters Break Out into National Anthem, Dance Night Away--Click Here for Video )How many kinds of awesome is that?

The view from my living room window has gotten a little more film noir since the Cap Hill Twice Sold Tales moved in across the street. The five-color neon sign glowers through the venetian blinds on a rainy day like the window of Arthur Gwynn Geiger's bookstore in The Big Sleep:



Some neighbors have complained about the faint glare, but the store's owner is considerate enough to turn the sign off when they close at night, so it's not like they're flagrant about it. And having a weakness for that whole trashy neon aesthetic, I kind of enjoy the ambience.

Inside, the new store has a completely different feel, a labyrinthine quality that reminds me of the monastic library in The Name of the Rose: perhaps a dozen rooms full of books winding around almost the entire first floor of the Abonita building. The space is too small for you to actually lose your way, but it almost feels as though you could.

( And then there are the cats ... )

People lament that there are no decent bars left on Cap Hill.

Seriously, I have no idea what they're talking about:

( vhat beautiful muzik zey make )

Happy New Year from Seattle!

Edit, 12:08 PM, 01/01/08: To those of you in Seattle, today's P.I. reports on the apparent computer glitch that made this year's show so much less impressive than last year's event (2007 footage at above link).

I've lived at two addresses in Seattle, about a block apart from one another, both handsome old former residential hotels built during the 1920s.

The first one was an ivy-covered building on a cobblestoned side street. The landlady kept vases of fresh flowers on every landing, and each floor's common spaces were painted in a different color theme. On the minus side, the apartments were small and outrageously expensive.

My current building has many attractive qualities, including cutesy '20s and Northwest-themed murals on every floor: the Kalakala plying the Sound, a propeller plane banking by Mt. Rainier, bathers at Alki, etc. The rent's not even all that bad, as Seattle goes.

But it looks like I'm about ready for another move.

( Thoughts During a Blackout )

You can gauge my affection for this neighborhood by the fact that I'm now considering a move to a third address about five blocks away. And thanks to jmargethe, who's just about to move out of the apartment in question, I know that the place would be a step up from my current digs in pretty much every way.

My company had a swanky reception for our clients at Seattle's Columbia Tower, a few weeks back. Staff were paid to show up, eat, and mingle with the guests, so it turned out to be a pretty good deal for us. My one regret was that I didn't bring my digital camera, so the only images I managed to capture of the view from up there were via my cell phone. Still, I like this view of the Smith Tower seen from high above:

( itty bitty skyscraper )EDIT, 07/30/07: As with seemingly every other building in Seattle, there's currently talk afoot of turning it into condos.

Last week, attam talked me into going to a cabaret sendup of James Cameron's Aliens at ReBar--a movie which, you have to admit, was always really asking for it:

( GAME OVER, MAN! )

At this time of year, I'm usually far away, visiting family, and depending on friends to take care of my pets. This time, however, I'm in Seattle, learning more about the exciting petsitter lifestyle. For the last several days, I've been minding jmargethe's cat Luka and rabbit Cleaves, while she makes the Christmas pilgrimage home. Meanwhile, at her invitation, I'm enjoying high speed internet access and a DVD player that doesn't hiccup like mine. Also, steam heat.

The other day, I ran into someone who's petsitting for a mutual friend, who gushed about the cable access that went with the gig. Can you say "hi-five"?