Rags's Biz Talk posts

The Heart of the Matter... Um...Seattle.

Where is the heart of Seattle? It seems as if there are lots of folks (here in Seattle - with all our Microsofts, Starbucks, Boeings, Amazons, and Nordstroms wannabees) energy who think their project, or, their lives are worth my time. I am writing this because I wanted to "change my presence on social media" and I need an address AND ADVICE. Here's a thought; Seattle is truly a vibrant community that is bucking the economic changes pretty well. Sure we just lost the fifth largest bank in the states; Washington Mutual with 5000 jobs lost in a week... but this city keeps trucking on. At one time, just months ago, our suburb of Bellevue had almost half of the building cranes west of the Mississippi working and active at the same time. Those cranes have finished their work and now we have an instant high-rise city on the east side of Lake Washington (5 miles from downtown Seattle). Don't worry Seattle, South Lake Union has a lot of them now. There are two bridges that float on that lake - Bill Gates lives under one of them... kind of. One bridge runs through Mercer island and if you have a business there you are in every phonebook; east side and west side, so the phone company thinks that is the heart of Seattle. The point is, I recently asked my billionaire ex-girlfriend (we are still friends) where the "heart of Seattle is?" She should know. She works for a grocery store chain and trains all their checkers as her day-job. She has seen damn near every store and every neighborhood for 4 counties and all of western Washington. We call western Washington that because the Cascade mountains separate us from the agricultural eastern side. She did not name Bellevue and Medina (the neighborhood where Bill Gates, and a half-dozen other billionaires live. She didn't name Alki Beach, or, Portage bay where Sleepless in Seattle was filmed. She didn't name Pioneer Square where the television show Frazier seems based. She didn't name the University District or, First Hill where the television show Gray's Anatomy seems based. The heart of Seattle runs down Madison. She quickly said Madison and 23rd, then she changed it to Madison and 15th. Her first thought that it was Madison Valley which can look across the lake at Bill's House and then re-thought it was a part of Capitol Hill. Both micro-neighborhoods lack one thing; the intrusion of construction. Sure there is renovation but it is without destruction. We all kind of know Broadway is going to be different soon. Different in a destroyed way. Personally, I think the very heart of Seattle is off Madison and is the Value Village next to the Stranger and across from the Crypt. Possibly, as a matter of dwellings, it is on 12th and East John. Or, as some would argue, it is above the taco place in Fremont that stares at the back of Lenin's head. As I am looking for a place to call my office/home. Any ideas as to where the heart of Seattle is? Listen to this as you respond: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLgUuHl2xJo