Geoff Duncan

The karmic wheel of motor vehicle operation in Seattle does go 'round. It is possible to find street parking in Seattle's Capital Hill within a few blocks of your destination, then discover the parking meter for your spot is reading FAIL so you don't have to feed quarters or worry about getting a ticket. Whee!

But the karmic wheel continues to turn while you're cozily parked in Capital Hill, and later it will take you half an hour to get from Capital Hill to Queen Anne, and then an hour to get from Sea-Tac Airport (which I've been affectionately calling "Sleestack Airport" for years) back home again.

In Queen Anne, four-way stops don't apply to BMWs, and pedestrian laws don't apply to frizzy-headed women in spandex tights carrying rolled-up yoga matts. (Like ducks, the latter randomly cross the street mid-block in heavy traffic, moving slowly and in small groups led by the largest of their number, with one lone yoga-wannabe straggling behind.)

Seattle is a city justly famed for its coffee and easily-available good quality Thai cuisine. But if you decide to get dinner at a normally great Thai restaurant after 9 PM, you might just get served instant coffee. (Although, the food was fine!)

I saw the silver Hummer H2 with the reverse-rotating wheel rims and Ralph Nader for President window sticker again. I think it lives in my neighborhood.