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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2017)
4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Books, gardening, hiking, hobbies, recreation, personalities, travel & more CLOSE TO HOME TRAVELING IN THE GREEN LAND PART 1 By DAVID CAMPICHE FOR COAST WEEKEND recently reread “Travels with Charley,” the 1962 autobiography written by the great American author John Steinbeck that was given to me by a friend. The plot reminds me of the Simon and Garfun- kel song about folks who “walked off to look for America,” people with inquisitive eyes and an appe- tite for truckin’. In this case, the seekers are Steinbeck and his Standard Poodle, Charley. Earlier this year— more than 50 years after Stein- beck’s volume was first pub- lished — my wife, Laurie, and I are crossing borders as well, sidling along rain- slogged back roads en route to Seattle and Victoria, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia. We settled anonymously and happily into these eminently indul- gent cityscapes. Steinbeck, a man with eyes and ears wide open, spoke of how the American landscape of the 1950s had changed since his childhood, how he couldn’t find what he once knew and loved . (Of course, in his travels with Charley, there were many locations he had not previously explored.) Now, in my late 60s, I can relate. Today, humanity seems indefatigable: It just keeps coming and growing and unfolding and collid- ing; its size and speed are exhausting. And this is a new century. Most likely, Steinbeck The Seattle Waterfront PHOTOS BY DAVID CAMPICHE The Seattle Great Wheel would not recognize its diversity and technology. Seattle The normally three-hour journey from our Colum- bia-Pacific nest to Seattle, took five hours on that soggy March day. Traffic was a snarl. Arriving without ex- pectation in downtown Seattle, we parked the car, and accepted the mantle of tourists. Late, we settled into our hotel room after a glass of Northwest wine. Like many tourists, we ate at Ivar’s on the wa- terfront. The repast was surprisingly good: lovely Crabs for sale at Pike Place Market plates featuring fresh halibut fillets, black Indonesian rice, asparagus and a beurre blanc sauce. The feast was preceded by the underground tour of the Rain City. Turns out, the undercarriage of Seattle is not so different than that of our own budding River City, Astoria, with the first story submerged under a second. Both cities were pillaged by fire and rebuilt on pillars. Brick replaced Douglas Fir, and the citizens moved on. We rode the Seattle Great Wheel and did a harbor tour, both firsts for us. In terms of a vista, the sites were illuminating. The sun rose and the water shimmied with quicksilver reflections. On that unusually clear day, you could count the peaks of the Olympics, over water and under the tapestry of lavender mountains and cotton-white clouds. We walked and walked, and walked some more, refreshed ourselves with a good Irish Guinness in an Irish pub attached to the Smith Tower, once the tallest edifice west of the Rockies, but now, living in outstretched shadows of skyscrapers. Later, we dined in a splendid Italian diner, Assaggio, an establishment rich in tradition and a perfect repose for these two city trekkers. The restaurant was completely unpretentious, and the style of service performed with precision and amicability. Laurie had a sublime lamb shank, slow- cooked in a rich stock of wine and herbs. I devoured Pappardelle Al Cinghiale (wide pasta with boar ragu). My brother, Jeff, joined us, and polished off a portion of Osso Buco attached to a marvelous risotto. After a bottle of good Chianti, we were as happy as owls in ancient cedar. One must mention the Seattle Art Museum, a mind-expanding experi- ence featuring, world-class paintings, constant exhibits and permanent collections like the Art and Life Along the Northwest Coast. We’ve seen Picasso here, and marveled at works from Mark Tobey and Ken- neth Callahan, a Peninsula resident in his later years. Yayoi Kusama is here next month (paintings and draw- ings that seem to “float in a magical place”). Perhaps, the best beer in the city can be had at The Pike Brewing Company. The Finkles (two of the oldest owners and brewers of Northwest microbrew) have become dedicated friends of our Colum- bia-Pacific homeland. And one wanders. Ev- eryone loves the Pike Place Market and its carnival-like atmosphere. Fine shops and food dot the landscape like hordes of wild mushrooms that crowd our homeland in the fall. This is a wide open invitation to some of the best food in America. All this under the ebbing flood of Puget Sound and its sparkling waters, and the silhouette of Mt. Rainier. Football and baseball: Seattle has some of the best. Music: Seattle makes us proud. We prefer the jazz; Jazz Alley is a city favorite. We sipped splendid white wine and peo- ple-watched; you can choose from hundreds of locations from which to do this. Service is generally professional, urban and friendly, and the choices of cuisine nearly endless. We nibbled our way through the market. I always choose the humbows and barbe- cued pork. And all of this, partic- ularly on a day when the traffic runs like clear racing water, and our destinations remain Close to Home. Next up: Victoria, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia
