If you don’t mind a bus ride, you can go all over the place and get to water. Lincoln Park is a lovely place and you can get there on the 54 bus. You can also go to Richmond Beach… though it’s a bit longer trip.

If you’ve got a friend with a car, make them take you to Fort Casey, Mount Rainier, and Snoqualmie Falls. I never knew about those places until my boyfriend’s sisters learned to drive.

When I first got here, I felt it was a rather unfriendly place. If I said hello to somebody on the street, they acted like I wanted to kill them. Once I got to it being less friendly than, oh… say… Montrose, it’s alright.

Last night, a gentleman on the bus asked me to call his mom and tell her to warm up the oven because he was bringing dinner. I let him borrow my phone and I asked him, “Aren’t you the guy who gave me your gloves last December when it snowed and the buses hadn’t shown up in hours?” He thought for a minute and then goes, “That was YOU?!?” and then we had a conversation about how I’m form Colorado and how he spent time in Alaska where it once got to 60 below zero. So, not everybody is unfriendly.

It took me some time to warm up to Seattle. I love it now, too. Granted, it is really the pitts to rarely see my dad, but moving to Seattle was one of the best things I ever did.

I’m half way through my lunch hour, so I better get a move on, but I’ll think about if there’s anything particularly neat I think you’d enjoy about the city.

Lyla

But when you described the “smell of salt and damp earth,” I was transported back immediately.

I have a ticket out for New Years. If you’re around, we will cheers to 2010!

Now that I’ve lived in Seattle for 5 years and with Kyle in the same apartment for 3 years… it scares me to think about when we move. We want to move in a year or two to a bigger place with an extra room for family (his son, my dad, whoever).

It’s going to be a painful move. We have SO MUCH STUFF. Kyle alone has an entire closet full of action figures. I have boxes of stuff that I obviously don’t NEED because I’ve yet to unpack some of the stuff I moved here with.

I think that when we do move, it’ll be time to purge… and to buy shelves and organize.

Good luck and safe travels!

Maybe once you’re settled in, we could go do coffee sometime… because, you know, that’s the Seattle thing to do.

Besides, with the self control that has kept you out of debt this far, I can totally see you making double payments when you can.

PLUS you get to live in Seattle. I love Colorado and I’m counting he days til my boyfriend and I vacation there in September, BUT I’ll take Seattle over Denver any day of the week.

Proud of your frugality. Jealous of your freedom. Happy for your adventure ahead.

1. This made me realize that I’ve only really heard you make small talk in French. I guess I never realized that the awkwardness I picked up on wasn’t the foreign language; it was just you.

2. I’ve been surprised to find that most people are very interested in talking about Africa, particularly my Amazing Race addicted boss. My hair dresser digs it too.

3. If you do decide not to bring your car up to Seattle, definitely bring a bike. But try not to become one of those car-hating biker jerks. We have a lot of those up here.

Good topic choice. It rings very true. I’ve often felt like an utter failure at small talk since returning a l’Amerique. African small talk is superior to American small talk because people DO actually get personal, or at least the question is personal, regardless of whether the answer is an accurate. I think the key to excelling at small talk in the U.S. is embracing/becoming as obsessed as the average Joe with the minute details of your life. You know – rice milk or soy?, last night’s episode of Lost, Sierra Nevada vs. Redhook, how much tourists cramp your commuting style (ok, that’s a very personal gripe)…the stuff that isn’t too revealing and that other people relate to.

That’s my two cents. Thanks for giving me something to read during my less-than-stimulating afternoon : )