Seattle 2001

Sunset, Oct, 2001 by Steven R. Lorton

The capital of the 21st century turns 150 this year.

Go into any Seattle coffee shop any weekday morning. Order a latte, pretend to read a paper ... but eavesdrop. Count the times you hear people talking about Seattle. "Is the mountain out today?" they ask, meaning, of course, Mt. Rainier. "How did the Mariners do?" * If you're a native, nothing will seem amiss. If you've come from the world outside, you'll sense, immediately how residents are completely wrapped up in the city The truth is this: Seattleites adore Seattle. And now the world beyond is equally enchanted. * One hundred and fifty years ago next month, the first settlers--the Denny Party--landed at Alki Point. Led by Chief Seattle, the native Duwamish and Suquamish people welcomed the newcomers, who named their settlement Seattle, for the chief. * The city prospered, burned in the Great Fire of 1889, and was rebuilt. Then, in 1897, the steamer Portland unloaded a ton of gold pulled from Alaska's Yukon River Valley Seattle grew rich by serving as the outfitting and departure point for the Klondike gold region. * Today in 2001, Seattle is becoming the outfitting and departure point for the entire world--and of cyberspace beyond. The heart of a metropolitan area of 3 1/2 million (the city proper is a more modest 563,374), it has never had greater clout. Starbucks caffeinates half the planet. Amazon.com is the most ubiquitous of dot-coms, while across Lake Washington, in Redmond, Microsoft symbolizes American business might in the age of globalization.

Not that all is perfect in paradise. Seattle recently earned the dubious title of having the nation's second worst traffic. Housing prices have skyrocketed. The city has endured the occasional earthquake and mass demonstration. Then, of course, there's the rain--37 inches per year, drizzling down in a fine mist over an eight-month period.

Of course a true Seattleite would never see rain as a negative. Still, for anyone interested in seeing Seattle at its best, the ideal time to visit is October and early November. The weather is mild--warm days, cool nights, and not much rain. Mt. Rainier, the Cascades, and the Olympics gleam. Visit now and you'll know why Seattle has inspired such devotion for 150 years.

A city of neighborhoods

Consider the way an anthropologist sees Seattle. Says Kimberly Lysogorski, an anthropology student at the University of Washington, "With Seattle's many hills and lots of water, it was easy for distinct communities to emerge--within proximity but seemingly seemingly a great distance apart."

Put it another way: Seattle is above all a city of idiosyncratic neighborhoods. Three in particular have the most to offer the savvy visitor. Individually, Fremont, Capitol Hill, and Belltown hold visual, gastronomic, and cultural delights. Together, they provide ideal introductions to this wonderfully complex city

Fabulous Fremont

You can begin to understand Fremont by viewing three sculptures. Cross the Fremont Bridge and, near a much-loved Greek restaurant called Costas Opa, you'll find a motley group of humans and one dog standing frozen in cast aluminum. They are, according to the work's title, Waiting for the Interurban. The figures are often dressed, in celebration of someone's birthday or anniversary.

Just up the street stands another huge statue--this one of Vladimir Lenin. Brought from Slovakia after the collapse of communism, this monument was put here to puckishly demonstrate the triumph of art over politics. On North 36th Street, tucked under the Aurora Bridge, stands the famous Fremont Troll--so huge that his gnarled hand actually clutches a real Volkswagen Bug.

As you may have guessed by now, Fremont--bounded roughly by Aurora Avenue on the east, Leary Way Northwest on the west, the Lake Washington Ship Canal on the south, and North 42nd Street on the north--is no ordinary neighborhood. It's creative, and filled with residents who consider it to be the very center of the universe.

What do you do here? Shop for antiques, vintage clothing, collectibles. At Deluxe Junk (closed Tue, Thu; 3518 Fremont Place N; 206/634-2733) you can buy a fake leopardskin couch. Portage Bay Goods (706 N. 34th St.; 547-5221) sells environmentally conscious gifts, and at Fritzi Ritz (closed Mon; 3425 Fremont Place N; 633-0929), used ties are a quarter and new sock monkeys are $25 naked, $35 in vest and fez. Twice Sold Tales of Fremont (3504 Fremont Ave. N; 632-3759) is choice for used books.

Cap your shopping expedition off with a beer at Triangle Lounge (3507 Fremont Place N; 632-0880), a flaming saganaki at Costas Opa (3400 Fremont Ave. N; 633-4141), or a bowl of black beans with poached eggs at the Longshoreman's Daughter (3508 Fremont Place N; 633-5169).

Fremont is changing. Office buildings along the ship canal are bringing white-collar workers by the thousands. Fremont avenues are verging on chic. To savor the old, self-proclaimed capital of Seattle funk, go now.

Hip Capitol Hill

There never was a capitol here (it was just a real estate promoter's dream), but Capitol Hill is the epicenter of North-western pop culture. Walk north on Broadway Avenue from Pine Street on up to Roy Street any night of the week You'll be joining punk, pierced, tattooed, orange-haired, no-haired boulevardiers on the prowl for the hip and cutting-edge.