Capitol Hill, Seattle Y'all

Hmm. Ya. well lately I've been starting off my entries with just this kind of lackadaisical humdrum; like uh duhh stupid dilly dong hum diddly. Like I don't know what to write. What to write, like. What to write. Kind of like my life - don't know how or what to live; don't know what to write. Funny how that works?

Art imitates life. Or is it life imitates art? Both ways?

I still don't have a functioning computer - I'm having to get online at various locations in Seattle. The library, the f-cking college, my sister's house, etc. If I were plotting some hacker-strike or something, or communicating with a terrorist cell, it'd be pretty hard to track me. Or at least hard to collect the evidence. Perhaps it's a good thing also, because I might spend too much time dilly-dallying if I were online in my apartment. Who knows, I might get addicted to porn or something nefarious and unhealthy. Or online gambling. Or...some stupid site like this.

My apartment is so boring and lonely and dim and shadowy, I even have a hard time reading a book. The quietude is distracting. That's what it is - tangible quiet. Quietness writ large. Or, simply put, loneliness.

I have better success at the coffee shop. True Seattleite, eh? Vivace 'Roasteria' is my usual haunt. Also Bau Haus down on Pike Street, where I went earlier today. A pretty happening spot. It has a bunch of outside seats, which contributes to a casual sort of street cafe vibe. People walking by on the sidewalk, saying hi. Its near those quirky Pike Street club/bars and hip clothing stores, the hipness percolating or maybe just seeping down from that scene.

A more eclectic crowd, at Bau Haus. Vivace's a bit more conservative. I couldn't tell which was more gay - it probably depends on time of day and week - Bau Haus, perhaps.

Vivace espresso is definitely superior, however. Frankly, I don't know if there is anywhere comparable in the state, the northwest, the entire west coast possibly. I'm sure San Fran and L.A. have some bomb espresso joints, too though. Vivace is wonderful. I wrote about it in a prior entry. My favorite. They've got espresso down to a science. That's the sort of Seattle sophisticate spin they've got (the founder was a Boeing engineer). Like, they control for temperature and every little thing, and of course they roast their own beans. The founder guy builds his own machines, too; designs them. Plus, if you pay attention you will see that unlike most places; Starbucks being one, Vivace uses manual machines. So there is a constant wrist-action racket back and forth from the barista. Authenticity...ahhhh. Indeed.

Their roast is mild, I would say - compared to Starbucks, for example - very mild and subtle. But delicious. Even if you ask for a triple or a quad - sometimes they'll give you a quad shot above a triple for the hell of it - the cup is still mild and delicious, slightly nutty, and creamy. Not bitter. Love it. Good shit. Above that, they even pay attention to the milk. People tend not to consider it, but with a latte, you're drinking mostly milk anyway, so why not make sure its the best? They use hormone-free milk, which I believe definitely tastes better. I suspect they will switch to organic milk one of these days. Then again, many people drink soy lattes anyhow.

So that's the scoop. Capitol Hill in the hid-ouse fools! No doubt. I do like where I live, yes.


-d.g.w. 5/15/07