Sanity in Seattle

I've been to the Seattle Art Museum (or SAM) only twice over the course of the 3 months that I lived there (and the prior 4 months in which I visited frequently). It is a great place to begin, but I came from New York City and because of that am very spoiled by the quality and quantity of art and other museums there.

I thought the exhibit in February consisting of a great many Asian artists was really interesting. It was large and included many types of art including multimedia presentations, photography, paintin,g and sculpture. My favorite parts of this exhibit were the collages of unknown women created after the 1998 Women's Summit in Beijing and a trio of movies that showed different parts of Asia and its urban areas. There was a really interesting photography project (within the exhibit) that compared the ancient and modern types of architecture in Asian cities and a number of other photo projects in the exhibit that showed the artists and their relation to their work as they were somehow installed within the photographs.

Another exhibit that occurred at the same time was a history of glass in the Pacific northwest. This was very small and absolutely beautiful.

The permanent collection at the SAM is a little disappointing and I know I went into it, but I don't remember any of what is there.

Throughout the next year and-a-half, the SAM and its collaborator the Seattle Asian Art Museum (which I did not visit) are going through a major expansion project. I'm not sure of all of the details and I hope it does well for the art scene in Seattle in general.

My boyfriend still lives there, so I will be going back at some point.

This little bar/lounge on the corner of Pike Street and Boren is also a restaurant. The interior is pretty cute with some artwork up on the walls and two options for diners: little tables in one room and booths near the bar. After the kitchen closes, the table area stops seating and the booths or bar stools are available.

I went late with a group of friends after rock climbing but we met other people there and while I was pretty casual, most others were a little dressy (for Seattle that means not jeans, but nothing more really).

We had drinks there and would have ordered food but the kitchen closes at 11 pm. The desserts are yummy though. Our combination of wine, Cape-Codder (Vodka & Cranberry), Martini, and one whisky drink, and a plain cranberry juice was about $10 per person including the tip. Because the kitchen was closed, our waiter gave us bread free.

This place could certainly be great for a romantic dinner or dessert. (I'm not sure how the food prices run.) It's not great for singles because the place is set up for (small) groups to hang out in without much mingling space if you are looking to find an interested or interesting new buddy.

The Seattle Running Company is a running shoe store that has weekly community runs within the city and sometimes up mountains in the area several days each week. There is no cost, you simply need to show up at the store to meet the run leader and figure out who may be your best running partner.

This is good both to meet people who are interested in being fit (and some who already are) and in working on your own fitness. The slowest runners usually make about 8.5 minute miles (around 7 miles per hour) and there are certain days that cater to slower runners as well.

Sundays are the trail run (show up at the store a little before 7am) to carpool to the trail.

The Tuesday group runs are the most accessible to newcomers or beginners with a distance of 4-6 miles at an 8-10 minute per mile pace. Meet at the store at 6pm.

On Thursday the group run also meets at 6pm, but the run is 8-10 miles long and the tempo is usually closer to 8 minute miles.