kerry park, we meet again

I've gotten into the habit of going to Kerry Park when I have nothing else to do in the early evening. It seems a bit sad not to spend the last hour or so of sunlight outside, especially when I know the dark winter months will be here soon. Kerry Park is really just a small sliver of sidewalk, but the view it affords of the Seattle skyline and Puget Sound is incredibly scenic.

Apparently it's quite a popular spot for photographers - by the time the sun set and the city was lit up, I spotted 2 or 3 people there with hardcore tripods. I have a small Gorillapod, but without a shutter release cable, I'm finding it difficult to take good long exposure shots. Anyone have any tips/recommendations on taking night shots?

"are we in time for happy hour?"

Oh how life has changed since New York - before, the idea of making a 6 pm happy hour would have been laughable. Now, it's not only possible, it seems to be a fairly regular occurrence.  The roommate & I actually just barely made the 6 pm deadline, but that was mostly due to a few wrong turns (also a fairly regular occurrence when I am behind the wheel).

The happy hour at the Fremont location of Via Tribulani is an amazing deal - $5 for a top-notch quality neapolitan-style pizza, the kind that I have been sorely missing since leaving New York. I am happy to report that Seattle has some quality pizza as well - a thin crust with a good balance of crispy and bready, a flavorful sauce, and creamy mozzarella. Add in a cheap carafe of red wine, and it had all the makings of a great meal.

It was a strange feeling to be done with dinner at 7:30 and have the whole night ahead, so we headed across the street to Hunger, which was recommended by our waiter at Via Tribulani.  It's the kind of place that would probably be jam-packed in New York, but lines in Seattle seem to be pretty rare, so we headed right in and got prime seats at the bar. Everyone around us seemed to be digging into something delicious smelling, so I would love to go back and check out the food menu. I just looked online, and the menu seems to cover all the latest food fads - truffle popcorn, tapas, osso bucco, sliders...The drinks were good and the atmosphere was cozy, and with Via Tribulani across the street, I'm hoping there's a repeat visit in the future.

take comfort in rituals

Some weekends are great because they're new and exciting. Other weekends are great because they're comforting and familiar. This past weekend was a combination of the two - on one hand, I tried a few new things like oyster shucking (harder than it seems) and rock climbing (easier than I had imagined). But I also fell back on my tried & true weekend rituals of brunch & coffee, albeit in a slightly more unfamiliar part of town.

On the topic of familiarity, I'm trying to do at least one thing a week at work that's a little out of my comfort zone. It doesn't have to be big, but I think continually challenging myself helps me overcome my natural inhibitions & fears, and it also keeps me from stagnating. Sometimes the hardest part of change is just gathering enough momentum to overcome inertia. Like a worn-in pair of jeans or a PB&J sandwich, familiar things are soothing in their very banality and it's hard to give up that comfort. Pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone can be stressful, but I'm often surprised at how easy things can be once you get past the initial uncertainty. It's like breaking the ice with a stranger - the conversation might be awkward at first, but wouldn't you rather have a chance at making a great connection than never knowing what could have been? 

 

Terribly slow service, somewhat redeemed by great brunch food.

Coffee break at Victrola (great pour-over coffee). We also found a coffee table book on NYC storefronts that made us nostalgic...

Couldn't resist getting salted caramel & olive oil this time, but definitely want to return for balsamic strawberry.