seattle in the nude

Where do I even begin...first of all, if you haven't been to Seattle, you must go.  I loved it.  Every second of it.  If it weren't for this tour, I am not sure if I would have ever visited Seattle.  I am so glad I got to do and see what I did last week.  This part of our country is amazing.   GO THERE.  Take a plane, train, car or even a bus... you have to see it.  And, its not as rainy as they say it is.  In fact, I am convinced that is just what they tell everyone to keep the whole country from moving there.  It only rained one afternoon, while I was there.  The secret is out!

My first full day in Seattle, I ventured off bright and early to attend a local Anusara class.  Its my favorite way to start off in a new city.  It gives me a destination point to start from.  I meet new people in class, experience their yoga community (aka: kula), and walk away with some pretty great recommendations on where to go and what to see.  Like-minded people give good recco's.  Class was fantastic, as usual.  The teacher, Rainey, was very clear and concise.  She kept coming back to the idea that we all have the capability to have a 6th sense, the sense of wonder.  Its more about if we want to tap into this sense or not.    I will talk more about this idea in class, some day.  I want to share this perspective with students back home.  Its very cool to relate this to our practice on the mat and how that effects every day life.  Rainey had an eloquent approach to weaving this into a challenging and fun practice.  I learned a lot from her. 

As I crossed one of the many bridges in Seattle on my way back from class, I spotted the infamous Space Needle!  The view that morning was breath-taking... the water, the marinas lining the shore, the city skyline... It was pretty overwhelming, even.  I wanted to pull over and take a closer look, but it was almost impossible from where I was in traffic.  Instead, I rolled down all the windows, opened the sun roof and drove all the way back blaring the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack and singing at the top of my lungs.  Oh yeah, there was car dancing going on, too.  I was enjoying the yoga euphoria on a gorgeous Seattle morning :)

Later that day, a co-worker and I hit up the Space Needle to soak up more of that incredible view I saw earlier, then explored around the Pike Place Market.  Both were a lot of fun.  From the top of the Space Needle, you get an awesome view of the city with Mount Rainier hovering in the background.  Pretty amazing.  That mountain looks like it is floating, from the city view.  The market was total entertainment.   There is a seafood section where they toss fish from person to person, hooting and hollering just like in the movies.  It was cool to see that.  I couldn't tell if they were serious or in character, half the time!  After bumming around the city, we met up with my co-worker's friends for some drinks and fresh oysters.  At dinner, I tried the Copper River salmon, which is "in season" right now.  Apparently, this type of salmon swims through the coldest part of the river, giving it a distinct color, flavor and texture.  Tasted pretty darn good to me!

On day two, I ventured off to Crescent Bar on the Columbia River to spend a few days with some family friends.  It was so nice to get out of the city and borrow some quality family time.  Crescent Bar is similar in nature to what we do at the lake, relaxing by the water and tooling around by boat.  People usually go there for short weekend get-aways, during the summer months.  We had such a good time.  We stayed up late, walked down to the coffee shop in the morning, played with the little ones, laid by the pool... It was good to kick back and relax in a family-oriented atmosphere.  I am lucky they let me crash their party :)  When we got back to Seattle, we went on a short hike to check out Snoqualmie Falls.  This waterfall was just minutes away and has a larger drop than Niagara Falls!  I am so grateful that I got to experience Washington with them.  It made my week.  Thanks again, Mary Ellen!

Let's see, what else...I am forgetting something... OH YEAH, THE NAKED PARADE!  Our event last week was at the Fremont Festival, Saturday and Sunday.  Fremont is a very cool, hip & trendy, fun area in Seattle, where lots of young people hang out.  There are lots of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and marinas nearby.  The streets are very alive and active in this area.  Every year, they have a festival to kick off summer.  The festivities start with a Saturday morning parade, the naked parade.  So really, they call it the "Summer Solstice Fremont Parade" or something like that...but really, it's the naked parade.  Naked people everywhere.  Just riding around with their naked bodies painted, riding bicycles and following the floats like its an everyday thing.  The funny thing is, no one even seemed to notice or care.  In fact, at one point I realized I was the only one looking around like, "hey, are you guys seeing what I am seeing?!"  Everyone else was just watching the floats go by as if there weren't naked people on bikes in between each float.  I am not sure what the point is, or how this tradition started, but I know it was pretty funny to watch.  After the parade, people just put their clothes on and walked around like nothing ever happened.  The rest of the festival was just like any other.  The people of Seattle were just as great as their city depicts.  Friendly, diverse, creative, inquisitive.  I liked working with this crowd.  There is a distinct culture to this city. Almost like it has its own beat.  I like Seattle's rhythm, that's for sure.  

Another cool part about the festival was a drop by visit from an old friend from teacher training, Amy.  Her family recently moved to Seattle last Winter and she came by to say hello Saturday morning.  It was so good to see her and catch up for a few minutes.  It was pretty brief, since I was working, but we did get to do a few minutes of yoga together.  So good to see her!

As you have probably noticed, my time in Seattle was very much appreciated and enjoyed.  Like I said earlier, its one of those cities you have to experience to get the whole picture.  The photos don't do it justice - not even close.  There is a certain originality behind the abundance of nature and city mixed together in Seattle.  The huge green trees, the water, the fresh seafood, the long summer days, the naked people everywhere (hehe), the great yoga community, everything... it was a wonderful week in Seattle.

GO THERE! 

The Space Needle

Downtown Seattle (Mt. Ranier top right)

Pike Place Market

Copper River Salmon - in season this time of year

First Starbucks EVER

Fresh market flowers 

Yoga with a view!

Mary Ellen and me at Crescent Bar

Snoqualmie Falls