Change of scenery

Our offices are now firmly situated in our new digs.  We’re a couple blocks from Pike Place Market, near the library, a block from the monorail and less than that from the transit tunnel and light rail.  But convenience isn’t why I like the location.

There’s a park across the street, between us and Westlake Center. All day long, there are people walking and sitting and talking and in many cases, just strolling. They don’t have the driven sense of purpose of the folks on Queen Anne. They seem more involved in the air around them. And there are some real characters. My favorite for now is the guy with a battery-powered amplifier who preaches on the corner totally oblivious to the fact that absolutely nobody is paying the slightest attention.

I chatted with a TSA canine cop who was working a beautiful dog. I joked about learning to dance with another walker when we almost ran headlong into one another.  I located the intersection where my Dad pulled a guy out of a burning pickup after an accident fifty-some years ago.

When Christmas time comes, we’ll be able to gaze out our fifth-floor windows onto the lighted park and Bon Marche / Macy’s. There are five good bookstores within as many blocks. It’s a real walker’s paradise.

I’m not a fan of big cities. But if I have to be in one, Seattle is my first choice. And Westlake isn’t a bad place to work.