She took me on a perfect afternoon/evening tour of Capitol Hill, a tourists dream itinerary of food, museums, and relaxation.
Nicole hales from the state of Idaho. She moved out to Seattle in September of 2006 and hasn't looked back once. She has fond memories of her hometown of Boise and is excited about the new Cultural Center they're building downtown, but Seattle has become her new home.
Having recently attended Emerald City ComicCon, she was extolling the diverse crowd and what a great reflection that is on Seattle. Her favorite cosplayers of that weekend were a couple in their 60's or 70's, dressed as Indiana Jones with a walker and Marian.
She's lived a lot of places around the city, but her current place near Cornish College in North Capitol Hill is her favorite. On nice days, one can hear the music students practicing all manner of instruments and the acting students rehearse scenes on the lawn.
CAFÉ PRESSE is your French Bar-Café on Capitol Hill. Their newstand is one of the best in the city, full of magazines and papers from around the world.
They pride themselves on delivering an experience a Parisian would feel at home enjoying. On weekends, they play soccer from around the world.
They sell wine to go, along with bags and stylish shirts.
And their selection is very well curated.
Nicole told me she brings most of her out-of-town visitors here, though this was the first time she'd gotten to sit out on the patio. Cheap, good food anytime of day, with no pretentiousness that seems to be prevalent at other foodie destinations. Featured today: Œufs mayonnaise, Rillettes de porc, Pommes-frites, et Pain et beurre
A short 15 minute walk from Presse, we arrived at the Frye Art Museum just as they were closing up for the day. We had both been to this museum many times before, so we just enjoyed sitting near the fountain chatting in the afternoon sun.
The Frye is special among Seattle museums because it's founders, Charles and Emma Frye, stipulated that entry be free forever. They required that part of their collection be shown at all times, but the museum has become known in recent years for its engagement of fringe artists and movements.
Even when the building is closed, there is always something to see somewhere on the perimeter.
We couldn't decide if this was guerrilla art, a part of a show, or artistic bike parking. The website did not help to enlighten.
Nicole studied art at Seattle Art Institute and came to the Frye often in classes. The painting she is contemplating here is one of the most famous in the permanent collection, Die Sünde (Sin). She recounted a story of needing to write two reflection pieces for one class- one on any piece in the galleries at the time, and one on this piece.
With a little time to kill before our next stop, we hung around our regular bar- Raygun Lounge. It's a gamers mecca, with large tables and good drinks. And will be featured here many more times in the future, I'm sure.
The cherry on our Wednesday adventure was a book release party featuring local editing wizards, Collide-o-Scope.
The Egyptian Theater is a local treasure that was saved from obsolescence recently by my sometime-employer, Seattle International Film Festival. A gorgeous movie palace throwback, it was the perfect place to end our day. And while this was a one-off event, I can promise that anything playing when you come to visit will be worth the trip.
Thanks to Nicole for playing tour guide! Here she is running a game at a little Convention some of our other friends put on, though you can probably find her in this exact pose 4ish days a week at the Lounge. Stop on by and say 'hi'!
