Seattle, Part 3: Wifi Coffee Bars

I’m writing this from Victrola, a seemingly hip coffee shop in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle. For the first time since I left NY, I’m actually using WiFi! Oh, the luxury. Dial-up = misery.

I’m wondering if it looks pretentious to the natives to see somebody writing a blog entry in a coffee shop, or if this is what people do here. Looking around, I suspect the people here, if they notice me at all, are only noticing that I’m not dressed like them. I’m a bit too old and non-pierced to be here. Now I know how Newman feels in his neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Today has been a pretty easy day. Huw Edwards, the SYSO Music Director, picked me up for a nice lunch and then drove me to my radio interview with Megan Suckys on KUOW, the NPR affiliate in Seattle. Megan gave a great interview, and really put me at ease. I was nervous about doing a 20-minute, live interview, but she made it a real pleasure. We also managed to squeeze three excerpts of my music into the interview, marking the radio debut of “Redline Tango” and “Wrong-Mountain Stomp.”

Tomorrow morning is the final rehearsal with the youth symphony. After that, I think I’ll look around downtown Seattle a little before I head to a discussion at the Seattle Conservatory of Music. A lot of the people attending the discussion are members of the youth symphony, and it’ll be fun to take questions from them and play a little music for them.

Oh good — I just spotted somebody at the coffee shop who is at least 40. I feel better now. Of course, his arms are completely tattooed — but at least he has gray hair.

Comments

Newman says

We can get tatooed together so we feel more comfortable in hipster coffee bars. It'll be fun. Maybe we can pierce each other's eyebrows, too. It'll be a rich, full day...

My residency has no radio interviews, but it does have giggling 15 year old girls, so I've got that going for me at least. You've probably got plenty of that action goin' on, as well. Considering how nice your shoes are and all...

abacus says

Wow. WiFi. A coffee bar. Radio. Would I could partake of these wonders of which you speak!

Yes, my recent sojourns have been, well, less up-to-date.

But I did get to see "Obama for Illinois" signs, live and in person - beat that!

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