Driving around Seattle noting pub locations

Well, we're here! It's 5am, but that's 8am to Elaine, so we're up.

We spent a solid day looking at houses yesterday. For those who haven't been here, Seattle is kind of shaped like a knee joint, with Lake Union separating the two halves.



Downtown, where Jill is going to be working, is on the western side, facing the Sound, south of Lake Union. North of Lake Union, you have Ballard to the West, Ravenna and the University area to the east, and Green Lake in the middle. Ballard is a really cute neighborhood, with narrow streets and old homes that are typically on hills above the street. It feels very cramped and "neighborhoody", which appeals to me. The Green Lake area feels more happening, as it includes a huge park that goes around the lake, a zoo, and a lot of shopping and eateries. Ravenna feels like Ballard, but somehow has less personality or coziness. Maybe it's somewhat less hilly. There is easy access to the best features of Green Lake and University, however. The University area is pretty built up with businesses, apartments, and the usual college stuff, and there is a dedicated campus area that is on a peninsula adjacent to Lake Washington and Union Bay.

One of the interesting things about the residential areas in Seattle is that there are very few stop signs. Most of the neighborhoods that we looked in were grids with an easy address numbering scheme (8018 20th St would be very close to 20th and 80th). So most intersections are 4 ways, but with no stop or even yield signs. So you just kind of slow down and scope out the situation before you go through. Many of these intersections have a circular garden area in the middle of the intersection, creating a makeshift roundabout that functions as speed control in the neighborhood.

The Huskies have a puny little stadium. It's not a bowl, like the mighty Big House. It's not even a half bowl, like the Evil Empire's horseshoe. It's two slabs of bleachers facing each other, with rain protection over the top 50 rows or so. I looked upon it with scorn and disdain. They need to turn that "W" upside down and add some proper ends onto their stadium.

There really is a coffee shop every damn where you look. If it's not a coffee shop, it's a tattoo parlor.

Anyways, we may be making progress towards finding a home. Today should be most informative in that regard. If it works out, cool. If not, try try again. We're certainly not desperate, and that's a good place to be.