Laila Lalami

On Monday we drove all the way from Seattle to Ashland. We made very few stops along the way, and got to Ashland at about 5. We walked to Bloomsbury Books and looked around. I found the complete stories of Flannery O’Connor in one volume, so I bought it. I started reading it that same night. She’s probably one of my favorite short story writers–she observes all her characters with the same merciless eye.
Tuesday was another full day of driving, from Ashland, Oregon to Santa Rosa, California. We took only one detour, and that was to Mount Shasta, which was amazing this time of year. It was again a very sunny, warm day, but there was snow still. We took a short hike on the snow, and then ate lunch on a log. The birds kept swooping down trying to steal our food, so we had to finish quickly.
We arrived at my sister’s house around 6 pm, and spent the evening playing with the kids.

This was probably the most enjoyable day we had in Seattle. We took a walking tour of Pioneer Square, starting with a ride on the trolley. The Seahawks were playing, so a lot of people were riding the trolley with us, heading towards the stadium. We started by walking up to Smith Tower, where we rode an antique Otis elevator to the Chinese Room and Observation Deck. When it was built, Smith Tower was the tallest building outside of New York. Now it is still an imposing skyscraper, which houses a variety of businesses and law firms. The Chinese Room is so called because at the time that the building was going up, the Empress of China offered to decorate one floor. Unfortunately all that remains of the original decor is the impressive wood ceilings and a few chairs (one of which was being used by the guy who sold us the tickets–I felt like saying: dude, you’re sitting on an antique! Get up and get a regular chair!) The observation deck is completely cased in to prevent people from jumping off, but there are plenty of big enough openings to take good pictures. It was a very sunny day, as were the other days we were in Seattle, amazingly enough.
After Smith Tower, we took the underground tour, which takes you on a walk through the old streets of Seattle (where Seattle used to be before the great fire of 1889.) Because the good city folks saw no reason to halt the rebuilding while they were deciding on city streets, the whole town was rebuilt on the same level, and then new streets and sidewalks were then added (at a raised level). So the building owners had to take that into account, and create two entrances, one for post-1889, and one for later. Once the new streets and sidewalks were put in (which took years) building owners simply moved their entrances one floor up and condemned all the doors and windows on the level below.
The tour is largely based on a book called “Sons of the Profits”, which at the time it came out was banned by the Seattle School District, making it of course an instant bestseller. Our guide was very funny. He had us step under skylights (which on the regular street level look just like clear glass squares) and yell “Help!”. None of the pedestrians heard us. He said even when they do hear you they don’t think of looking down.
Later we met with our friends and had dinner and dessert in the Capitol Hill area.

On Saturday we hung out with two of our friends who were in town. We read. We played chess. And then at night we went to see the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall. I was quite impressed. They performed two pieces by Sibelius and one by Brahms, and they were fabulous. For whatever reason, the name Benaroya sounds Moroccan to me, but Jack Benaroya probably traces his ancestry somewhere else.

We rode the Monorail to the Experience the Music Project today. When we got there we discovered that the price of admission was $20 per person. A bit stiff for a museum, but it was sort of an all-day experience, so it was worth it. They gave us walkmen, and we could point the device at any artifact in the exhibits and hear more about it. There were also lots of songs you could listen to, of course, and you could bookmark them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean you can then buy a CD made of the MP3s you bookmarked, so I’m not sure why they provided the feature. The Jimi Hendrix exhibit was particularly impressive, as was the interactive exhibit on the top floor, where you could learn to play instruments. I found out that I was more of a drums sort of a girl and that I sucked at the piano. We also tried our hand at vocals (”Smells like teen spirit”). Yes, we were awful.
By the time we finished, it was already getting dark so we hurried over to get dinner before catching the latest James Bond in the downtown area.

On Thursday, we left Portland for Seattle, though not before making one small detour: Multnomah Falls. We went there rather early, so we had breakfast at a lodge at the foot of the falls.
After crossing the Columbia River, we stopped in Fort Vancouver, Washington, which used to serve as a supply post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The educational materials were helpful, but of course brushed over what must have been tense relationships with Native Americans, who were hired to hunt beavers and other animals for their skins. According to the materials and video, everyone got along just fine. They probably held hands and sang Kumbaya.
We arrived in Seattle at about 2 in the afternoon, and checked into our bed and breakfast, Salisbury House. We chose the place because Mena had stayed there and seemed to like it, so we thought why not. The house was built in 1904 and has a fantastic layout, with large bay windows.
We unpacked and then headed over to Pike Place Market. We strolled around and found a Greek place called The Athenian. We tried it (I had the halibut, Alex had the calamari), and his dish was absolutely awful. And boy was it smoky. It reminded me how much I like the no smoking policy in California. Anyway, after that we walked over to the Seattle Art Museum, where much to our pleasant surprise, they had a Frida Kahlo exhibit. We had missed the show when it was in L.A., so we enthusiastically bought tickets and walked around. It was great! I’ve always loved her work, though I didn’t like the new movie they did about her (too hollywood). The rest of the Museum was unfortunately not that impressive, though it made up for it in eclecticism.
We drove back to Capitol Hill, the neighborhood where our bed and breakfast was located, and had a late dinner at the Broadway Grill. Everything we ordered was great, so it made up for the Athenian.

We took the car to Washington Park today and visited the Japanese Garden. It was very reminiscent of some of the gardens we saw along the Philosopher’s Stroll in Kyoto. The park was actually quite large, and breathtakingly beautiful, especially now that it’s fall and all the warm reds and yellows were mixing with the greens.
Later we drove around and happened upon a sign that said Pittock Mansion, so we went ahead and took the road leading there. It was a good idea, as the house is very much part of the history of Portland. It was built by Henry Pittock, one of the owners of the Oregonian newspaper. The grounds were especially impressive, with views of Mount Hood and other Oregon peaks. Highlights of the house itself include light switches, an intercom system, and an electric dumb waiter (the house was completed in 1914!)
By nightfall we met with one of Alex’s hiking buddies (from the PCT Trail) and we went to Kennedy School. This used to be an elementary school and then it was bought over and turned into a bed and breakfast, restaurant, bar, movie theatre, etc. If you’ve ever wanted to have a drink in the detention room, this is the place for you. The restaurant was pretty good.

Today we went to the Old Town/Chinatown area and walked around, visiting a few art and photo galleries. It had stopped raining, but it was still cloudy, though not cold at all. It was almost balmy. Or maybe it was just the layers I had on that made me feel that way. From Old Town, we walked a few blocks to the Central Library, where we are checking email and where I’m writing this. We’re planning on going to the Portland Art Museum, then to check out the legendary Powell’s (which, they say, is the largest bookstore in the states), and then to buy a couple of gifts for our nephews (probably at Finnegan’s). We don’t have umbrellas, and still have to buy some before the next rain. Tonight, we’re supposed to go see Aimee Mann in concert at the Crystal Ballroom. I’m not sure when I’m going to have access again, but I’ll update the site with day entries through the end of the trip.

After a long, restful night, we packed up and got ready to leave Ashland. The proprietess served our breakfast in the “garden room,” which was a bright, well-appointed room, with Victorian decor. We took off on Interstate 5, stopping along the way in tiny little places (Curtin, Cottage Grove, Eureka) until we reached the Portland area. We stopped for gas and again had to remind ourselves not to pump our own gas. It’s sort of embarassing to have the attendant do it for you, but that’s how it is in Oregon. We knew we were getting closer because it started raining. Portland has a nice skyline, but there are also some rather industial-looking bridges and overpasses that take away from the beautiful architecture of some of the monuments. We checked into our hotel and took the lightrail to the downtown area. It’s so neat that Portland has public transportation–not something we’re used to in L.A. at all. We walked around and explored the area (no sales tax! how great is that?), eating dinner at a cute French brasserie and then walking over to a movie theatre. We saw “Igby goes down” which we had missed when it had come out in L.A. Loved it. Then we took the lightrail back to our hotel and started planning our next day.

We left my sister’s house in the San Francisco area later than we had anticipated. Someone was having a rave in her neighborhood, and the music was on all night, so it was hard to get any sleep. We took smaller roads and highways to reach the interstate, passing through the Petrified Forest, although we didn’t stop because the park was closed. The windy road was quite beautiful and the scenery well worth the slow down. We stopped for breakfast at a tiny town called Maxwell and had breakfast at a mom and pop’s place called Topsie’s. We ordered chicken-fried steak and eggs for breakfast (indulgent!), which Topsie served to us, all the while calling “baby” or “babies.” We reached Interstate 5 at about 9 am, stopping in the town of Corning at a place called the Olive Pit, where we tasted different olive oils. I was surprised to see that they carried a Moroccan brand, which tasted somewhat nutty. So I bought a couple of bottles. Then we continued along, stopping again right after Lake Shasta which was just about the biggest lake I’ve seen. And quite beautiful too. The tree leaves varied from green to brown to red to yellow. After that, we continued all the way to the town of Ashland, which is right at the border between California and Oregon. We checked into our bed and breakfast and explored the town. It was pretty quiet because it was a Sunday. Ashland has a reputation for being liberal, and I saw quite a few signs that said “Invade Iraq? No!” and so on. We had dinner at a little neighborhood restaurant, this time sticking with salad. And then we went back to our room and listened to some classical music until bedtime.

Alex and I will be taking a long road trip through northern California, Oregon, and Washington over the next couple of weeks. Blogging may (probably will be) sporadic, as I have left my computer at home. I’m not sure how I will be able to handle being without internet or e-mail access for so long, but we shall see.