Another trip in the bag
Coast to Coast, Again
Another long weekend, another long red-eye. Take off from Albany, touch down at SeaTac.
I’m not complaining. Four-day work weeks leave me three days to travel hard, and I’ll take that trade every time. I get to spend half the week in New York with my mom and brother, and the other half in Washington with my girlfriend and daughter.
Walking out of the airport still gives me butterflies. The air in the Pacific Northwest just hits different. If the Mohawk Valley is Aquafina, the PNW is Fiji Water: crisp and clean.
This time of year isn’t something I look forward to back east. The trees are nearly bare, bracing for a long, cold, gray winter. It’s the calm before the storm, literally. Feet of snow, inches of ice, and getting anywhere or getting anything done becomes a real chore, especially when you live in a small, steep river valley like I do. Out on the Puget Sound, that’s just not a worry. Throw on a heavy hoodie or a light rain jacket and go. Gray skies and a little drizzle never stopped anybody from heading out.
Mount Rainier aka Tahoma in the clouds
Day 1
Settling In
Luna came to scoop me up, and our first stop that Sunday morning was University Village in north Seattle. We needed a pick-me-up from a little café: a brown sugar latte with an extra shot for me, a matcha for her, and a decaf for Little Lu.
Mr. West Café Bar // 2685 NE Village Lane | Seattle, WA 98105
I sipped my drink and settled into the trusty old Mercedes as we headed north toward Marysville to drop off my bags. When I’m in Washington, I stay in Tulalip, a quiet little community tucked into the woods on the shore of the Sound, just west of Marysville. It almost feels like home to me: a stone’s throw from the hustle of the metro area, but wooded and peaceful. The views out here are a lot more impressive, though.
Once we got settled in, my big homie Siva hit us up. He needed some B-roll for a video he’s working on. I grabbed the film camera, Luna grabbed her Sony, and we were out the door.
We picked up Siva in Rainier Valley and headed for the industrial district in Puyallup. It’s full of fun, gritty scenes. At first glance it looks empty and unassuming, but look a little closer and there’s texture everywhere. I shot some black-and-white frames of Siva posing with the Benz outside an old warehouse that used to be home to “The Darkroom,” a space converted into a lounge where DJs spun and the drinks flowed. Picture a Tokyo lounge bar, only bigger, with a hip industrial feel.
After goofing around for a while, we stopped at a spot near Puyallup with a great view of the Sound. We hung out and caught up. I vented a bit about work back home, Siva got a good laugh out of it, and he passed along some solid advice for dealing with a difficult boss.
Puget Sound near Puyallup
When we got home, Little Lu booted up the PS5, and I told her what video games were like when I was her age back in the ’90s. I gave her the rundown on Sega and Nintendo, and I promised to set up an emulator so she can play Pac-Man, Sonic, and Mortal Kombat from the Sega Genesis days. Tomorrow morning, we’re hunting down a controller to plug into the MacBook.
Day 2
Thrifty Boys
Monday, We Rise!
Today is a day just for me. Luna’s off to work and Little Lu’s off to school, so I’m heading into the city to meet up with a mutual friend, Delilah. She works at the LA Fitness in Kirkland, and I always have to give her a shout-out for hooking me up with a free membership there. There’s no way I’m walking into a Planet Fitness, the brand I work for, while I’m on vacation. I don’t need the reminder.
First stop: Hometeam Seattle. If you’re ever in town, go check it out. It’s a café, bar, shop, and event space in Pioneer Square. Grab a coffee, pick up some local sports gear or a shirt. It’s a real celebration of the region.
Being a hat guy, of course I had to hit the fitted and snapback section. I couldn’t help myself and walked out with a Hometeam Seattle 59Fifty, a little something to rep the Northwest once I’m back in New York. We each grabbed a coffee and headed to our next stop.
Every time I’m out here, I make the rounds at the thrift shops and vintage spots. A lot of places elsewhere are mostly junk, but here you can actually find some genuinely cool vintage pieces. I’m always on the hunt for old Sonics shirts and hoodies. BRING THEM BACK!
No luck at Throwbacks Northwest this time. Vintage comes with a hefty price tag, and I wasn’t about to drop 70 bucks on an old UW Gildan tee, no matter how cool it looked. We checked out a few more places, then grabbed lunch at Taco Time and talked about my possible move back out here. I also shared a few excerpts from the next article I’m writing for my main blog, a piece exposing police brutality and corruption in the city. Delilah read through it, caught a few things, and gave me some great pointers.
Before long it was almost time to pick up Little Lu from school and take her to the library. Delilah headed off, but not before we made plans for a trip out to the Olympic Peninsula over Thanksgiving break.
Seattle Public Library
Little Lu and I meet up with Luna in Tacoma after work and drop by Frisko Freeze for a burger and milkshake. You can’t beat a carhop-style old-school cheeseburger. We tend to frequent Dick’s Drive-In in Tulalip but when in Tac, drop by Frisko.
Not much exciting happened the rest of the day. I boot up an emulator on my laptop so Little Lu and I can play some of the games of my childhood. I mosey around on the floor and pet the cats. A nice relaxing weekend after a long week. I ended up passing out on the couch watching Samwitch on Twitch as per usual.
Day 3
Heading Home
I woke up early to take Little Lu to school and gave her a big hug goodbye. It’ll be another week before I see her again. Then I packed up my things, threw on my new hat, and headed over to the Tulalip Fitness Center. Afterward, I passed some time watching a few kids practice their skateboarding before it was time to catch the Link down to SeaTac.
Feeling pretty down, I hopped on the light rail with my bag and rode south through Seattle to the airport. I checked in, dapped up my mom’s friend who works there, and made my way to the gate, where I’m writing this to pass the time.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Back to New York to face the cold and another weird week at work. I really need to get it together and make the move out to Washington. It’s the only place I truly feel at home these days. It feels like I’ve lived there my whole life. It just clicks.
There are a lot of big conversations and plans ahead before that move can happen. Wish me luck.
Til’ next time.