Every emo-hipsters paradise. Plenty of overcast, drizzly days in which one might wander the rain-glazed pavement with a cup of gourmet coffee and contemplate life, love, and poetry... and probably the Seahawks. A place famous for many things: A big needle, the birthplace of Starbucks, and the setting of one of the creepiest love stories ever told (more to come on that). I was warned before I got here... I would not want to leave. Rubbish, I said. Fiddlesticks, I said. Well... slap me with a fish and call me grandma, they were right. Before I begin to count the ways, I must caution that I invested more time in discovering this city than I did in all of the previous cities combined. Whereas previous entries may have been an "easy read", Bernstein Bears-esque type of account, what lies ahead graduates to an imaginative, detailed re-telling of events- much more of a Harry Potter tale (if you take away the light sabers and hobbits). And we're off:
The drive from Spokane to Seattle is only about 5 hours, which is one of our shortest treks so far. Much of this journey was spent taking in some amazing views. The first half of the drive was fairly plain. I mean, beautiful, but not much going on in terms of landscape. All of a sudden, we started driving through mountains and over gorgeous bodies of water. Everyone took out their phone/camera in an attempt to capture the beauty of snow-capped mountains and streams of ice-cold water running down at street level. As we wound our way through, we reached a clearing and finally caught a glimpse of our destination! A few minutes and a couple of tunnels later, we had a view of the Seattle skyline! It wasn't long after that we were grabbing our luggage and shuffling into our new temporary homes.
Monday evening is a dark night for us, so it presents a great opportunity to go out and explore. A few of us took to the streets, making our way to the downtown area of Seattle. This is the first city since leaving NYC where I felt myself walking with a raised level of awareness. Not that I felt unsafe, but a feeling of walking defensively, not presenting myself as a lost tourist. The downtown area is gorgeous, especially with the seasonal decorations. On our way back from the downtown area, we walked past the Paramount Theater, our performance venue for the week. I couldn't wait to see the inside of the theater, especially after hearing that it's a 100-year-old 2,800 seat opera house.
Tuesday blessed us with clear skies, a great day to peruse over to the famous Public Market down by the waterfront. At the market, I found just about everything I expected to find and then some. What I expected to find: The First Starbucks Store, people throwing fish, and local knick-knacks. Pleasant surprise: CHEESE. Fresh cheese curds, to be exact. They weren't warm and squeaky, but I'll take 'em! I grabbed a container of curds and then some local 4-year cheddar to go with some adult grape juice from the great state of Washington. Behind the market is a pier, a viewing area that overlooks the Puget Sound. I stood there and took in all of the majesty that this area has to offer: The water, the grand mountains in the background, the seagulls, and of course the Seattle skyline. A day at the market really made the day fly by! It was suddenly time to make our way to the theater for our weekly walk-thru. This theater is INCREDIBLE. Another true theater, with perfect natural acoustics, grand chandeliers, and historic opera house interior design and artwork. I feel like a little kid when I step into places like this- it awakens something in me. I think it's a combination of nostalgia from growing up around the Grand Opera House along the general appreciation for a beautiful and historic theater. The feeling of gratitude magnifies with every theater I step into on this tour, and this week it truly peaked. After opening for an electric crowd Tuesday night, I walked back to the hotel and enjoyed some of the local cheese and wine from earlier in the day. Then I got some rest for what would turn out to be a busy Wednesday!
My good friends, Eli and Shelly, recently moved to Seattle. I had grown close to them over the course of three Summers at a resort I worked at out in Maine called Quisisana. This was one of many reasons I was excited to be visiting this city. I knew they were in love with it, and I couldn't wait to learn why. Eli came by the hotel and took me on a tour of the Northern part of the city. I took in different vantage points of the city, saw residential areas, parks, and some areas that gave me an idea of what "every day life" might be like here. Also included in this tour were a couple of stops: one at an awesome burger place called "Uneeda Burger" (think about it). Another at a local brewery for a tasting. I was so thankful to get out of the downtown area and experience different and unique things the city has to offer. After a gourmet Elk burger and a flight of local beers, it was time to do another show! I had just enough energy to power through for another great audience, and then I promptly passed out. There wasn't a night in Seattle that I didn't fall asleep before hitting the pillow, that's how much I was able to squeeze out of the days here!
You can't leave Seattle without doing a handful of things: 1) Going to the space needle and 2) watching "Sleepless in Seattle". Thursday would turn out to be a great day to do both of these things. I have been challenging myself to be a "Yes" man, making myself take in as many experiences as possible. I have learned how important it is to dare to have these experiences, ESPECIALLY the ones that scare me. This becomes a true test when I am faced with my lifelong fear of heights. The space needle is fairly high up... after all, there are conspiracy theories that it was legitimately built in an effort to communicate with extraterrestrials. I tried thinking as little as possible as I invested $20 in taking an elevator ride, which is something I do for free about 10 times a day on tour. The elevator was the scariest part- it was pretty much a big window, something similar to the glass elevator at the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After learning that an earthquake ripped through Seattle and did exactly 0 damage to the needle, I felt a tad better. The observation deck was amazing, providing a 360 degree view of the city. Unfortunately, it was a cliche overcast day, which limited the view a little bit. After touring around on top of the needle, it was time to explore different parts of the city. A small group of us traveled to the Seattle Art Museum, which it turns out is free on the first Thursday of the month. We were so exhausted from taking in the modern art that we decided on picking up a healthy meal consisting of brownies, chocolate and caramel covered apples, and fancy pantsy hot chocolate. We would save this meal for a post-show viewing of a classic 90's "love story". The thought of all kinds of chocolate treats awaiting me gave me all of the giddy-up I needed for the evening's performance. I have to say... "Sleepless in Seattle"... not what I was expecting. I mean, I get it, Meg Ryan in the mid 90's can do what she wants. I couldn't help but think that this could just as easily be made into a stalker horror film. But all in all, not a bad night- can't go wrong with that amount of chocolate.
Friday was another grey-skied day. The rain held off for the most part, making for a decent day for more exploring. There’s a neighborhood called Capitol Hill, which I have heard compared to Brooklyn in its “hipsterdom”. I learned very little about what was in this area, and so began aimlessly wandering about. What did I happen to stumble upon but some Grand Opening for a revolutionary Starbucks. It’s called a “Starbucks Reserve” and it is gigantic. It basically looks like any brewing company restaurant, with all of the coffee-producing equiptment you could ever imagine. A Willy Wonka factory for the coffee drinker, this place isn’t kidding around. Local roasts that you can only get in-house, rich dark wooden interior, and enough copper to equal an industrial barge of pennies. I had a seat at the coffee bar and tried one of their boasted in-house roasts, served on a rich wooden tray. They even served sparkling water as I waited for my coffee. I guess it’s fitting for the birthplace of Starbucks to introduce a new coffee-drinking experience like this. It’s treated like a wine bar, the perfect place for someone with a detailed palette for their java. Even for someone who loves their Folger’s, I was very impressed with the quality and variety they were offering. After the most sophisticated Starbucks visit I’ve had to date, I had a chance to walk through the Financial District and then eventually down to the waterfront. Down at the waterfront was a huge ferry, which I boarded for a nice hour roundtrip voyage. I sometimes forget the freeing feeling of being on the water. The Sun was peaking ever so slightly between the clouds over the mountains. I used my imagination as best I could to paint a picture of what this sunset may look like if I could brush the clouds aside. Once out a ways from shore, the view of the Seattle skyline came into full view. The view stretched from the Space Needle to the huge waterfront Ferris wheel to the Seahawks’ and Mariners’ stadiums. I leaned against the railing on the upper deck, taking in the unmistakeable scent of fresh sea water, and let the fresh sea breeze stroke my face. There’s an incomparable refreshment that comes from breathing in the brisk air off the water. By time the ferry returned, the sun had set and the skyline was lit up. With a couple of hours to kill before heading to the theater, I had one more experience to check off the list. A wise man had told me of an oyster-eating experience that changed his life, provided him with hopes and dreams, inspired him at transcendent levels. Okay, he didn’t say all of those things... but he did highly recommend these oysters. And Greg Jonas had never steered me wrong before, so I blindly followed his recommendation with great confidence. To The Brooklyn went I, to try the fresh oysters that had been so highly spoken of. I just happened to hit happy hour... call it divine intervention, or quite possibly just good timing, but I knew it was a sign that I should fill a platter full of this salty meat elegantly basking in their stoic seashells and slurp them down. Putting my BFA Theater degree to good use, I ordered 5 or 6 different types of fresh local oysters, acting as though I had good reason for choosing each distinct type- truth being that I ordered the ones I knew I’d be able to pronounce with minimal embarassment. With cocktail sauce and a red onion vinegar at my dipping disposal, I dug into the critically acclaimed seafood. I took my time. I cleansed the palette with local holiday beer. I slurpped with confidence, hoping to avoid a mis-slurp and consequently be kicked out of this establishment and quite possibly the city of Seattle altogether. It all went quite smoothly, and I have to say that I really did enjoy trying different types of oysters! The differences in taste, though some were pretty similar, reminded me of the difference between certain fish. Feeling gratified that I capped off my touring of this city with an authentic oyster-slurping, I prepared for a weekend to be spent mostly in the theater.
After Friday night’s show, a small group of us went to Purple cafe, an awesome wine bar just blocks from the theater. My aforementioned buddy Eli works there as a Sommelier and had set aside a private area for us! We sampled different wines and had some tasty light bites as well. Pretty neat to listen to Eli explain these different wines in detail, give recommendations, and offer food pairing suggestions. It’s obvious when someone not only has a lot of knowledge on a certain topic, but also has a passion fueling that knowledge. It was the kind of perfect night I dream of in the theater world: post-show wine tasting, friends gathering, friends of friends joining, laughter, good food and drink, and just great conversation. These are the nights that fill me up- intimate and fulfilling human connection. There just isn’t anything like it and there isn’t enough of it around.
Just as anticipated, Friday night quickly became Saturday night as 5 shows had come and gone. Sunday morning, I was crazy enough to want to wake up at 8:30. Not such a crazy reason... Eli had offered transportation to a 9:00 church service, and I was anxious to check it out. Even though it took a couple cups of coffee to snap my zombie-like state of being, I was so glad I got up early. The sun was shining and I really enjoyed this church. Worship consisted of contemporary acoustic versions of different “carols”, which got me evermore into the Christmas spirit. The preacher was great, as well! Such pertinent and applicable points in his message, the perfect start to the day. Sunday’s matinee was the day I had been looking forward to most. Shelly and Eli were going to be in the audience, and I couldn’t wait for them to see this show! It’s so cool to be so proud of a show like this, I am constantly thrilled when someone I know has a chance to see it. The show didn’t show any signs of fatigue or a 4-show-day hangover. Everything ran smoothly, everyone was on point, which is another thing I’m constantly proud of with this show. After the show, Shelly and Eli came to the stage door and then came into the theater for a VIP backstage tour :). It was fun being able to have them backstage and for them to have the opportunity to see all of the different parts of this beautiful theater. They took me to a place called Yard House between shows and we were able to sit and catch up a bit. These two are such a blessing- it was such a joy to sit and listen to their experience as a fairly recently married couple adjusting to a new city together. And even though Eli is a Seahawks fan now, I can’t help but love the two of them!
And now I finish this week’s blog from a window-seat with a Pacific Ocean view. Orange County awaits. Disneyland, the Lakers, a cast holiday party, and countless other adventures. First time in another state- Here we go!
The drive from Spokane to Seattle is only about 5 hours, which is one of our shortest treks so far. Much of this journey was spent taking in some amazing views. The first half of the drive was fairly plain. I mean, beautiful, but not much going on in terms of landscape. All of a sudden, we started driving through mountains and over gorgeous bodies of water. Everyone took out their phone/camera in an attempt to capture the beauty of snow-capped mountains and streams of ice-cold water running down at street level. As we wound our way through, we reached a clearing and finally caught a glimpse of our destination! A few minutes and a couple of tunnels later, we had a view of the Seattle skyline! It wasn't long after that we were grabbing our luggage and shuffling into our new temporary homes.
Monday evening is a dark night for us, so it presents a great opportunity to go out and explore. A few of us took to the streets, making our way to the downtown area of Seattle. This is the first city since leaving NYC where I felt myself walking with a raised level of awareness. Not that I felt unsafe, but a feeling of walking defensively, not presenting myself as a lost tourist. The downtown area is gorgeous, especially with the seasonal decorations. On our way back from the downtown area, we walked past the Paramount Theater, our performance venue for the week. I couldn't wait to see the inside of the theater, especially after hearing that it's a 100-year-old 2,800 seat opera house.
Tuesday blessed us with clear skies, a great day to peruse over to the famous Public Market down by the waterfront. At the market, I found just about everything I expected to find and then some. What I expected to find: The First Starbucks Store, people throwing fish, and local knick-knacks. Pleasant surprise: CHEESE. Fresh cheese curds, to be exact. They weren't warm and squeaky, but I'll take 'em! I grabbed a container of curds and then some local 4-year cheddar to go with some adult grape juice from the great state of Washington. Behind the market is a pier, a viewing area that overlooks the Puget Sound. I stood there and took in all of the majesty that this area has to offer: The water, the grand mountains in the background, the seagulls, and of course the Seattle skyline. A day at the market really made the day fly by! It was suddenly time to make our way to the theater for our weekly walk-thru. This theater is INCREDIBLE. Another true theater, with perfect natural acoustics, grand chandeliers, and historic opera house interior design and artwork. I feel like a little kid when I step into places like this- it awakens something in me. I think it's a combination of nostalgia from growing up around the Grand Opera House along the general appreciation for a beautiful and historic theater. The feeling of gratitude magnifies with every theater I step into on this tour, and this week it truly peaked. After opening for an electric crowd Tuesday night, I walked back to the hotel and enjoyed some of the local cheese and wine from earlier in the day. Then I got some rest for what would turn out to be a busy Wednesday!
My good friends, Eli and Shelly, recently moved to Seattle. I had grown close to them over the course of three Summers at a resort I worked at out in Maine called Quisisana. This was one of many reasons I was excited to be visiting this city. I knew they were in love with it, and I couldn't wait to learn why. Eli came by the hotel and took me on a tour of the Northern part of the city. I took in different vantage points of the city, saw residential areas, parks, and some areas that gave me an idea of what "every day life" might be like here. Also included in this tour were a couple of stops: one at an awesome burger place called "Uneeda Burger" (think about it). Another at a local brewery for a tasting. I was so thankful to get out of the downtown area and experience different and unique things the city has to offer. After a gourmet Elk burger and a flight of local beers, it was time to do another show! I had just enough energy to power through for another great audience, and then I promptly passed out. There wasn't a night in Seattle that I didn't fall asleep before hitting the pillow, that's how much I was able to squeeze out of the days here!
You can't leave Seattle without doing a handful of things: 1) Going to the space needle and 2) watching "Sleepless in Seattle". Thursday would turn out to be a great day to do both of these things. I have been challenging myself to be a "Yes" man, making myself take in as many experiences as possible. I have learned how important it is to dare to have these experiences, ESPECIALLY the ones that scare me. This becomes a true test when I am faced with my lifelong fear of heights. The space needle is fairly high up... after all, there are conspiracy theories that it was legitimately built in an effort to communicate with extraterrestrials. I tried thinking as little as possible as I invested $20 in taking an elevator ride, which is something I do for free about 10 times a day on tour. The elevator was the scariest part- it was pretty much a big window, something similar to the glass elevator at the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After learning that an earthquake ripped through Seattle and did exactly 0 damage to the needle, I felt a tad better. The observation deck was amazing, providing a 360 degree view of the city. Unfortunately, it was a cliche overcast day, which limited the view a little bit. After touring around on top of the needle, it was time to explore different parts of the city. A small group of us traveled to the Seattle Art Museum, which it turns out is free on the first Thursday of the month. We were so exhausted from taking in the modern art that we decided on picking up a healthy meal consisting of brownies, chocolate and caramel covered apples, and fancy pantsy hot chocolate. We would save this meal for a post-show viewing of a classic 90's "love story". The thought of all kinds of chocolate treats awaiting me gave me all of the giddy-up I needed for the evening's performance. I have to say... "Sleepless in Seattle"... not what I was expecting. I mean, I get it, Meg Ryan in the mid 90's can do what she wants. I couldn't help but think that this could just as easily be made into a stalker horror film. But all in all, not a bad night- can't go wrong with that amount of chocolate.
Friday was another grey-skied day. The rain held off for the most part, making for a decent day for more exploring. There’s a neighborhood called Capitol Hill, which I have heard compared to Brooklyn in its “hipsterdom”. I learned very little about what was in this area, and so began aimlessly wandering about. What did I happen to stumble upon but some Grand Opening for a revolutionary Starbucks. It’s called a “Starbucks Reserve” and it is gigantic. It basically looks like any brewing company restaurant, with all of the coffee-producing equiptment you could ever imagine. A Willy Wonka factory for the coffee drinker, this place isn’t kidding around. Local roasts that you can only get in-house, rich dark wooden interior, and enough copper to equal an industrial barge of pennies. I had a seat at the coffee bar and tried one of their boasted in-house roasts, served on a rich wooden tray. They even served sparkling water as I waited for my coffee. I guess it’s fitting for the birthplace of Starbucks to introduce a new coffee-drinking experience like this. It’s treated like a wine bar, the perfect place for someone with a detailed palette for their java. Even for someone who loves their Folger’s, I was very impressed with the quality and variety they were offering. After the most sophisticated Starbucks visit I’ve had to date, I had a chance to walk through the Financial District and then eventually down to the waterfront. Down at the waterfront was a huge ferry, which I boarded for a nice hour roundtrip voyage. I sometimes forget the freeing feeling of being on the water. The Sun was peaking ever so slightly between the clouds over the mountains. I used my imagination as best I could to paint a picture of what this sunset may look like if I could brush the clouds aside. Once out a ways from shore, the view of the Seattle skyline came into full view. The view stretched from the Space Needle to the huge waterfront Ferris wheel to the Seahawks’ and Mariners’ stadiums. I leaned against the railing on the upper deck, taking in the unmistakeable scent of fresh sea water, and let the fresh sea breeze stroke my face. There’s an incomparable refreshment that comes from breathing in the brisk air off the water. By time the ferry returned, the sun had set and the skyline was lit up. With a couple of hours to kill before heading to the theater, I had one more experience to check off the list. A wise man had told me of an oyster-eating experience that changed his life, provided him with hopes and dreams, inspired him at transcendent levels. Okay, he didn’t say all of those things... but he did highly recommend these oysters. And Greg Jonas had never steered me wrong before, so I blindly followed his recommendation with great confidence. To The Brooklyn went I, to try the fresh oysters that had been so highly spoken of. I just happened to hit happy hour... call it divine intervention, or quite possibly just good timing, but I knew it was a sign that I should fill a platter full of this salty meat elegantly basking in their stoic seashells and slurp them down. Putting my BFA Theater degree to good use, I ordered 5 or 6 different types of fresh local oysters, acting as though I had good reason for choosing each distinct type- truth being that I ordered the ones I knew I’d be able to pronounce with minimal embarassment. With cocktail sauce and a red onion vinegar at my dipping disposal, I dug into the critically acclaimed seafood. I took my time. I cleansed the palette with local holiday beer. I slurpped with confidence, hoping to avoid a mis-slurp and consequently be kicked out of this establishment and quite possibly the city of Seattle altogether. It all went quite smoothly, and I have to say that I really did enjoy trying different types of oysters! The differences in taste, though some were pretty similar, reminded me of the difference between certain fish. Feeling gratified that I capped off my touring of this city with an authentic oyster-slurping, I prepared for a weekend to be spent mostly in the theater.
After Friday night’s show, a small group of us went to Purple cafe, an awesome wine bar just blocks from the theater. My aforementioned buddy Eli works there as a Sommelier and had set aside a private area for us! We sampled different wines and had some tasty light bites as well. Pretty neat to listen to Eli explain these different wines in detail, give recommendations, and offer food pairing suggestions. It’s obvious when someone not only has a lot of knowledge on a certain topic, but also has a passion fueling that knowledge. It was the kind of perfect night I dream of in the theater world: post-show wine tasting, friends gathering, friends of friends joining, laughter, good food and drink, and just great conversation. These are the nights that fill me up- intimate and fulfilling human connection. There just isn’t anything like it and there isn’t enough of it around.
Just as anticipated, Friday night quickly became Saturday night as 5 shows had come and gone. Sunday morning, I was crazy enough to want to wake up at 8:30. Not such a crazy reason... Eli had offered transportation to a 9:00 church service, and I was anxious to check it out. Even though it took a couple cups of coffee to snap my zombie-like state of being, I was so glad I got up early. The sun was shining and I really enjoyed this church. Worship consisted of contemporary acoustic versions of different “carols”, which got me evermore into the Christmas spirit. The preacher was great, as well! Such pertinent and applicable points in his message, the perfect start to the day. Sunday’s matinee was the day I had been looking forward to most. Shelly and Eli were going to be in the audience, and I couldn’t wait for them to see this show! It’s so cool to be so proud of a show like this, I am constantly thrilled when someone I know has a chance to see it. The show didn’t show any signs of fatigue or a 4-show-day hangover. Everything ran smoothly, everyone was on point, which is another thing I’m constantly proud of with this show. After the show, Shelly and Eli came to the stage door and then came into the theater for a VIP backstage tour :). It was fun being able to have them backstage and for them to have the opportunity to see all of the different parts of this beautiful theater. They took me to a place called Yard House between shows and we were able to sit and catch up a bit. These two are such a blessing- it was such a joy to sit and listen to their experience as a fairly recently married couple adjusting to a new city together. And even though Eli is a Seahawks fan now, I can’t help but love the two of them!
And now I finish this week’s blog from a window-seat with a Pacific Ocean view. Orange County awaits. Disneyland, the Lakers, a cast holiday party, and countless other adventures. First time in another state- Here we go!