Emerald City Facets

I spent the weekend in Seattle visiting old friends, who do not strike me as old friends, but our relationships are 10 years old, and I'm only 34. That's a significant fraction of my lifespan. They're old, dear friends now.

I'm happy enough in Philadelphia that I'm not leaving soon (knock on laminate). But I've missed Seattle since I left, and three days' exposure cemented it. I'm not gilding anything. I miss it.

Of course there's nostaliga for the great times I had, but I miss things that are still there, not just my life when I lived there. Things such as:

• Drizzly rain that doesn't really get you wet, so you don't need an umbrella.
  
• Overwhelming political liberality.
  
• Friendliness toward weirdness.
  
• Neighborhoods: Alkai. Capitol Hill. The U District. Queen Anne. Ballard. Fremont.
  
• The fish ladder and the locks.
  
• Convenient mountains for hiking, water for boating.
  
• People who actually take their SUVs off road.
  
• The walking path that follows Cedar River through Boeing property to Lake Washington.
  
• Gleefully observing Microsoft's grip on the city.
  
• Restaurants: Cedar River Barbecue. Ivar's. Fatburger. Chang's. More teriyaki places that I ever thought the economy could support.
  
• The most beautiful summers I've known, when the clouds take four months off, the sky is blue every day, high of 72 with no humidity, and the sun sets at 10:00 p.m.
  
• The PNW vibe.
  

Seattle was my first girlfriend of cities. I'll love again, but I'll never love like that again.