Sitting in a Starbucks in Seattle?

Typical.

Well folks, I made it - and this is going to be a long post so I can get all the updates in!

Sorry Brandon, this just HAD to be posted:)

Sunday morning was bittersweet - leaving Bozeman wasn't easy, but a great breakfast of banana bread french toast at the Cateye Cafe made my departure a little sweeter (the Cateye is pretty awesome, check out their hilarious rules here: The way of the Cateye).

The drive across Montana was pretty gross at first - the smoke was still out of control, but once I hit Western Montana and Idaho things cleared up, and my favorite part - things were green! Bozeman and eastern Montana tends to be brown (all sorts of shades of brown and sometimes a red, but brown none-the-less). I learned from Brandon that you really have to love rocks to fully appreciate the beauty - I don't love rocks... so apparently, I don't get it. But western Montana was a whole different story - I get the west end of the state and Idaho because its so green (way more trees) (and it was an added bonus when the smoke cleared up).

Since it was a two day drive from Bozeman to Seattle, I spent the night in a small Idaho town, Coeur D'Alene - which I absolutely loved. The Coeur D'Alene lake is absolutely beautiful and huge. I was fortunate enough to catch the sunset over the water on the longest floating boardwalk in the world!

While I watched the sunset, I also loved watching people enjoy the water. There were tons of boats, water airplanes (do those have a name?), and wave runners (which instantly reminded me of this Daniel Tosh standup - see below).

I also got a chance to wander around town, and made a new friend, Mudgy the Moose.

The next morning, I packed up and began the final leg of my journey. Horrible standstill traffic on I-90 welcomed me to the city, but it wasn't all bad because I could admire my new home from a distance and enjoy the beautiful views of the mountains surrounding Seattle. After the traffic let up, I made my way into town and found my host, Derek's, house. I was delighted to discover that coffee is actually the talk of the town. Derek, who has lived in Seattle for the last 10 years, taught me a ton about the Seattle coffee industry and the coffee way of life. I quickly discovered, I have much to learn about coffee and Seattle in general (example - its not Pike's Place, but Pike Place - I'm glad Derek gently corrected me on that one before someone else corrected me in a not-so-nice way).

After freezing my butt off all night (it feels like fall here already, and I'm totally unprepared for that game), Derek cooked me a fantastic vegetarian breakfast and I made my way over to my new apartmen! I quickly found the not-much-to-look-at brick building, in the so called "seedy part of town" and met my landlord, Al and roommate Joe for the first time. Al is a really great guy who is putting a lot of faith in my taking me on as a tenant without a job (yet) (wouldn't have been possible without Joe convincing him I'm a decent human being - thanks friend!). Joe and I instantly hit it off, I already knew he was a cool dude, but lucky for me, Joe is  one of those people you instantly feel comfortable with and I knew that this was going to work out just fine.

Here's the details: I'm comfortably nestled between Capitol Hill (the nightlife, shopping, party, young people district) and the International District. I'm also not far from Pike Place (NOT Pike's Place) which is where the infamous market is. See the small yellow box on the map? Thats home!

So, more about this seedy part of town business. The neighborhood is a mix of low income family housing, and then young people (such as myself) who want a cheap place near the life of the city. According to my neighbors (who are awesome girls, Al only takes on tenants he gets along with, so genuine, nice folks like himself) though, it's still pretty safe - just don't wander around at night alone, or leave your place or car unlocked (I can't help but be a little paranoid about my brand-spankin'-new Kia Soul though). It's nice and quiet at night though (except the occasional airplane overhead), which I love.

The apartment itself is on the ground floor at the front of the building. It's got a nice living room space, a small kitchen (with all the storage built vertically, so I have to purchase a step-stool for my miniature 5'2" self), and a pretty standard bathroom. The bedrooms on the other hand were a little tricky to work out - one is about double the size of the other. Since I have way less stuff than Joe (who needed a truck to move), I took the ity bitty bedroom. The place is unfurnished, so, I had to quickly get my hands on a mattress while Joe still had the truck rental. I felt kind of like Goldylocks trying to find the right size mattress though - a king would completely fill the room, a queen also wouldn't leave me space, and even a full wouldn't leave me much room to live and breathe but a twin is just too tiny). My solution? A futon! I found a $350 IKEA one that was maybe used 3 or 4 times on craigslist for $60! Deal of the century? YES. It's the perfect size for my little room, and folds up into a comfy sofa for the daytime. Problem solved.

Today, I had to hunt down some other furniture. Since I'm still very unemployed, and craigslist was less than helpful, I went straight to the Goodwill. I looked at every bedside table and was sorely disappointed in my findings, but just as I was giving up all hope and walking out the door, I found it! Someone had literally just dropped off a beautiful antique trunk right in my price range. The exterior has just the right amount of wear-and-tear, and the interior is stunning (and smell free - which isn't easy to find). Sadly though, the lady who helped me lug it out to my car shut and latched it shut, and I can't get back into it without a locksmith. Boo.



Anyway, that is a pretty thorough update on my new life in Seattle (thanks for reading all the way to the end!). But, just because I'm here and the driving is done doesn't mean the adventure is over! No by a long shot. I have tons of silly tourist things to do, and more importantly, real person things - like unpacking, finding a job and hopefully friends.

For now though, back to my first cup of Seattle Starbucks coffee.