Fred Meyer without food!

How funny....yesterday I was up in Greenwood for my Salsa class, and I noticed a Fred Meyer store really close. So after class, my friend and I poked around in a couple of really nice antique stores, then she took off and I went to the neighborhood Fred's to get some chicken among other things.
Wow, I thought I'd entered the twilight zone. I couldn't find food! Turns out I was in the only Fred Meyer in the state without a grocery section! I needed non-food items such as hand soap, tissue, coffee filters, etc., which I did get. I've always thought Fred's has the best price and selection on cleaning and beauty items.
But, I have no chicken!
Oh, and I got a beautiful bouquet (a dozen) roses for $6.99!

Luna Park

I think I was born too late. I so enjoy the antics of folks in the early 20th century! I stopped for an early dinner today at a place here in West Seattle (my 'hood) for an early dinner, called Luna Park Cafe. Their sign reads "best happy hour in West Seattle." Okay, I'm in. At first I was skeptical, but once inside, I was transformed. OMG! It's like stepping into a time machine! Booths with Naugahyde covered seats, AND, honest-to-G0d, juke-boxes at each table. Yep, drop in a quarter, and you can hear the likes of Dusty Springfield singing "Son of a Preacher Man," to Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," to "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas (all songs I punched in along with "Tell Her No" by The Zombies!) I was in heaven. Two glasses of decent cheap wine and a really, really good taco salad for $20 included tip.
But, the history part just blew my mind. This little cafe is the last vestige of Luna Park, a thriving waterfront amusement park Ala Coney Island, which thrived from 1907 to 1913. It was a 12-acre amusement park on piers over Puget Sound at the Duwamish head. There were fabulous rides, food, bars, and even salt-water swimming pools - a separate one for the ladies with dressing rooms! It was indeed considered the Coney Island of the West. Folks in downtown Seattle could see it all lit up at night, and would travel there by either water taxi or a rail shuttle that sounded absolutely terrifying! Anyway, there was trouble with underage youths drinking at Luna Park and it was closed down except for the swimming pools. But then, a horrible fire took all that out.....they don't know to this day if it was arson or not.
Now, beachcombers at low tide can still find the remaining piers of the great park, or an occasional treasure. And - for my friends in the Spokane area - you know that wonderful carousel in Riverfront Park? Yep, it came from Luna Park.
Anyway, the restaurant has many wonderful historical photos, memorabilia and even a "Batmobile" ride for the kids. It was so wonderful. I love West Seattle.

Fanfarlo! Did I witness history being made?

I never win anything, but a few weeks ago, I just heard "10th caller" on my new radio station of choice, The Mountain, and I called. Well, by golly, I won, but I wasn't sure what I won. Turned out it was two tickets to see a band called Fanfarlo, last night at The Crocodile. I'd never heard of them, but I had heard of the Crocodile.
Here's what I know: The Crocodile opened in about 1991. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and many others all got their feet wet there. So, I'm totally in! Then, the place mysteriously closed a few years ago - nobody knows why. The owner just locked the door and split.
So, a year ago March, it re-opened under new management. It's basically a big floor (very limited seating) and a stage for the bands, and a bar. It's not a dive at all. Very clean. But I digress....
So, my friend who was supposed to go with me had to cancel at the last minute. She was stuck in L.A., so off I went solo. I was alarmed beyond reason to find out there were no tickets for me at will-call. Apparently The Mountain didn't have me on the list. I was pissed. But - this dude came up to will-call who had bought three tickets, and none of his posse made it. So I heard him tell the girl to pass them on. They didn't seem to be finding my name on the "winners list," so I said, "could I be one of the recipients of his unused tickets?" Bam - I'm in. The Mountain is going to hear from me! I llater thanked the dude.
So, I'm in, and it's cool. The opening act was "April Smith and The Great Picture Show." There was April, with four guys - keyboard player, lead guitar, drummer and bass player who often played upright bass. All the guys were in ties, and April had a sort of updated 40s thing going on. I realized after awhile, that they totally reminded me of "Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks." Anybody remember them? God, April had a fabulous voice, really strong. She said it was their first time playing in Seattle, and at one point, I think she forgot where she was, because she said "Thank you Portland." The crowd wasn't pleased but were polite. She realized quickly that she fucked up, and apologized going on about how their bus had trouble, etc. Cute!
Not only did April sing fabulously, she played guitar, and the other guitarist played ukulele and Harmonia. Very, very good. They ended their set with a small segue into Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." Watch for these kids in the future.
But Fanfarlo - holy crap! Blew me away. They are an English band, and it was so cute....this was their very first performance on U.S. soil! I might have witnessed major history!!!!!
They've already been on the David Letterman show! Fanfarlo is four guys and one girl. The girl, Kelly, plays violin, keyboards, mandolin, mouth organ and extra percussion. God, she's my new hero - she was suffering from a tummy bug, but kept on rockin'! She isn't your typical rock star chick at all - very plain, in baggy clothes - not skin tight Beyonce-like shit.
The leader singer was amazing, also the lead guitarist. The main keyboard guy also played trumpet and xylophone...these people are multi-instrumentalists, seriously!!! Then on the last number, the singer whips out a clarinet and wails on it. The rhythm section pretty much stuck to bass and drums, but they were solid.
So, kids, watch for Fanfarlo. They are going to be huge. And I can say I saw them when!

Vashon, Salsa and Greenlake

It's been a fun few days. The weather has been stunning, so Thursday I loaded up Abagail (my precious angel dog) and FINALLY took the 15-minute ferry ride to Vashon Island. Vashon sits in Puget Sound very easily accessible from West Seattle where I live, or on it's southern end, super easy to Tacoma. I'd never been there, and thought it was about time.
Back in the day when I was selling real estate in Anchorage, one of my best clients (actually my best client) who died too young last year, used to tell me he wanted to retire on Vashon. Now I see why. There's not much there, but it's beautiful. A quaint little downtown has a few funky cool stores and a few restaurants. I saw a sign for "the best cheeseburger on the island" in front of a little place, so as I was proceeding to tie Abbey up to go in, the owner came out and told me just to bring her in! He gave her water, and indeed I had a good burger and diet Dr. Pepper for $4.90. After that we drove around the island, first stopping at Robinson Point to see the lighthouse and walk the beach. Mt. Rainier was totally in our face, framed by blue sky. Vashon is made up of little farms inland, and darling seaside cottages on the water. I can see why my friend wanted to retire there. Perhaps I will, too. It would honor him....he was my friend, too.
Now, today, my new friend Mira, and I, started a six-week course of Salsa lessons at Sonny Newman Dance Studio in Greenwood where she lives. I got us a hell of a deal on this - $35 for six weeks! What a blast! I've taken Salsa before, so I know it pretty well. But our instructor, Johnny, is a ball of fire! He had us moving fast and it felt great! Really, really energetic. I took a few Salsa classes at another dance place in Seattle, but the instructor spent way too much time talking about the dance, and herself. Heck, I just want to dance! And dance we did. Johnny rocks!
After class, since it was such a great gorgeous day, Mira and I walked all the way around Green Lake, about 2 miles. What a beautiful walk! People were fishing, lovers kissing, dogs smiling, and a guy in a skunk suit (that's right) flew by on in line skates. Too cool. After that we hit the Green Lake Bar and Grill - made happy hour, and had killer salmon burgers and salad, and 2 drinks each for $40 total including tip! Life is not so bad after all, even though it presents it's challenges.

Jimi

I finally took the time today to find the statue of Jimi Hendrix on Capitol Hill. The statue itself is wonderful, but I was stunned to see that it's on the sidewalk right on Broadway. I guess I expected it to be in a park, or a protected lovely place...not just right there where it could get wiped out by an errant driver. I just thought it was sort of disrespectful given he's one of Seattle's most famous native sons.

Native Seattle

January as usual was sort of a lost month. But I've spent a great deal of time looking into Seattle's history, specifically indigenous Seattle. There was a specific reason for this, to do with a job I really would like, but even if I don't get the job, this was valuable and fascinating information.
I just finished the book "Native Seattle: Histories from the Crossing-Over Place," by Coll Thrush. It almost made me angry that I am white. The book also gave me understanding of many of the street names, parks, rivers, and monuments in my new city. There are native American images everywhere here in this urban landscape, but few people really know what it all means.
Most people know, or should know, that Seattle's namesake was Chief Seeathl, of Duwamish and Suquamish heritage. They were here first. But Seattle's founders are better known as the Denny party, who came ashore at Alki Point (not far from where I live) in November of 1851. Seeathl and his people welcomed the pioneers, and in turn Arthur Denny and his people worked together with their new neighbors.
Way before this, 1792, the British explorer George Vancouver and his crew mapped out what would be called Puget Sound, named after the guy who did most of the surveying for Vancouver.
But, I digress. The long and short of it is, as with all stories of native Americans getting pushed out of their homeland, things changed.
A treaty called the Treaty of Point Elliott (1855), signed by Seeathl, and several of the Pioneers, giving the indigenous folks the right to hunt, fish, harvest etc. to this day has not been honored. The original "Seattle" tribes - Duwamish, Shilshole, Lakes - were mostly forgotten as tribes from other regions came to the new city.
There's so much it's mind-boggling. But here's the part that really annoys me. The Duwamish river used to meander until it was "straightened out" in the late 19th and early 20th century, destroying many historical indigenous sites. Then, when the Ballard locks were built in 1916, "when Lake Washington dropped with the opening of the ship canal, its outlet, the Black River, ceased to exist" leaving canoes high and dry, and devastating the way of life for the Duwamish. The whole idea of course, was to be able to bring a ship from Puget Sound to Lake Union and on to Lake Washington. I never realized that an entire river disappeared because of this action. Holy shit! Oh - and Harbor Island (at the mouth of the Duwamish River) never existed either - it's man made!
Anyway, as regards the Duwamish Tribe, their status was questioned (as a federally recognized tribe) due to a perceived lapse in leadership in the early 20th century. The lapse was filled in with oral history among other things, and toward the end of the Clinton Administration the Duwamish just about got their recognition. Then GW Bush and his band of idiots came into office and reversed the decision. Right now, they are fighting - STILL - to get the recognition they deserve. The current tribal leader, Cecile Hansen, a tiny yet powerful little lady, who I met Saturday at the one-year anniversary of their new Longhouse, is not giving up. She is Seeathl's great-great grandniece (there may be one more great!). At any rate, they sure as hell deserve it. The city is named after one of their own for Christ's sake!
I'm from Alaska originally - lived there more than half my life, and saw the crap the Native Alaskans had to go through - the prejudice, ridicule at the drunks, etc. The same thing went on here I'm sad to say. The term Skid Road originated here in the early 20th century when most of the Native population was forced into what is now the touristy Pioneer Square area, living in horrible conditions.
Thrush says toward the end of his book "aging pioneers were replaced by aging lefties and upstart cheechakos shape-shifted into venture capitalists from California, but otherwise, the anxieties and conflicts were the same: between native and newcomer, between competing visions of urbanity, between the past and the future."
He says Indian ghosts haunt Seattle to this day. "At Pike Place Market, the apparition of an Indian woman in a shawl and floor-length skirt has appeared for generations in the windows of the magic shop and in the aisles of the bead store," and a murdered Native prostitute pleas have been heard since the Prohibition era in a rambling Victorian home near the Duwamish.
So, I've learned much. I am hoping to get a job with the Duwamish Tribe, but even if I am not chosen, I support their cause, and know a great deal more about this city's rich history.
By the way, they need $128,000 for legal defense. Not much. Give if you can.