day seventy: september 30, 2009.

this is what i can only guess is the "halloween" window at ophelia books here in fremont, judging by the twilight volumes, h.p. lovecraft anthology and - my personal favorite - "sadism in the movies."

so naughty! bookstore kitty loves it. xo.

day sixty nine: september 29, 2009.

fall is coming!!!!!!!!!!!! xo.

day sixty eight: september 28, 2009.

this is a famous fremont statue near the water called, "waiting for the interurban."

you can read all about it HERE, but what i think is really neat is that the city WANTS you to decorate it and have fun with it. the sculpture people are always in wacky outfits, or decked out with props and signs celebrating someone's 21st birthday, graduation or anniversary, and there are always streamers floating in the breeze nearby as a result.

it's just an example of the mindset here in seattle, and definitely fremont. love it!

xo.

day sixty seven: september 27, 2009.

i like to call this the fremont "fry guy." it's really creepy and i've gone back and forth a lot over whether to post it, but really... i just had to.

so random. it's out front of "deluxe junk," that rad vintage store a couple blocks from our place.

the other day i saw the owners carrying him out and setting him up as part of their opening ritual, and it was just surreal.

don't gaze upon him too long or you might have strange dreams... xo.

day sixty six: september 26, 2009.

this is another sign from that deli on capitol hill that i previously put up. theses signs are just hilarious, and ever-changing.

there was also one with the beatles on it, but the illustration on this one really won me over. ;)

xo.

day sixty five: september 25, 2009.

this is a shot from inside roxy's, which is an east coast style diner in our neighborhood. it's super kitschy, and filled with waitresses that look like they just skated off the rink at a roller derby.

it's so fun!! the walls are mega decorated with posters and funny art, like that wedding sign for quickie same sex drive-thru weddings. :)

the food is pretty good, too, and cheap. you can get egg on a bagel about 400 different ways, which is awesome, and the lunch counter is the best place to sit!

yum. xo.

day sixty four: september 24, 2009.

this is the fremont rocket. it is a very special fremont monument.

it's attached to a very fancy store about two blocks from our apartment near the markers declaring fremont the "center of the universe." it's just neat to wander past it, look up and say hello. xo.

day sixty three: september 23, 2009.

more magical neighborhood pics!

this is the bridge we live next to/almost underneath, and it's called the aurora bridge. i took this shot this evening when i was walking mickey. it's a really beautiful bridge, architecturally, but it is also the most popular bridge in seattle to commit suicide off of (we live near where it starts so we're far enough away that we would never see anything bleak). the city of seattle is actually constructing a barrier to prevent any more suicides from taking place on the bridge, which will be a really great thing because it is so gorgeous.

xo.

day sixty two: september 22, 2009.

this is the three-legged cat that lives at the seattle drum school. it is a very magical kitty that hops around and stares at you with wide eyes.

it has a sassy attitude too, which you know i love. xo.

day sixty one: september 21, 2009.

this is a mural on the burke-gilman trail, right where you hop on at the end of my street. i love the various animalia on the cycles, especially the fancy octopus!!! it makes me smile when i'm running.

and look at the narwhal! xo.

day sixty: september 20, 2009.

this is one of the two guild movie theatres on 45th street in wallingford. they are super retro and fantastic!!!! i wanted a picture of the fancier theatre, but as you maybe guessed i took this picture from my car at a quick stoplight, so even this photo isn't that great.

seattle has tons of great old movie houses that are filled with people watching new, old and cult movies on a daily basis. the film snob in me LOVES THIS.

check out the landmark theatres website for the guild 45th (you can also see all the other movie houses there) and - fun fact - francis ford coppola often uses this theatre to pre-screen his flicks before they are released to the public. MAGIC!!

xo.

day fifty nine: september 19, 2009.

fall is coming!!!!!! i can't wait.

i found this little magical growing in a neighbor's front garden.

so cool! xo.

day fifty eight: september 18, 2009.

this is the seattle drum school. the seattle drum school is badass! one of the kids i nanny for (the girl!) takes lessons there. she's in 6th grade and wants to start a band. so cute!

it is so seattle at the seattle drum school. posters up of all the 90s grunge bands and a totally seedy musician feel. so awesome!

i'm looking forward to many trips there. xo.

day fifty seven: september 17, 2009.

i know i keep posting pictures of our new neighborhood but i'm just so excited about moving there that you're going to have to deal with it!!

this is the end of our street. it ends at lake union and there is a spectacular view of downtown across the water, which looks extra glittery and magical at night when all the lights are twinkling. (just to the left of frame - you can see a few fringe buildings in the upper left corner.)

adobe (photoshop, premiere, etc.) is also right at the end of street. maybe they can hook me up for my next editing project! haha.

we move this weekend... yaaaaaay! xo.

day fifty six: september 16, 2009.

this is one of the walls of the experience music project in the seattle center. for the most part, i think the frank gehry-designed building is pretty ugly, but this one wall is sooo magical it almost makes up for the rest of the grotesque exterior. i love how purply/pink and holographic it is. soooo dreamy.

it looks amazing in daylight/in person.

the inside of the emp is pretty rad, too. i really enjoyed the performance space when i was at bumbershoot. also attached to the emp is the science fiction museum, which i have yet to explore but which sounds neat-o for sure.

anyway, i just love this photo/this wall and wanted to share it. xo.

day fifty five: september 15, 2009.

this is the view from our new apartment! we move in this weekend, and i can't wait!! isn't it fancy!? such a tiny sneak peek....

i will post more photos on more blog entries once we move in of our neighborhood and magical hideaway. i love it!

xo.

day fifty four: september 14, 2009.

tonight we went to "blue c sushi" in the university district. it's an authentic japanese conveyor belt sushi joint, but metrosexualized. i loved it! the sushi plates range from $1.50 (vegetarian rolls, edamame) - $5.25 (fancier stuff like rainbow eel rolls and tempura). it's delicious, and being that i am a notorious fickle menu mind changer, i looooove that you can choose what you want as you eat so you are never unhappy.

they have yummy genmaicha (green tea with toasted brown rice and mini popcorn) and giant japanese beers, plus additional menu items that you can order from the kitchen. while you eat you can get dizzy watching the conveyor belt, or you can focus on one of two giant video screens projecting video and images from japan (like mount fuji, geisha, tokyo, etc.).

it's awesome!!! here's their website.

there's one in fremont, down the street from our new place. so excited! xo.

day fifty three: september 13, 2009.

this is the fremont branch of the seattle public library system. and it will soon be *our* branch, since we are moving to fremont next weekend!!!!!

seriously, the libraries here in seattle are amazing. every neighborhood has its own, and each one has a unique architectural personality, like the ballard branch that is completely eco-friendly and has grass and other flora growing on its roof. so magical! the fremont branch reminds me a little of florida with its vintage spanish style. it also has a multi-level garden on the grounds that goes all the way down a hill to lake union. lovely!

of course the main branch is famous for being an architectural masterpiece, but i really enjoy all the little ones better. they have more charm and character.

you can go to the seattle public library system HERE, and check out all the branches yourself!

i can't wait to get my library card and start checking out books! xo.

day fifty two: september 12, 2009.

today we lost hours (perhaps even years) of our lives inside of the seattle ikea. i probably could have snuggled down under one of the fluffy duvets in a bedroom display and no one would have noticed while i recharged my batteries..... seriously, that place is the biggest ikea-land i have ever seen. seriously, squared, i believe those crafty swedes may have figured out a way to maneuver the time/space continuum and create a portal where you lose hours, days, years of your life when to you it only seems like minutes.

but boy do i love the domestica-porn they create at bargain basement prices. a stainless steel flatware set for $7.99?!?! where can i swipe my debit card?!?!

anyhow, today's picture is for the tampa people... and the former tampa people. isn't this just the greatest??? a door mat even! haha. i love it.

and i love ikea. and i love YOU. xo.

day fifty one: september 11, 2009.

say hello to "india bistro!" this is quite possibly the BEST indian food i have ever eaten, including all the indian food i ate when i lived in london. it is soooo yummmy. there's one on roosevelt in ravenna, and another location in ballard. (we've only eaten at/from the ravenna location, but i'm sure the ballard one is yummy, too.) it is truly heaven.

they use super fresh ingredients, the atmosphere is simple, cozy and modern, and the music played in the restaurant is SO FANCY!!! all bollywood/indian magic. I LOVE IT!

if you live in seattle, you must go here. but don't go making it all crowded and loud when i wanna go. i like it just the way it is! quiet and intimate. ;)

check it out! xo.

day fifty: september 10, 2009.

this is my view from work. right on lake washington. aren't i lucky? i definitely feel like it!

too bad my iphone camera is too weak to see giant mt. rainier in the background... xo.

day forty nine: september 9, 2009.

my aunt and i went to carkeek park, on puget sound, to see if we could see any straggling salmons spawning before the season ended. we discovered that the salmon we were looking for didn't spawn at carkeek, but that the ones that did are projected to do so beginning in november, so at least there's that to look forward to.

i also discovered how cool carkeek is and what greats views of the sound it offers (minus the 2 mile hike that discovery park entails). if you can see the stairs/platform in the far left of the image, you are looking at the raised walkway that goes over railroad tracks where you can watch trains approach the park from miles down shore and then pass right under your feet. there's a lot of really cool old school playgrounds/campgrounds/dining areas and trails to explore, too and apparently the tide pools are exquisite. (i'll have to go back when the tide is low to check them out!)

neat! xo.

day forty eight: september 8, 2009.

this is the crescent, a verrry magical gay bar on capitol hill with some of the sassiest karaoke i have ever seen.

it's little more than a hole-in-the-wall, but the clientele is fantastic and in addition to the great people watching there are some dirt cheap drinks, rainbow motion lights and lots of whitney/mariah being belted out over cheesy backing tracks.

loves it! xo.

day forty seven: september 7, 2009.

today i was scouring various seattle goodwill stores for labor day deals, when i came across this at the shoreline location.

they were asking $35 for it, otherwise i might have had to buy it and give it to someone for a xmas gift. haha. that is solid wood, people! lacquered with a very debonair, expertly hand-drawn unicorn.

someone in the pacific northwest is very serious about unicorns. obviously. xo.

day forty six: september 6, 2009.

another photo from bumbershoot. this is the kexp stage in the experience music project. it is sooooo aesthetically pleasing, with the colored lights and darkness and gigantic video screen. you can't see it, but above the stage and crowd are these giant undulating flower-like objects with disco balls as their centers.

it feels like you're on the bottom of the sea. xo.

day forty five: september 5, 2009.

bumbershoot! michael got a couple of vip/all-access backstage passes for the 3 day festival here in seattle since his company is co-producing the event, and i was his saturday guest.

it was ahhhmazing!! we went backstage at a bunch of the different stages (including uh huh her where i was milling about with leisha and camila, as well as matt and kim), sat in the vip area for katy perry, enjoyed the fancy perks (free wine tastings, food and reduced-price drinks) in the vip hospitality areas and just had a magical time all-around.

favorite performers of the day were gang gang dance and de la soul, who ended our night with a really fun dance party on a big lawn overlooking queene anne and the space needle. awesome! xo.

day forty four: september 4, 2009.

there is this ahhhhmazing deli/convenience store on capitol hill that has the most ahhhhmazing hand-drawn ads on a sandwich board out front.

like this one. i need to go back often and see what magic the guy/girl comes up with next! xo.

day forty three: september 3, 2009.

tonight i went to my very first seattle seahawks game, thanks to michael and his fancy company perks. it was fun! we had no real clue what was going on, but yelled and cheered as if we did and drank cheap beer. love that there were veggie burgers and a halftime show (the presidents of the united states of america - yes, really). also loved the guys running across the field with giant seahawks flags every time a touchdown/fieldgoal was made. haha.

not hockey, but more fun than baseball. and our team has awesome colors! go, seahawks! xo.

day forty two: september 2, 2009.

i *think* these are thistles, but either way they have the loveliest color ever, and i adore them!!!!

i am loading up on flower pics now, because when fall and winter roll around they will be nowhere to be found.

purple is so magical! xo.

day forty one: september 1, 2009.

i went to another healthcare reform rally tonight. this one was held here in seattle, at the university of washington, and had more civilized attendees... although there were a few crazies that had to be escorted out by police.

i felt this meeting was pretty informative and productive. slides were shown, intelligent questions were asked (from all sides) and intelligently answered by the congressman, and there was a lot of support for healthcare reform in general (also from all sides). people were for the most part well-behaved and respectful, which was a dramatic shift from the everett meeting.

this was at the start of one of what would turn out to be many standing ovations of the evening. xo.