Smilin' Jack: Dinner Downtown

The Purple Dot Cafe - Chinatown!!

Life without the Internet and Cable TV can be very boring. Very, very, very boring!! Oh, so very, very, very boring. I mean, it was really boring. It was beyond boring. How long can you listen to talk radio and play games on the computer before you get really bored, eh?

And we were looking at another eleven days of the drought. Ah, the inhumanity.

Still, we were able to keep ourselves busy. It just took a little imagination and effort is all. And one of the ways we used to keep the boredom at bay was to head downtown on our Magic Carpet for dinner.

Dinner in Chinatown!! Gung ho with culinary gusto!!

And, we were off. But before we could get to the Orient, we had to pass through our own Occidental Neighborhood. For a change, cuz we didn't have the Internet OR Cable TV, we went down to the Rainier Beach Link Station instead of our usual, boring Othello Link Station. I know…pretty crazy, eh?

And that means we had to pass by several yards that we haven't been by before. And that means there were new picture opportunities. Hahahaha, so, there you are and there we were, getting to see some new beauties in the 'Hood.

You see what I mean? Who could pass these up?

Fire Flowers...

And, I'm done.

There's more but I don't want to take up too much time with the flowers.

I'm nice that way.

And we made it to the Link Station at Rainier Beach. It's just a half mile away in the opposite direction.

And then we were there.

International District/Chinatown.

And after we got up to ground level, this was the first thing we saw. A fake pagoda like structure spanning the street.

And this was the second thing we saw. The marquee of the old hotel across the street from the station. Now it's the home of the nouveau riche pigeons.

Some things never change, right? Still providing overnight lodging.

The first tourist stop. Seattle's Chinatown has a rich history.

Then, once we got across the street we saw these murals underneath the fake pagoda.

Very dramatic...

"Look Better," ah, if only it were that easy.

But, look!! Can you see anyone you know in this picture?

Can you say, "Photo Bomb"?

This means absolutely nothing as far as my story goes but I thought it interesting.

A Piece of Cake…in Chinese.

As we walked up the street looking for an interesting restaurant we came upon Hing Hay Park. A very American picture, a boy playing catch with his Dad.

The mural behind the Hing Hay Park.

Also, apropos of nothing, I thought this street address interesting. Evidently this guy, Kong Yick, has his fingers in a lot of Chinese pies. I saw his name several other times in several other businesses.

Kong Yick!!

And this piece of flora stuck in the city street.

A small stand in the doorway of a Chinese market. Very much like in China.

Then we met this smirking young man. I don't know what he has to be so smug about. No evidence anywhere of what it is he's so into.

We had passed a lot of restaurants but none struck a chord with us. We'd made it from one end of Chinatown and were just about to the other end when we stumbled across this restaurant. I was getting a wee bit desperate.

They do know how to welcome you in. Pretty fancy, eh? Just an observation, but the Chinese, they do love to put up color pictures of their food on the windows.

Yes, they do.

Here we are!!

The Purple Dot Cafe!!

And to emphasize that point they have this original art work on the wall…near our table…to remind us of where we are.

Purple Dots.

The colors were…vibrant. And, as an added treat, they had some Nature TV Show on the big screen there. In English.

And fish. I don't think they eat these but, just around the corner to the left of this fish tank was a large tankful of Happy Looking Lobsters.

But the restaurant met all my demands. Relatively clean and reasonably priced. Along with that, I'll forgive them their choice of color for their chairs.

Or, maybe there was a sale.

Colorful and ever-so-fancy, the decor was…eclectic. Very, very, very eclectic.

Love the colors working all together like that.

After we ordered, I walked around the restaurant getting some pictures. It's what I do, get over it.

Sidenote: In college, I took a course in The Service Industry…food, hotel, etc. Our first day of class we had our first test. The Professor asked us to spell, "Restaurant". His thinking being we couldn't work in that industry if we couldn't spell restaurant correctly.

Key point.

Anyway, back to today. While I was wandering around, I saw this. Pretty cool, eh?

Chinese and paper. Potent combination.

I think this is Singapore. Regardless, it helps set a pleasant tone for the whole picture.

Note, they've stepped away from the green chairs for a while. I think red works better.

This was interesting. Love that Ol' Buddha. A nice scene except for the Coke Machine in the background there. Hmmmmm, wonder if Buddha drinks Coke or Diet Coke?

A close up of my Ol' Buddy. He's a happy, jolly fellow, isn't he.

And there was this fish. Pretty ornate, for a goldfish. They evidently like their goldfishes.

And this. I thought it was some great Oriental Art but…I thought wrong.

Oh, it was pleasing, but it turns out, all this was was a painted wall with bird decals stuck on it.

Nice idea, but...

Time to eat!!

That's Sweet 'N Sour Chicken on the left and Shrimp Fried Rice on the right.

Mmmmmm…I do love me some Fried Rice.

I really do.

And the Sweet 'N Sour Chicken wasn't bad either.

I could eat Fried Rice anytime.

I first drank this overseas in '68. Never thought I'd see it advertised in the U.S.A.

Course, this U.S.A. is greatly changed from the one in '68.

More decals. Haha, I don't know why, but I was disappointed to learn it was just a decal…on a wall.

And more fish. But I don't think this one is a goldfish. Still, pretty impressive.

Got this shot through the window of the Purple Dot Cafe. It's the building on the street right across from the cafe.

And this. The address for…something.

Actually, I should have given you an, "Artsy-Fartsy" alert.

I liked the texture of the wood and the strokes of the paint brush.

We swung back by the Hing Hay Park and saw this game going on. The girls had taken over for the men and were involved in a fast and furious game.

"Go fish."

Just a detail of Chinatown. Trees and overhangs.

Finally, we were headed out. They have these dragons wrapped around the telephone poles. They're nicely done, but they should do something with the wires. Oh, and you can see the Smith Tower there behind the dragon.

But the fun wasn't over yet. Carol and I headed downtown to walk off our delicious dinner.

End-of-the-line…Westlake Center. It's in the basement of the Macy's Store.

And it takes a while to get up to the surface.

But, after several escalators we saw the first glimpses of Seattle. It's a great city. Always alive and always fun.

Hahaha, every time I see this sign for the Link and Busses, I think of DisneyLand.

Doesn't it look like a Disney Sign?

Yeah, I know!!

Artsy-Fartsy Alert!!

Isn't this cool? The clouds reflected off the windows.

One of my dreams, one of many, is to be able to travel to, live in and photograph these cities. I mean really get into them and shoot them from A to Z. Won't happen, I know, but I can dream. To live right in the middle of a major metropolitan city and capture it. So, I shoot in and around Seattle. It's my city now and I live about as close to the downtown as I'll ever get to.

So bear with me and my City Pictures.

Haha, and our local icon, The Space Needle. From a city street. With cars rushing at me.

No, it wasn't that dramatic. I was walking across the street with the light. But I have risked life and limb trying to get a good shot on these busy city streets.