Seattle: Fremont by foot in sunnier days

Seattle is currently gripped by a storm system that is dumping rain in fat sloppy wet buckets, soaking everything and causing unnamed new rivers to run their course over the roads in an impressive downpour that hasn't been seen in years, leading to warnings of flooding throughout the area. Pine needles and vestigial remnants of crunchy dead leaves are now hyper-hydrated, becoming a slippery hazard as you wander, or scamper, through the drops. Days of rain have been splattering down now, cooling off the Puget Sound region. This, they say, is what Seattle should be like this time of year, and the last few years have been marked by unusually warm and dry weather patterns. All those stereotypes about Seattle being grey and wet? Well, here we are, folks! Soggy Seattle, in all it's squelchy glory.  The foliage needed it, and if this keeps up we might not have such a fiery summer next year, as this year was marked by many wildfires in the semi-rural and truly wild areas of the state. While fires can be cleansing in moderation, no one is happy when the majority of their state is ablaze. Just look at what's going on in Australia! Yikes. 

So, suffice to say, it's currently a bit cold and blustery out. My sweaters get soaked in the brief run from my home to my car, and lingering outside for any reason will quickly leave my shoes a soggy sad affair. Oh, but you are wearing rain boots, no? No. Of course not. Not me. Not this desert rat. I've yet to procure a proper set of waterproof footwear, and as a result, I find myself sloughing around in socks that are definitely moist, if not downright damp, at times.  Even when I was living in Japan, with its typhoon season blasting down torrents of rain for weeks on end, I somehow managed for over two years. Would I recommend this stalwart and obstinately stubborn approach to another? Absolutely not! Get you some waterproof shoes, kids! But all this rain has got me feeling some sort of way about these photos, taken when it was still warm and bright, and so very, very dry. Look at that brilliant blue sky! We aren't getting much of that around Seattle these days, and it makes vague ideas of running off to someplace with hot nights and cold drinks more appealing, even if I'd never justify actually taking the time for myself. 

Does anyone else struggle to take vacation time? That seems to be endemic in the United States, with our gung-ho go-get-'em attitudes and idolization of the workaholic approach. I work hard. My bosses know that and even when I'm being given a reminder of regulations and how vacation time is readily accessible to me should I choose to use it, I struggle to take it. Of course, the acquisition of a new (to me) vehicle, along with our beloved pet rat's medical struggles, blows my monthly budget a lot higher than I'd set it if given the choice, and being a responsible adult means taking care of these things and more, so working is crucial to my ability to pay my damn bills and sleep at night. I find myself torn between taking some much-needed recovery time and a desire for financial stability, and in trying to overcome and push forward I inevitably burn myself out and make silly avoidable mistakes that, had I taken a moment to decompress, wouldn't have happened at all. Sigh. All that being said, I think a much-needed vacation will be taken come January. Even if I end up staying home, I could use some downtime to really digest everything that's happened over the last few months.

Being tough is well and good, but you've got to make time for self-care. On the day these photos were taken, that's precisely what I'd done. After a successful day of work, I found myself in the Fremont area in good weather and decided to take some time to stroll around and acquaint myself further with its quirks. The Fremont Troll, as usual, held his vigil under the bridge, and Lenin loomed with his bright red hand, standing guard in front of the sandwich shop and other businesses tucked behind his intimidating silhouette. So, for one blissful, sunny afternoon, I strolled in the sunlight and played tourist. And it was lovely. I recommend it. Don't forget to show yourself some love, folks. Stop and smell the flowers, bask in the sunlight on a lazy afternoon, and do the things that make you feel alive, even when you don't feel like there's enough time in the day. You deserve it. And if today isn't the day, perhaps soaking in the digital glow and pretending to join me in the stroll will help, even if for just a bit. 

Seattle: Lenin statue and Fremont Bikeride

Leering over a street corner in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, the 16-foot tall statue of Communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin can certainly catch you by surprise if you're not expecting his looming, statuesque presence to pop up around the bend. While the statue was originally crafted by the Bulgarian artist Emil Venkov in Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s, it was discovered in a scrap yard by an American and eventually, mysteriously, it found the way to Washington state, where it's become a landmark of the Fremont neighborhood of Sea-town.  Certainly not devoid of controversy, the statue remains in its stalwart vigil, staring out at pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike with the same stoic sneer. He's frequently vandalized, and there was a protest as recently as fall of 2017! Love him, hate him, he's become a prominent figurehead for the peculiar and hippie-heavy neighborhood of Fremont. During my very first visit to the city, it was in Fremont where my friend's band practiced in a local recording studio, after getting their fill of steaming hot pho at a nearby restaurant. This artsy-fartsy pro-boho attitude generally lingers, much like the funky odor of a particular smokeable herb, though new money brings in new businesses, and the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes lends towards the existence of several dispensaries nearby. On this particular visit, we were encumbered with bicycles we'd rented through the LimeBike App, and were greatly enjoying the freedom of having two-wheels powering our exploration, though keeping an eye on our vehicles meant we kept our photo-session relatively short. While these photos come from the fall of 2018, traffic was still not an exceptionally endearing aspect to the city of Seattle (though now, with the closure of the Viaduct, it's presumably worse) and riding a bicycle allows you to pretty much side-step the majority of the nastiness. It was fantastic, and I highly recommend trying out the LimeBike app if you find the bikes available! 

There's more to the neighborhood than statues of communists and hippies, though! Lots of beautiful street art provides splashes of color, as did the fall foliage booming at the time. We reveled in the sunshine and thoroughly enjoyed our outing! Hopefully you can ride the vibe through our photos~ cheers!

(Happy Groundhog's day!!!)

Vegas: Walk to Mantis at Container Park

Good ol' Mantis, the fire-spewing fixture of Container Park in Downtown Las Vegas, has become a local mascot of sorts. Japan gets to have thousands of local mascots, after all, so why shouldn't we have some fun of our own here? Like our locals here in Vegas, the Mantis can be a wise-cracking oddball with a bit of a hot streak... in that, he actually spews real flames from his majestic antennae. Sometimes he'll sing, sometimes he'll play catchy tunes you might remember from yesteryear ("Who let the dogs out?! WHO?! WHO?!") before tooting out bursts of flame. He's been downtown for years now, greeting guests to the Container Park and scaring tourists with unexpected bursts of sound or flame all the while. Needless to say, I've grown a bit fond of the big beast. Since we live pretty close to his home base, we try to stop over and say hi every so often. He's a local legend, but don't be shy. As far as we're aware, he's never used those massive claws of his on anyone...yet. 

Being in such close proximity to Fremont Street experience, you get a lot of the same traffic overflowing into the area. Some of it is fun, charming, goofiness... and some of it is blunt and to the point, like this guy. I've had homeless people in the area shoulder check me (walking across the street at the same light and he rammed my shoulder with his) and also had people shout compliments or insults in the same few blocks. With so many people, and a lot of them down and out, it's always going to be a medley and you never know what you're going to get. There's been a lot of gentrification and upward shifts in the demographicss of the area as Zappos brought in a lot of higher-paid tech and sales industry workers, and new expensive condominiums and apartments were built to accommodate them. Some of the residents have been priced out in the immediate downtown area, but if you go further east or north you'll still find some more affordable and questionably maintained living spaces and residences. There's a lot of empty businesses and buildings just a few blocks from the main hub of Fremont. Some have been painted over, to give a fresh and lively veneer to the urban decay occurring throughout the city.  I highly recommend exploring more of Las Vegas than just the glossy, high-trafficked tourist areas so that you can get a more nuanced vision of what the city really is. There's a lot more here than just slots and casinos. 

10 things to do in Vegas this summer (part two)

There's no shortage of ways to stay entertained in fabulous Las Vegas, but if you need some inspiration for things to do this summer this list offers the second half of five out of ten (previous five can be viewed here) of my picks for things to do in Las Vegas during the summer season of 2018! 

6. Take in the view from the High Roller at the Linq promenade

If you're one for spectacular views from above, then this is one opportunity you won't want to miss out on! You can go during the day or night, or try to plan it out to catch the spectacular sunset views. The Linq promenade is easily accessible from most of the Strip as it's right in the heart of it all. The Linq promenade itself has plenty of restaurants, bars, shops and other entertainments to keep you busy for hours, if not days, if you stay nearby.  It's attached to both Harrah's and the Flamingo/ 

7. Jump off of the tallest tower in the city 

If simply gazing out at the lights and admiring their beauty isn't thrilling enough for you, you can try jumping off of the Stratosphere tower after taking in the view from the 108th floor. It's not hard to spot the Stratosphere and it's used as a landmark for orienting oneself by locals for a reason, and it's a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from Downtown and Fremont districts, so if you're still riding that adrenaline high you can also...

8. Zipline over the crowds under the Fremont Street Experience

Keep that adrenaline rush roaring by hopping a quick ride (bus, Lyft, Uber or even a rental bike) down to Fremont Street, at the North end of the Las Vegas boulevard strip. Here you'll find some insane people watching coupled with ample booze and mayhem to keep you entertained for hours. Within a short amount of time walking under the television screen-topped street, you'll likely encounter screaming butts flying overhead. Those would be the zipliners, who grabbed tickets to Slotzilla before you. You can join their ranks and zip over the street in a seated or superman style pose. 

9. Dance to some Reggae in the Desert 

Get funky with Las Vegas's largest reggae festival! General admission is $24.99 per person, making it one of the more affordable all-day music festivals. 

10. Dive-in movies at Wet'n'Wild! 

Same idea as the Dive-in movies at the Cosmo, except this time it's at Wet'n'Wild! Wet'n'Wild is a chain with several locations, so it's a little less limited to -just- Vegas, but there's definitely a lot of fun to be had between swim and screen time with the family! This will be especially appealing to those of you who don't want to be in a casino environment and the movies are much more family-friendly overall, with fun features like Moana, Despicable Me and even the Lion King (because who doesn't want to sob hysterically at the water park?)... 

Hope this provides you with some entertainment this summer!

Thanks for stopping by!

💕

XOXO,

NAU