from the traveling desk of Helaine…
While I was away I had a chance to have a very nice Seattle dinner of crab cakes and salad. It was an upscale restaurant with entertainment provided. Well, not entertainment in the usual sense. When I first arrived at the place I thought there was a concert or at least a stage show about to start. Throngs of people were lined up on the sidewalk. They were standing, facing the street 6, 7, 10 deep. I entered the building and was led to my table by the window and now I could see that all of those people were waiting for one of the buses that would stop just outside my window. Along comes a big articulated bus and opens its mouth wide as dozens slip inside. The bus clamps it big jaws shut, and the signage changes to “Sorry, Bus full” and pulls away. Bus after bus pulls up, gobbles up as many humans as it can digest and pulls away. The crowd stays the same size as just as many arrive as are allowed on the buses. For awhile I fear all of Seattle is destined to be on this street corner waiting for a bus, but slowly, as I finished my dinner, the number of people and the number of buses became less. Dinner was done and rush hour was over.
This is not the same Seattle I left 22 years ago.
