The Emerald City
I awoke to a crisp, fall day. When I stepped out onto the patio I could see my breath! Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore! The city was covered in a dense layer of fog, as it was every morning during my stay. I was making a mental list of the items I’d packed, knowing I should have substituted fall and winter clothes for the sleeveless shirts I’d packed. Somehow I couldn’t get it through my head that 50 degrees F would feel cold to me when I was packing and sweating in Kansas.
As I opened my suitcase on the extra bed, I discovered a dead cockroach lying there on the bed. I’m not a fan of cockroaches but I didn’t spend much time dwelling on it. I shuddered and then went on in to shower. My sweater was more wrinkled than I’d have hoped so I opened a closet to see if there was an iron inside. Imagine my surprise when I saw wet pool towels and someone else’s jacket in the closet!! My room hadn’t been cleaned? Now paranoid, I gave the hotel room a closer inspection. There was a twisty tie on the bedroom carpet – not mine! Looking down, I didn’t like what I saw. The carpet had not been vacuumed! And there was another dead bug on the bathroom tiling.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to get on with my morning routine. I picked up the curling iron I’d plugged into the wall moments earlier. It was cold. The two electrical outlets by the wall didn’t work! That, coupled with the observation I’d made the night before that the chain lock on the patio door fell right off – useless – made me decide it was time to visit with the manager. None of these things alone were critical but I think you should expect more and get more out of a Wyndham hotel.
I took my complaints to the front desk, itemized on a Wyndham notepad. The gentleman at the front desk was very courteous and wanted to make it right. He offered a room upgrade, which I accepted under the stipulation that it was a clean room! He had two housekeeping staff show me around the room to make sure it met the cleanliness standards. It was acceptable and I moved to my new home.
The room was, in fact, fantastic! I had a separate dining room with a table that comfortably sat 6, two couches, an easy chair, a fireplace, jets in the bathtub, a full kitchen, and my favorite – a desk in front of the corner window overlooking a busy city intersection! Every time I sat down to write I found myself distracted by the sights and sounds of the city!
The intersection of Pike Street and Boren Avenue is a whirlwind of activity: a Swift semi-truck moving not so swift in city traffic, refuse trucks rumbling along, causing me to wonder how much refuse a city built skyward produces in one day, people of all shapes, sizes and nationalities coming and going dressed in typical Seattle fare – mismatched layers, any combination of colors, in anything but a conservative look! Hats, scarves, socks, vests – I’ve come to the conclusion that you can wear just about anything in Seattle except the clothing you find in department stores in Kansas! We are SO conservative in the Midwest! I had to chuckle at the bicyclists that traversed the intersection, affording me all too many views that are typically reserved for plumbers! (Hey lady, pull your pants up!!!)
Stepping out onto the balcony, I could see a huge tree decked in the twinkling gold colors of fall. There were 4 large pillars behind the tree, giving the area between the street and the freeway a pleasant look, not to mention providing a nice resting place for two homeless men who spent the night there and meticulously folded their sleeping bags in the morning. When the fog burned off each afternoon, I had a lovely view of the Space Needle from the balcony.
Promptly at 10am, Karyn arrived. After showing her around my new digs, which she heartily approved of, we headed to Pioneer Square for some window-shopping. Was it really a bright idea to stop at Elliott Bay Bookstore first? I limited myself to a couple of books and some postcards lest I bog myself down with too much weight early in the day! We walked in and out of shops that caught our fancy, admired the architecture, and enjoyed the beautiful day Seattle had given us. Karyn bought a hat in a shop that had a reverse mirror – when you look into it, you see yourself as others see you! That was a lot of fun and a bit of an eye opener!
Having seen most of Pioneer Square, we headed in search of Sam McCullum’s barbecue restaurant. Sam is a former player of the Seattle Seahawks and there was a newspaper article posted February 11, 2004 in the Seattle Weekly about his restaurant on Occidental Avenue. I was looking forward to a smoked chicken salad sandwich and some of his special potato salad – red curry with brown sugar, vinegar and bacon!
Let me tell you, Occidental Avenue has a plethora of businesses you probably won’t come across unless you’re looking for Sam’s restaurant! Some are not especially where you’d like to find a barbecue joint! We did eventually find the address but it was no longer Seattle Super Smoke, rather it was Jones Barbecue. I like to think that Jones Barbecue is still owned by Sam McCullum and that he was the gentleman who was out front when we pulled up. In my fantasy world, I walked 5’ away from former Seahawk Sam McCullum while he was visiting with another former Seahawk player.
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