Jeff offered to take us into the south lands of Seattle. This is where the poor and impoverished of Seattle reside. It is known as the Rainier Valley and encompasses a large number of townships. Rather than talk about where we specifically went, I am just going to touch on some of the more interesting events, stories, and whatnots of the day. To rehash the whole day would take me pages. Lets just say that it started with Jeff saying we would hit maybe 3 or 4. By the end we had hit 9 (not all in Rainier Valley.) It was a hard day of drinking. I had no idea that we were even capable of hitting 9 places, let alone this late in the quest.
Jeff picked up Jason and I at 2 PM and then we ventured first to Rose Peddles. On the drive there Jeff told us about this bar owner he used to talk to in the area. There were two bars across the street from each other, one a full bar, the other tavern (beer and wine only.) These places were in the poor end of the Ranier Valley (and that is saying something.) In the first week, all the patrons would drinking in the Tavern, drinking relatively good beer. In the second week they would move to the bar and drink cheap liquor. In the third week they would be back in the Tavern drinking cheap beer. In the fourth week both places would be empty. Then on the first of the month the government checks would arrive and it would begin again all over again. It goes like this every month.
I was amazed, but with the exception of Rose Peddles, all of the places we went to in the Valley were not the divey hell holes I expected them to be. Most of them were clean and family like and the only down side to them was the neighborhood. I would not return to most of them again, but I would not shy away if I was in the area. The main reason I would go back to the south end is for this bakery. I don’t know the name (hopefully Jason or Jeff will list it.) The food was amazing and incredibly cheap. I will be coming back down here if only for $1 loaves of fresh bread, amazing pastries, and I can even buy pumpernickel. I have been looking for fresh pumpernickel bread for 3 years and now I find it in the Ranier Valley. We each had a bag of stuff that we had bought from this place. The éclair and berry tart was excellent, as was the potato bread. Jeff bought a $2 lemon meringue pie and Jason got some sort of pastry.
After the South End, Jeff dropped me off at home so that I could pick up my car and then I was to go to Jason’s house to watch a bad B movie called Galaxina. Galaxina is one of my father’s favorite movies because of Dorothy Stratten. Dorothy Stratten was Playboy Playmate of the year in 1980 (or so) who was murdered in the mid-80s. It’s most notable and perhaps only attraction is this gag they do throughout the movie. They are searching for something called the Blue Star, however whenever someone says it, this choir of voices goes “ah AH” in the background. It is very strange. I had told Jason about the “ah AH” and we had been doing it for about a week. I didn’t remember just how bad the movie was and when we finally watched it, we both ended up asleep about halfway through.
When I was home, I dropped off my note pad, got changed, and pretty much decided I wasn’t going out again. I get to Jason’s with the movie I rented and he tells me that Jeff has decided that he is up for more, possibly even enough to break the record. I should have nipped this in the bud, but I was weak and we went out. I am still not sure where we went. I don’t have the notes in my pad and hopefully I haven’t lost them. I’ll have to look for them when I get home.
So our trip into the southern lands was not as bad as I was expecting but we still have some really questionable places that need hitting. Most specifically we need to go to Oscar’s two. I think that going there on a Saturday at about 2PM is probably our best bet. I don’t know if I actually need to be worried about being white, or if it just in my imagination. So far, we have had no race related hostility, although we did get gringoed in South Park. It just occurred to me. I wonder if the two specialty drinks were $8 each and the well drinks were $4. Hmmm. I hope that I haven’t been bad mouthing them for the wrong reason. Oh well.
So we did 9 bars in about 8 hours. There was stopping and eating and driving and lots of Jeff and Jason pointing out landmarks of their youth. It was interesting, but for me, it felt more like an tour bus with cocktails. “And on your left you’ll see the new track and field at the school Jason and I attended together.” “Here you will find a place with nachos” “There is where I used to get sandwiches everyday during 3rd period.” It was all very exciting. I can appreciate a walk down memory lane, but ultimately it means very little to me.
My favorite bit of continuity throughout the day was the Titans playoff game that was on in each place that we visited. It would take us about 10 or 15 minutes to go from place to place and we would watch the score jump while we were gone. Ironically, the game ended when we were at the one place that did not have the game on the tube. Oh well.
So that was my day. It was long, it was fun, I discovered a new bakery, and I now remember why Galaxina is such a bad movie. A full on commendation needs to go out to Jeff who picked up all 9 sponsorships of this day. That is a sponsorship of Herculean proportions. I am just flabbergasted. Thanks Jeff.
-wOOt