See Ya, Seattle: My Shortest Trip

I got into Seattle at 11:30am Pacific time.  This whole game of “Back to the Future” that I’ve been playing flying from coast to coast sure is catching up with me and blowing my mind on a daily basis.  Even when I’m not traveling through them, I’m still baffled by time zones, and still don’t know what time it is in any given city without the help of my iphone.  Well, iphone broke yesterday and my internal clock is not keeping time the way it used to and I was a whole mess of “AAUGH”, but my time in Seattle was fantastic.

(Iphone crapped out yesterday and I lost all my contacts.  If you haven’t already, please text me your name and number. If you don’t have my number… please tell me who the hell you are. Thanks in advance.)

SCUer Natasha met me at the airport and then we took a streetcar type machine (which we may or may not have paid for) to downtown Seattle, hopped on a bus and dropped my bags off at her house before heading out into the city.  We hit up Pike Place Market where they throw all the fish—and saw the guy from The Real World: Seattle who works there. If I could plan this trip again, I think I would just fly from Real World city to Real World city, find all the houses and any extant cast members and become their friends/awkwardly take pictures. We didn’t see any fish fly through the air—but we did see baristas throw empty cups around the world’s first Starbucks! I love Starbucks.  Even with the recession (which is apparently over? news to me…) and even with my lack of income, I love going regularly and getting my cup of Jo. So it was cool to see where it all started—and how much a grande cup of coffee costs here as opposed to everywhere else on my trip.  For those who care, Rochester charges the most, so far.

Tash and I went over to the Seattle center and saw all the theatres over there.  Seattle is a HUGE theatre city—big equity houses and small fringe stuff—and it was cool to see these theatres that I’ve heard/read about for a while—and how close a lot of them are to each other.  We went to the Space Needle and rode up the 520ft elevator for the 360 degree view of the city and I remembered how much I don’t like heights. Get this: it wasn’t raining yesterday.  I took some great pictures and saw how beautiful this place really is. PS- it’s raining now, so I have seen Seattle on both ends of the spectrum.  I had dinner with the Ransoms, which I haven’t done since we graduated college (we missed you, Kris), and then Tash and I went over to Seattle U to see Jet City Improv (with whom Natasha performs) do a show for the all of Seattle U’s new freshman.

Small World/Details Alert: Natasha is dating Chris.  Chris is also in Jet City with John.  Natasha is going to live in a house with John and a bunch of other people.  John went to high school with SCUer Kate.  Kate was in Acting 1 with me and Natasha at SCU and everyone knows everyone.  Kate, Natasha and I snuck into the freshman show where it smelled like nerves and hormones.  I suppose the nerves and hormones smell of the show last night was better than the TACSC dance—which just smells like puberty.  I am so glad I am not in college anymore…all those freshmen… Kate summed it up best—everyone was so excited because their internal monologue shouts “these are my new friends!!!” Cut to winter break when none of these people like each other anymore.   The show was funny, despite the kid with the gold yarmulke in the front row shouting out suggestions about Tiger Woods the whole time.

Kate and Natasha and I went to a speak easy afterwards to catch up.  It was intense.  I like Bourbon and Branch in SF because they have a menu, you order, you drink, and you have a great time.  The last couple speak easies I’ve gone to have put too much pressure on me to participate.  No menus at this place- they create each drink for you based on your flavor profile.  As the waiter told us, we could be as literal or poetic as we wanted—words like “herbaceous”, “sweet”, “sour”—emotional memories—seasons.  I felt like this was some sort of adult icebreaker—state your name, flavor profile, how old you are, and something about yourself.  “Hi, my name is Greg.  I like gin and herbaceous flavors.  I am 24 years old, and I play the accordion.” Maybe I’ll work this in to Saturday’s improv class. 

I ran into this problem at a speak easy in San Jose where they wouldn’t serve me what I wanted because the guy in front of me ordered the same thing.

Bartender: What would you like?

Greg: A basil gimlet.

Bartender: … we don’t like to make the same drink twice in a row.  It seems like you’ve had that drink before, so let’s try something new.  What flavors do you like?

Greg: Gin. And Basil.

Bartender: … what about something else?

I am barely comfortable making my own decisions, and people questioning my drinking choices, one of my only certainties in life, does not help matters.

Regardless… Kate and I both ordered herbaceous gin drinks, and Natasha ordered something “autumnal”, and mentioned that she liked Vodka.  The bartender made me a Hanky Panky (look it up), and Kate got some fresh tasting beverage.  Natasha got a whiskey drink with apples, maple, and celery flavors.  I named it the Gobble Gobble. Based on her reaction to it, I don’t think it will make the next Ransom family Thanksgiving.  But the ambiance was great, the company even better, and fun was had by all.

I told both Natasha and Kate last night, I feel like I am checking up on all my friends around the country and making sure that everyone is doing well.  Kate and Tash: A+s for both of you.

Today Natasha and I went to a restaurant called Pesos for brunch, that apparently becomes a “meat market” around happy hour. We went and met her coworkers at Seattle children’s theatre, and then I met some of her oldest friends (in the “known a long time” as opposed to “geriatric” sense) at Starbucks.  We stopped by Jet City and I cabbed it to the airport to wrap up my 30 whole hours in Seattle.

Headed down to Long Beach now. Jeff is going to pick me up (I hope), and then I’m going to go to work with him tomorrow.  Is “Bring Your Unemployed Twin To Work Day” with a real thing?  I’ve done it 3 times...

Peace

G