Loving my neighborhood

October already, eh? Time does fly.

Seattle weather has been treating me well the past 2 weeks. Plenty of sunshine and blue skies. Perfect walking weather. Alex and I have been taking walks to explore our new neighborhood, and it's kinda awesome. From our place, it's 4 blocks downhill (west) to the waterfront. This stretch of waterfront is mostly based on tourism: restaurants, shops, hotels, the aquarium, ferries to the islands. However, if we turn and walk just 2 blocks north, we find ourselves in the Olympic Sculpture Park, an outdoor exhibit which is part of the Seattle Art Museum. There are winding paths through flora a-plenty, and scattered throughout are pieces of art, some of which are almost hidden, some of which are huge and vibrant, and some which just make me giggle (the washing machine and old tv set would be garbage if they were found in some other park). The park begins 2 blocks east (uphill) from the water, so walking through, the backdrop is Puget Sound and the islands and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. Stunning, truly stunning. When it can be seen, that is. Because on many days, the fog sits so low that the water is barely visible, and the islands and mountains are hidden. But on a clear day, wow. The sculpture park winds it's way down to the water, where it meets up with Myrtle Edwards Park, a stretch of waterfront about a mile long, with walking and bike paths and big rocks to sit upon and watch the ferries going across to Bainbridge Island. The park is probably my favorite thing about this neighborhood. Which is saying a lot, because there are so many things I like here. Just a few blocks north is Seattle Center, where Alex's Space Needle lives, but it's also home to lots of theatres that I want to work in. Just beyond that is lower Queen Anne, with restaurants and shops, and when I'm looking to sweat a little, I keep walking north up to the top of Queen Anne, which is a hell of a hill, but the top provides amazing views of the city and everything surrounding it (plus there's a Trader Joe's up there, which always makes me happy). Walking south brings me to Pike Place Market, which is far too crowded to be enjoyed in the afternoons, but mornings allow for a calm stroll to peruse the local produce and baked goods and of course the flying fish. Best of all are the flowers. Incredible flowers, rows and rows of them. I went yesterday to buy a bouquet for closing night of Angela & David's show (Angela is my best friend, whom I met when we did a show together here in 1998, and David is her husband, whom she met when they did a show together in 2001). The bouquet I got them was beautiful, all autumn colors, and huge. And it cost me $5. FIVE DOLLARS!! I would have easily spent $50 in New York, probably more. But a quick walk to the market gets me so much for so little. Alex and I have made the market walk part of our routine, as it involves a whole lotta stair climbing. From the waterfront, there is a set of stairs that goes directly into the market. I haven't counted the steps, but I guesstimate that the climb is about 5-6 stories. Getting to the top, a little out of breath, we enter into another world, with street performers and fish throwers and the original Starbucks (which is surrounded by coffee shops, and somehow, all of them are busy). But when we want to enjoy the wonders of the natural world, we just turn north rather than south, and there we have it. It's a perfect mix of city and nature. My favorite thing about living on West 110th Street was that mix: I was a block from the subway and restaurants and shopping, but I was also only blocks from both Central Park and Riverside Park, which meant I could escape to nature in only a matter of minutes. Of course, Seattle is a city that is nestled into nature, whereas New York kind of allowed nature to remain in some places. Entirely different cities, but regardless, I have come to appreciate living in a part of a city that gives me a place to distract myself from the city itself. From this apartment, I am looking straight at skyline, which is awesome. But to be able to walk 5 minutes and sit looking at mountains, well, that's perfection.
I'm starting to feel a little more present in my Seattle life. I'm starting to find a rhythm to my days, and I'm starting to feel confident that in the coming months, I will be busy doing things that are meaningful to me. I had my first audition last week (which was one of the nicest audition experiences I've had---I didn't feel like a number, nor did I feel like the auditors were wishing their day was over already), and I've had a couple of meetings with friends here in the theatre community who want to help me get onstage. I feel like it's really up to me here, that if I work hard and take some risks, I'll be rewarded for it in a tangible way. Which I never felt in New York, not after being there and auditioning for months and months and sending out monthly mailings to dozens of agencies. New York felt somewhat hopeless to me, which is why I left. I didn't want to give up. I don't know what will happen for me in Seattle, but I do know that I feel hopeful. For the first time in, well, years. And hope feels good, you know? It feels kinda youthful and fun. Which I need, as the grey hairs are multiplying like bunnies on my head. I need to battle them with my inner child or something. Though there are about 50 salons in this neighborhood, so in case I decide to do away with the grey via some means other than tweezers, there's yet another reason to love where I live.