Suddenly...

...onions! At the corner of 2nd & Bell.

That Can't Possibly Be Legal!

Or can it?? Observe:

This is the scene across the street. Look, I'm all for Smart Cars. They're like a tenth the size of my current battleship, but honestly, their innate cuteness can only go so far. I mean, even Turks don't park on the sidewalk. That's more of an Italian thing. But is this Italy? No, it is not. Oh, and Ukrainians do it, too. And this is also not Ukraine. And thank your lucky stars for that.

Here's Something I Ran Across Last Week

...And forgot to post:


What is it? Plastic cups jammed into and semi-deflated balloons attached to a portable section of chainlink fence on 6th, between Blanchard and Lenora, right next to the site of the dearly-departed UA Cinemas. What does it mean? Beats me, but somebody actually spent time decorating this orphaned segment of fence. It's quite an odd sight at the edge of a vacant lot. I just had to take a picture of it.

There's Something You Don't See Every Day!

I encountered this on 1st, between Stewart & Virginia yesterday. It's a set of box springs. The strange thing is that I passed by that spot, went into the Market, quickly bought stuff and on my way back, there it was - like it had been there all day. It had magically appeared in the intervening time of around five minutes. It looks both at home and out of place at the same time. At home, because, well, it's Belltown, home of large, worthless items. And out of place, because this is a relatively swank segment of 1st Avenue. With foot traffic what it is on 1st, I'm betting that it's been dealt with. I'm still trying to figure out how it got there, though.

Free Stuff!

Hey, in the alley in back of the Rivoli, you'll find a vacuum, a desk and a comfy chair - and they're free. Have a look:

They're all black, so they totally go with everything. Who could possibly pass up such items??

Here's a Random Thing!

So I'm just out walking the other day and I see this sight in the alley on Cedar, between 3rd & 4th:

Sure, it's a run-down armchair; its upholstery is worn out and its spring are most likely shot and it is sitting next to a garbage can, but isn't there something inviting about this? Yes, it's a shame that it's being tossed out after no doubt years of faithful service. But don't you just want to go sit down and relax right there? I sure did. I had to tell myself that it was too bum-like of a move. At present, I'm already just a little to close to that lifestyle choice, so why steer heedlessly towards those rock by taking a rest on a discarded chair? I only paused long enough to take a picture, but I couldn't help wondering for the rest of the day whether the chair was comfortable or not. In fact, I still ask myself that question.