Withness The Rebirth of the Fremont Art Walk

Today is your opportunity to witness the rebirth of the Fremont Art Walk other wise known as First Friday. Fremont which has long boasted a strong grounding in the arts and an active artist community, has somehow come loose from that mooring to float around a bit, awash in the new landscape of buildings and people that flowed into the neighborhood following the construction of several commercial buildings in the area.

As a result, Fremont is presently in a state of renewal; busily finding clever ways to keep its artistic heart’s blood circulating through the changed landscape. The Art Walk is an old tradition in the neighborhood that has gotten a bit sluggish with disuse. Thus, the newly-minted chairs of the Fremont Art Walk, LaRae and Cory Lobdell are heading up the effort getting things circulating again. Under their creative and enthusiastic leadership the Art Walk is going use Lenin as the event Hub, where participants will be able to listen to Live music grab a snack and follow various Art Walk Lantern Bearers as they lead the way to the numerous galleries and fremont businesses that are hosting artists.

Also new is a fantastic new website for the Fremont First Friday’s Art Walk. So for more details on where and when to join us tonight or in future First Fridays please visit: www.fremontfirstfriday.com .

Ice Cream on Board

I discovered, this weekend, a delightful way to hop on the water and tool around. This is important as I often wish I knew someone with a boat so that I could better take advantage of all of this glorious water we have sloshing around us here in Seattle. This Sunday, my friend Katrina and I were planning to hang out and were at a loss of what to do. Having walked by a sign advertising an Ice Cream Cruise all week on my daily trek to Starbucks, it finally occurred to me that an eight-dollar cruise was a perfect solution to this dilemma. Thus, we found ourselves schlepping on down to the little boat dock right at the end of Troll Street where it runs into Lake Union underneath the Aurora bridge (and incidentally right next to where I work at the industrious Impinj). Once there we joined the many families with children from toddlers on up to “big kids” and hailing from as far away as Finland, but mainly made-up of locals.

After a short “how do” from Captain Larry Kezner we set off on our gloriously sunny 45-minute tour of Lake Union. We got a close look at the many houseboats on Seattle, with special attention given to the “Sleepless In Seattle” home and also a peak at the equally famous though considerably more mysterious Chihuly Boat house).

I was thrilled with my little cruise due largely to that fact that although there was a discernible cheese factor (which I think is impossible to escape with any kind of “tour”), it was not overwhelming. In fact, I learned a thing or two in addition to getting some sun while perched on the top of the charmingly small sized tour boat named the Fremont Avenue. I fully enjoyed my little jaunt around Lake Union and would recommend this as a kid friendly venture and a good chance to get out on the water for a spell. If you're interested, just wander on down with 8 dollars in cash and your sunglasses – no reservations needed!

Enter the Dragon

This weekend I went to a local English pub to take in my second World Cup match at the behest of my dear friend Talia, who is solely responsible for my joining in the ritual that is World Cup at all. I, like many Americans, seem to be trailing the rest of the planet with cultivating this particular sporting obsession, which seems forgivable, as we have so many others to take make wide screen televisions a must-have for every home, if not for every room.

Nevertheless, we Americans seem to be stubbornly stuck on Basketball, Baseball and to the chagrin of many “Football.” Use of the name “football” to describe the less brutal version of rugby that we play here in the States is likely to raise the ire of many World Cup fans. Which got me to wondering, why do we use this term? With but a moment spent surfing the web I came up with the answer that surprised me a bit. Apparently, this is a British term coined in the 1880’s by an Oxford student named, Charles Wreford Brown. It seems that in those days “football” was an umbrella term that covered several versions of the game. The key difference was in one you were allowed to pick up the ball and run with it. To help folks distinguish between the two, slang was created: “Rugby” and “Socca” which was simply a shortening of “Association Football”. But I digress…

The George and the Dragon is a little unprepossessing pub located in Fremont (206 North 36th Street, Seattle WA 98103 Tel:206-545-6864) which most of the year does not even register a blip on my evening-out-radar. However, come World Cup it is rather hard to miss. One need only pass within a block of the pub to hear the wild cheering from the football fans. In fact, GQ Magazine deemed our little George in the top 10 ten places to watch the cup in the US. One will readily believe this when you approach the modest pub, which in order to accommodate the throngs of Footers, has installed two flat screen TVs outside – one being in the parking lot. But not to worry, they cater to the parking lot Footers with beer on tap and as many hotdogs as they can handle.

My Football friend, Talia, and I wandered up to the pub about an hour before the Noon game, and proceeded to wait in line to get into the interior of the pub. There are many benefits to being numbered among the privileged indoor Footers which make the wait worthwhile: shade (less sunlight interference on the screen, and incidentally with one’s brew), indoor plumbing, and full bar and pub food selection. The most important perk however, is that of joining the truly devoted fans who have secured the best seats in the house by showing up at 7am. These intrepid fans also come decked out in outfits designed to show their fervent allegiance to their team of choice. Sometimes, special noisemakers and flags or in the case of Mexico fans, Mexican wrestling masks, might also make an appearance. For me, who is not known for my enjoyment of televised sports (and in fact usually avoids them with no misgivings in the least), the real delight comes in the form sharing in the ritual of good natured ribbing and the sincere emotional investment of a crowd full of football fans hailing from around the globe.

Thus, I found myself waiting patiently, though with that particular cueing-up vigilance, in line to get one of those coveted indoor spots. An hour and a half later, I was in and safely installed in a seat in the shade and a cool cider in hand. From that vantage, I watched, flanked on either side by astounded Brazil fans as their team lost to the tightly knit French team. After the carnage of the game was over, the crowd mingled and congratulated or commiserated as appropriate. Overall, the lovely atmosphere of the crowd surprised me; being almost entirely absent of the soccer hooligan stenotypes of which I live in dread.

Thus, I will recommend the Dragon to fervent fans and novices alike. The next World Cup match is on Tuesday, July 4th at Noon. So, should you be desirous of celebrating the conclusion of a battle other than that of independence, check out the Germany vs. Italy match.

Sunshine and Nudity on the Streets of Seattle

We are again in that most illuminated time of year: the solstice. And this year, like many before, the Fremont neighborhood has ushered in the longest day of the year with naked bicyclists. Well not just naked bicyclists, there were also naked skateboarders and wonder of wonders even a naked unicyclist…juggling no less. What were all these naked people doing you might ask? Why, they were escorting the Solstice Parade down through heart of Fremont of course.

I will share with you a little secret: I love parades. Truly. I know that they are often cheesy beyond belief, and most people will strenuously deny any fond-feeling, but I just can’t get enough of them – pride be damned. So, for me, who claims to be something of a connoisseur, the Fremont Solstice Parade is the parade to beat all parades. Here you find a wonderful vision of a parade: one that requires the announcer to hover above the crowd on 6-foot stilts, and includes the Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies, perhaps better known as the S.L.U.G.S., as well as the proud promenade of the regal, if diminutive, Prince Super Fantastic and Princess Sunshine, and yes, an ever growing contingency of beautifully painted naked bicyclists.

In this liberal-minded neighborhood of Seattle it is not surprising that more than one parade entry was making a stinging commentary on the Bush administration. And while I appreciate the value of this kind of activism, I have to say; my favorite floats are still the ones that are simply celebrating this, our lightest part of the year.

Following the parade, Fremont, the self-proclaimed Center of the Universe , really does seem to live up to it’s title as the streets become jammed with fair-goers vying for hastily prepared foodstuffs, handcrafts and a good long look at the art car collection. The cars especially should not be missed. This year the giant red high heel car and the giant red boxing glove car are still duking it out for the coveted title of “My Favorite”.

I would recommend anyone to check out the Fremont Fair, providing of course that you are neither terrified of crowds nor nudes.