The Longest Tat's Line I've Ever Seen

OK, this didn't happen in Belltown, but it's worth mentioning. I haven't spent too much time declaring my love for Tat's, but I really am addicted to that place. I go down there twice a week and order something meaty. Their cheese steaks are sublime. I had one today and it was superb. Since I'm unemployed, I can get down there early to avoid the line. As I was leaving today, I noticed that it was the longest I've ever seen. Observe:

They're lined up out the door and almost to the corner of 2nd & Yesler. I know that Salumi (located just a little further down 2nd) also deals out a pretty long line, but by my count, there are probably 40 people in line. That beats Salumi by about 20.

So yes, I highly recommend Tat's - unless you're a vegetarian. I wish there was some place like that here in Belltown. The Buffalo Deli at 1st & Blanchard is good, but they don't serve cheese steaks. Belltown needs a Tat's! There, I said it.

The Pride

Well folks, once again the Gay Pride Parade has marched through Belltown with all the fabulousness it could muster. I believe this is the third year (or is it the fourth?) since it moved down from Capitol Hill. The difference between those previous years is this:

There were oodles of people! Millions of them! Well, actually, probably several thousand.

It started out loudly with the Dykes on Bykes. Or is that Dikes on Bikes? Or perhaps some mix of the two. They were very loud. And they rode around forever. But heck, they seemed to be having fun and the crowd was into it, so more power to them. Here is about the only good photo I got of them:

Did I mention they were loud? They were. There were also guys riding with them, so it wasn't a total, complete and utter lesbian thing. After them came the gay marching band:

You'll be shocked to know that they played a Madonna song. They were actually not bad in both playing and marching. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence followed:


I have no idea what these people do and I'm afraid to ask, but they seem to be really into it - whatever it is.

This parade had about two dozen grand marshals. This is the only one whose name I recognized:

Excuse the bad picture, but that's Armistad Maupin of Tales of the City fame.

Following him and his many other co-marshals came the endless corporate juggernaut:

Proud Group Health folks...

Proud Microsoft folks - with truck...

Proud Verizon folks - with mini-float...

Proud Macy's folks; they had cool balloons...

Proud Amazon folks; they had semi-frightening box-people with them...

Proud Best Buy folks...

Proud Orbitz folks...


Proud Alaska folks and their friendly balloon.

And then I left. What I learned here today: you can't spell pride without PR. OK, it's nice that corporations are willing to sponsor their employees in the parade, but you know that it's not really about tolerance and whatnot; it's about image. Yeah, that's America, sure. But isn't the Pride more about happy gay people and not about corporate logos? Anyhow, that was this year's parade.

Your Sunday Squirrel

It turns out that they're not tearing up the paths at Denny Park. They're actually digging trenches for sprinkler lines or some such. In any case, the squirrels don't like it. Not a single bit. And I don't blame them. They stay in their trees. In the last two weeks, I've seen one squirrel total. I gave him a peanut. And he went on his way. This is another photo from the archives. I really am attempting to rouse the Denny Park squirrels from the leafy domains, but they aren't too inclined. I'll keep trying.

Tia Lou's New Look

I've never been to Tia Lou's. I mean, with Mama's on the next block, it seemed so unnecessary. For a time there, it appeared to be closed. In fact, that may have happened months ago. Homeless guys bed down in the doorway quite often. I don't know what's going on. But it does look different. It happened very quickly. Observe:

It's got that stark, East Capitol Hill look to it. It also has a very specific sign in the window, which leads me to believe that it's still open and functioning as a club.

If you want to make the scene there, make sure and wear a collar. Did you notice that it said nothing about showing up naked? Well, there you go.

Your Sunday Squirrel

They're doing some major work at Denny Park this week, so this is another trip to the archives. They seem to be repaving just about all the paths, so everything's blocked off. And of course, the squirrels aren't too crazy about all that equipment, so they stay in the trees and peer down at us. I'm hoping I'll be able to see more of these little gray guys when the work is done.

Your Sunday Squirrel

Here's one from the recent archives. They've been doing a lot of work with heavy machinery at Denny Park this week, so who could blame any squirrel for wanting to stay in his tree? Anyhow, I've been to three SIFF films this weekend, so forgive my brevity, but please enjoy.

After Hours

This guy's name is Bernd Lhotzky, so I'm guessing that he's some kind of foreigner. But, oh my, does he do a number on "Carolina Shout" by James P. Johnson! It's not exactly perfect but there's enough imperfection in it to make it jazz. Please enjoy. I know I did.

Your Sunday Squirrel

This is all the same squirrel. He was so friendly and so hungry. He's the first squirrel to take peanuts right out of my hand and not be weird about it. I also managed to carry on a conversation about squirrels and raccoons with a nice Russian guy while taking pictures. I even made a little movie of this little fellow eating, but I'm afraid I lost it. It's too bad. At one point, he stops eating his peanut and looks straight into the camera. But alas. I finally had to stop feeding him. Otherwise, he would have gotten too fat to climb trees.

The Most Wonderful Sculpture in History!

It's new and it's at 4th & Blanchard:

Seriously, whoever created this should be given the Nobel Prize for Awesomeness. God bless Martin Selig and his good taste. This is simply one of the greatest things ever made by human hands. Go check it out and pay homage to its brilliance.

In Case You're Wondering...

The Castle's mystery scaffold is still there. Witness:

They're not using it for anything. It just stands there...like scaffolds do - the non-collapsing kind at least. If anybody knows what the heck they're gonna do with it, let me know.

Not Much Racing Going on Here

I woke up this morning (hey, this could be a blues tune!) and there were many, many people walking by my window. Here's what some of them looked like:

It was Race for the Cure day! I guess I mentioned that nobody was really racing with anybody. Many were carrying signs. I went out a little later and 2nd Ave. was completely mobbed. Look:


It's like living in a real city. Finally! Well, I wish them luck with their cure. I hope that after the cure, they'll still march down 2nd, because it's kind of neat to have that many well-behaved people in my neighborhood.