Of being happy in Seattle

Seattle often gets a lot of rap for its its dull and wet weather but when the sun does shine on this city, its one of the best places to be at. Yesterday was one such day. As it often happens during the summer weekends, I got up lazily in the morning but was immediately dumb stuck by the brilliant sunshine permeating through my living room's western wall of windows. The whole bay was shimmering with hundreds of large and small boats, reflecting back every bit of sun rays falling on it. Since I didn't have any plan for the day, I decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather outside. It was 12:30 in the afternoon, and I was already at Pike place market. By far, Pike place market is the number 1 tourist attraction of Seattle. There are numbers shops in the market selling just about everything, from sea-food and flowers, to Chinese goods and mummy replicas. But for me the real joy of Pike place market are the numerous restaurants selling delights from all over the world. The best of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine at Turkish delight, french tarts and cakes at La Panair, English breakfast at the Crumpet shop and out of the this world clam chowder at Pike place chowder and piroshkis of Piroshki Piroshkis. Picking what to eat is always difficult, but more often than not I walk straight to "BEECHER'S HANDMADE CHEESE". Nothing, absolutely nothing, comes close to the grilled smoked turkey sandwich and macaroni that these guys make. The salty melted cheese and smoked turkey slices when slowly chewed with warm and hard crust of rye bread, relaxes your mind, body and soul like no other thing in this world. And the macaroni! ugh, its just sinful! I can fly to Seattle from anywhere in this world just for lunch at Beecher's; once you try it, you will too.

Felling blessed after I ate to my hearts content, I, again as I usually do, turned left on Pike street and walked east towards the shopping district between 3rd and 6th avenue. I have been to some of the best malls in DC and New York, but the experience of walking on street with the biggest of brands all around you, right on the street, is something very different. Its as if you are not caged inside a mall but the mall itself has opened itself up and taken over 10 city blocks. Instead of small and suffocating stores, each of these stores here have enough space for a soccer field. And the brands, from Urban Outfitters, Gap and Nordstorm to specialty boutiques like Betsy Johnson and Isadora's Antique Clothing, they got it all. My personal favorite is Nordstorm rack. If you want best quality shoes at the most reasonable price, this is the place for you. Beware though, the sheer variety of choices can be disorienting; at this store patience is a virtue that all of us shoppers can use some more of.

At 2:30pm, the sun was beating down hard and I was not particularly keen on shopping anything, so I walked into Border's, both escape from the heat and check out the recent titles. None of my trips to shopping district are finished without spending an hour or two at Border's or Barns & Nobles. It strange but I feel the most secure and clam when I surrounded by the smell of new books .... more on it someday later.

I started my way back north on 4th Ave and stopped at 4th and wall for a cup of coffee at Uptown Espresso. Everyone knows Seattle is famous for its coffee and big coffee companies like Starbucks, Tullys and Seattle Coffee. But for me no other store epitomizes Seattle and coffee as much as Uptown Espresso. The baristas here are laid back and always look into your eyes while taking order. There is no regimented number writing, punching keys on the computer or howling your name when the coffee is ready. Here there is just one person who takes your order and makes coffee before serving the next person in line. Although crowded, the patrons - residents of nearby apartments (and not "my ass is on fire office goers") are patient and look relaxed. I have literally spent hundreds of hours at Uptown Espresso and know the "regulars" very well. There is that dentistry student who is always with his text book, the lady with her dog who sits in the corner, the Mexican guy with his chess set and the tall and lanky white man who is learning Chinese. Sometimes I talk to them but most times we show our acquaintance by slight nudge of head or parting of lips. The place also has unwritten rules on how and where to sit. If you don't have a computer with you don't sit on tables along the wall because that's where the plug points are - leave the table open for someone who might have a computer. If there are not enough tables don't sit on one where someone is reading intently - he/she might be disturbed, pick one where the person is just drinking coffee, they might be interested in a conversation. Also if you have few people along with you, take the bigger tables on the right side instead of moving tables on the left side. There are no pretensions here; the carpet is old but always clean, the furniture is ordinary but designed with comfort in mind and space is well lit and opens up completely for warm summer days. Some of my best memories of Seattle will be of those winter afternoons at Uptown when I sat right in the corner next to the window reading newspaper and drinking coffee with warm sunlight blushing my cheeks.

The time now was about 5 pm. I reached home, called a few friends and relaxed for some time. At 5:30 pm, still full of energy, I changed into athletic wear and went for jog at Myrtle Edwards Park. It amazes me how few Seattleites know of this wonderful park. Sitting right between Belltown and lower queen ann, this park runs along the water, and with Mt. Rainer and Olympic mountains in the background, offers some of the most stunning views of the city. If seeing all the natural and man-made beauty around you doesn't make you feel happy that you are alive, nothing else will.

I reached back home at 7:30 pm and after a quick shower and few phone calls, I was ready for dinner. The venue was a Spanish restaurant, Peso's at Queen Anne. This place is considered as one of the best "pick-up" spots in the city and the moment you enter the restaurant (and bar) you will understand why. But my interest was just in food and was quite happy with their specialty - "carne asada". I was back home at 10:15pm but the night was just getting started in the city. By 11:00 pm, couple of friends and I were already on the Baltic room dance floor surrounded by the sea of human mass, gyrating to the latest of bollywood and bhangra beats. After an hour of hip shaking, leg throwing, neck jerking, stomping on other people's foot and getting stomped on, I truly became one with 500 other people that had packed that 15x20 sq feet dance floor. I could sense every muscle of my body twitching, but the tremendous energy of the crowd and 4 whiskey sours kept me going. Finally, at 12:30am , completely drenched in sweat (not all if it was mine), I was just about ready to call it a night but no clubbing night is really over without a sugar shot at Dilettante. The creme brule gave me enough sugar to change my mind at 1:30am and we found ourselves at Neighbours. Ok now all you worried folks out there, yes, neighbors is the most famous gay and lesbian club in Seattle, but don't worry I am as straight as an arrow. What is less known about neighbors is that its the best dance club in Seattle, the absolute best. More than half of the people that come to Neighbous are actually straight and its this mix of gays and non gays, which makes it such an interesting place. From bhangra, the switch to 80's disco and rock-n-roll was instant, and once again I was in midst of sea of humanity undulating between reality and fantasy. By 3am I was barely able to dance and truly had enough. We stumbled out of neighbors and after some pointless wandering on the street, finally manged to locate our car and drove back home.

At 3:30am, as I lay in my bed thinking of the day gone by, I couldn't help wonder about what really makes life fulfilling. Sure, everyone loves fame and fortune, success in professional life, going place and having everything, but does it really make one happy? I have everything that I can ask for and yet its not what I have that makes me happy. The simple joys of life, of taking a moment to appreciate the beauty around us, of going beyond our inhibitions and experiencing the unknown, of looking into a stranger's eyes and not shirking away, of meeting familiar faces and connecting with their lives, of living life in that moment to its fullest, is what really makes the days of our lives truly memorable. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I know that no matter where I am I just have look within myself to find happiness. And isn't this realization that keeps us going as we face life and its glorious uncertainties.