Yep, that’s Seattle alright. This is the view I see everyday from the parking garage where I retrieve our MINI Cooper. The view is looking north from an area of town called SODO, South Of DOwntown. About 100 years ago this entire area was under about 20 feet of water. As the city grew at the turn of the century, the water was backfilled with landfill allowing new businesses to get established. Unfortunately this makes it a not so great area to be during earthquakes. If you squint your eyes you can see the Space Needle along the horizon. The tallest building in Seattle is the Columbia Tower at 76 stories, the Space Needle is 605 feet versus the 967 of the Columbia Tower.
The city was incorporated in 1869, but didn’t officially arrive on the international scene until 1991. That year I attended college at the University of Washington and Nirvana’s Nevermind hit record stores. I had a love for cozy button shirts made of thick materials. All of my friends wanted to be just like me so they too began to wear these warm garments around the Emerald City. It took 2-3 years, but eventually everyone adopted my style in what was commonly referred to as the "Grunge Look". And the rest is history. Man, Seattle is a great city. Come visit and see for yourself!
*photo taken with my bitching Samsung A960 camera phone.
You could be a tour guide for your next gig….
Trick – yep, I know so much about this wonderful town of ours. It must be nauseating for the newbies to town.
So YOU are the one who is behind the Lands End look? Or is it J. Crew? Hmmm…maybe it’s more like lumberjacks? Whichever it is, I’m TOTALLY behind it – thank you!!!
I hope to see Seattle sometime. BikeHunk has a brother that lives just outside Seattle in Bremmerton. They visited us this summer, so next I hope we’ll go there to visit them!!
So not true. I’m pretty sure it was a famous guy named Eddie Bauer that make flannel shirts popular. Duh.
Evil Genius – I can’t accept responsibility for the weird stuff they display in Land’s End. I do have a degree in Forestry so maybe one could call me a lumberjack. You like flannel lined jeans?
Hey, Bremerton is just across the water from Seattle. My brother used to live there. Tons of great biking BikeHunk’s brother lives.
Sprizee – what do you know? Eddie Bauer was formed in 1920 (I was off by a year in my head, but did fact check first) and nobody adopted the coolness of flannel until I introduced it to my friends and the world.
I’m hopping on the next plane! Any chance of a cafe creme chez toi?
ChickyBabe – chez moi? I don’t know about that one. If you mean “chez toi” as in Seattle, most certainly. Je pense que tu dois parler avec ma conjoint (un mot quebecoise). Elle t’adore plus que moi.
Well then is was the Brawny Man. Or Bill Cosby. Definitely one of those guys.
Sprizee – do you suppose there are people who don’t know either of those characters you mentioned?
I’d love to visit. Chances are….we will
I’ll give ya a holla’!!
No. Besides, it wasn’t either of those people. It has to be Mr. Whipple.
P.S. Don’t squeeze the Charmin.
I thought immagrants popularized that look, wow, the things you learn here! I’m so glad that kid from Aberdeen followed your lead so he was ready of fame, or well, maybe not.
Kerry – visitors? Yes, we love visitors here. Give me a holler and I will hook you up with gobs of stuff to do.
Sprizee – Mr. Whipple is so cool. Hey, you know those bears on the cartoon Charmin tv ads? We just figured out why they use bears. Yes, we’re very smart. Bears and bare bottoms. So logical.
Logo – what’s up with your immigrants talk? I know you can spell “immigrant” correctly. Focus Logo™, focus! See, I made a trip to Aberdeen in the summer of 1991 and discovered a cool band. I then introduced the boys to a friend working at Sub Pop Records. The rest darling… is history.
Did you take your Happy Pill this morning?
The rest of us are suffering from a sudden onset of Seasonal Attitude Disorder. (or whatever SAD or SADD stands for, I’ve given up on caring.)
Libby – do I seem upbeat? Perhaps it’s because I’m going out of town for four days tomorrow. Don’t give up!
Dude, you were a flannel wearing grunge man!! ha ha ha ha.
Did they put something new where the Seattle Chocolates building (destroyed in the big quake of 2001 and right up the block from you) yet?
Nice photo
ha
I have been to seattle once it was nice and very hospitable. Not into the grunge look
Eunice – yes, that’s right next to my building. They knocked it down a couple years ago and replaced it with a really cool drive thru Starbucks. It’s very handy for me and my co-workers. I think I took a picture of it once and posted it on my blog.
Phats – you love it when I wear flannel, I know you do.
Interesting. I’ve always claimed my husband invented the Grunge look, as he wore nothing but flannel shirts for the first five years I knew him. Well, and jeans. Old grungy ones. I also always thought his not getting proper due for the trend was because we lived in West Virginia at the time and were contantly getting dissed – as a PEOPLE – based on geography.
Now, I know the truth. Thanks for clearing that up.
Great pictures (and totally awesome that you are plugging your new phone). My husband and I were just in Portland in September for a friend’s wedding – very pretty up in that area. But we didn’t make it to Seattle even thought we both wanted to. Maybe next time.
You like all their pretty songs and you like to sing along and you like to shoot your gun but you don’t know what it means.
(Anita, to herself): Is it uncouth to mention he un-linked me, thereby making it seem like I care? Or should I hide behind my tough blogger image and resist the urge to allow myself to be slightly irked he had no faith in my return? Hmmmm. What would Jesus do?
Jennifer – the truth is out there…. Perhaps there are more “truths” of Seattle history to come. Hey, I’ve never been to West Virginia. Give me a few reasons I should go. Thanks.
Amanda – Portland is home away from home for me. I lived there for 18 months and have visited the Rose City since birth. My grandparents lived in Vancouver, WA and many of my college friends live there today. I wouldn’t have any qualms with moving there. Great post-college memories. Got to plug the phone somehow.
Anita – (swoon) meow! Hell, I had no idea if you would come back or not so I slashed your link. You can see I love you so much that your back up. I’m relieved to see you know your Nirvana lyrics. (/swoon) Critical Mass boys have nothin’ on me cuz I got a motor in the back of my Honda.
Great little history lesson there Egan!
Well, mostly I just came to throw food tonight.
*whips a maple muffin across the blog*
WOO HOO!!!
You started the cardigan craze? Now we know who to blame. I can remember getting an EP of a little group called Soundgarden in 1989. I had no idea it would all get huge. Yes kiddies, that’s when they had an Asian bass player.
This is some cool stuff, Egan.
Celeste – isn’t it a convincing story? See how I weaved fiction and fact like the truely creative person I am. I’ve always loved Show & Tell sessions.
Tall Chick – be careful where you throw that muffin, the Freegans are hungry.
The Grunt – I will take the blame for anything shitty which happens to escape the 206 area code. Soundgarden ruled. Oh, the memories when Grunge was legendary. Glad you enjoyed me version of Seattle history.
Samsungs rock!
I enjoy these bits of information. I knew you have influenced the fashion world in other ways than just FKT!
Oh, there’s this one guy going to the same gym I do that looks EXACTLY like you, Egan. He has bit different haircut than you have in most of your pictures. The funniset thing is that he rides a Cannondale cyclocross (I think it’s one of those..) bike! I’m going to ask if he’s into triathlon when I see him next time.. lol
Dobermann – you can also ask him if he like movies about gladiators or if he’s ever seen a grown man naked. Both are a way to find out if he’s me or not. I’m a huge fan of the movie Airplane so he should smile when you quote the movie. Is tall and very muscular? I’m a ripped specimen.
For an outdoors adventurer athletic type like yourself, West Virginia would be a literal playground. World-class white water. Bridge Day. Best skiing this side of the Mighty Mississippi. Mountains, mountains everywhere, and endless trails to trek – by foot or wheel. All capped off by some of the most breathtaking scenery in the whole of the USA. You’d absolutely love it, I have no doubt.
Jennifer – wow, you should work for the state’s tourism agency. I’m sold.
He seems to be average, but quite fit. I will make a list what to ask next time. He might think I’m gay because I was first looking at him and then smiling and not looking at him.
So, if it’s you, I’m not having crush on you, I just thought it was you. Got it?
Flannel lined jeans – you betcha!! But particularly flannel boxers…oh yeah…LOL
That’s exactly what I meant, chez toi, in Seattle, if they have cafe creme.
a lot a good music sure did come outta Seattle thats for SURE!