Week 31: 07/26-08/01

Week 31

     07/26 - Today was my chill day as Ryan wanted to get back into study-mode. I wanted to see the Seattle REI Store so I headed to that area of town to check it out. It was a really cool facility and was nestled in a man-made forest of sorts, equipped with biking trails and a waterfall. Everything was expensive, but still a cool store -- from a structural engineer's perspective.

     While I was out and about I also headed over to South Lake Union Park again, just to watch the planes land on the water and read a book. I found yet another "Piano in the Park" there so I played that under a tent as it rained. Finally, I grabbed some chips/guac. at Cactus before heading back to the apartment.

     07/29 - Today I visited the campus of the University of Washington because Ryan was checking out an apartment over there. It was a really cool campus! The buildings were all gothic style and cool looking and there was a great view of Mt. Rainier down an alley of trees.

      07/31 - Not much happened today other than visiting Ezelle's Chicken for dinner. This fried chicken place is supposedly Oprah Winfrey's favorite fried chicken or something, so that's why it's famous. It was pretty good, but I don't know how it's her favorite...

Comrade Lenin

Dusty Strings

     08/01 - Today I did some exploring on my own as a last visit to the Ballard/Fremont area :( I wanted to see a few things in Fremont, namely the large statue of Vladimir Lenin and the house that inspired the movie "Up". While I was there I stopped into a music shop, Dusty Strings. It was a really cool acoustic shop that makes their own hammer dulcimers and harps! I wish I would've stopped in sooner. I also wanted to check out a couple breweries in the area, so I headed towards Stoup Brewery, got sidetracked at Reuben's Brews, and ended up drinking many beers.

Edith Macefield's "Up" house

Lenin in Fremont

Stoup Brewing

Profound Thought of the Week: Art is art, not politics. The statue of Lenin in Fremont made me think about that fact. Who cares why a statue was originally made, it's still art and it's OK to appreciate it as such, even if the original intent was more sinister. Take the Coliseum in Rome, for instance. Yes, it was originally made as a place to execute criminals, enemies of state, slaves, etc. but now we see it purely as an architectural wonder, not caring about the dark politics that created it.