"I'm originally from Detroit, but now I live in my own imagination"

Laziness has taken over me these past few days and I promise you're gonna hear - or rather read - soon about our first Bridge School Benefit experience in San Francisco.
Last week has really been intense musically-speaking! And it is kind of hard to keep you updated with all these amazing shows happening at the same time.

Whatever. Now I want to praise the talent of Sufjan Stevens, whom I just saw two nights ago at the Paramount and who amazed and moved me.
Ok, I know, I tend to be super enthusiastic each time I'm making a music review on the blog, but believe me, I've also seen some really bad shows here and I think it is more relevant for you to read something positive, eventually making you want to (re)discover the artists I'm talking about.

The soldout-show I saw two days ago was part of Sufjan Stevens' tour for his eleventh album (yes 11th, you read well), The Age of Adz, released last month on Asthmatic Kitty Records.
The record is a lot different from what Stevens has done lately. It is much more electronic and less folky. In a way, he is going back to his earlier works, in particular his second record Enjoy Your Rabbit released in 2001. Even being aware of that before the show, I've been really surprised by what I saw that night.

On stage, Stevens is accompanied by a crew of ten musicians and dancers.
Musically-speaking, the two-hours show was very good: it really got me into it.

The show was divided into two parts: the first one was dedicated to Stevens' new work- he almost played his whole new album- while the second one was more acoustic. He indeed played some old songs such as Chicago or The Dress Looks Nice On You.

Visually-speaking the whole show was crazy and it totally reflected Stevens' overflowing imagination. Behind the band was a big screen on which psychedelic and space-related drawings and pictures were projected. During some songs, an invisible screen would unroll between the audience and the band and other drawings would be projected on it, giving the impression that the band was confined in a buble. Also, at some point, a diamond-shaped spaceship came down on stage reinforcing the idea that Sufjan Stevens might indeed be from another planet as he would let us understand during the show...

On top of that, the whole band was dressed up in fluorescent colours for Halloween, which was even more entertaining for the eyes.

Althought the show was the exact opposite of what I was expecting (that is to say a melancholic-depressive folk show - I like those shows), I can easily assert that Sufjan Stevens' performance - he really is a good musician and dancer - was among the best shows I've seen so far in Seattle.



As always, if you have the opportunity, I truly advise you to go and see this man.
If not, at least check his new album out, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

A.C.

A-l'eau-oui-noeud

Rohmer Project. Part II

Second part of my Rohmer Project. I decided that I wanted to do a chronological screening of his films. I started with the Moral Tales. That's why I needed to watch the first ones!

They're actually short/medium-length films: The Bakery Girl of Monceau and Suzanne's Career. They're both set in Paris and have for main characters young law and philosophy students, both males. And what is quite interesting is that if I sometimes find it hard to know precisely where is the moral prejudice or dilemma in Rohmer's films, it's pretty clear in those two.

The first one is about a man who is in love with a woman he doesn't know but that he crosses every day on the street. When he finally talks to her, she's in a hurry but promises him that they'll meet again soon. After a week, he's kind of discouraged. While walking the streets of the neighborhood hoping to ran into her again, he goes to a bakery where the bakery girl seems to be interested in him. Here is the dilemma: should he date the girl - knowing that she's not the one he is interested in - because she is here whereas the other one disappeared?

The second one is longer and more complex. Even if there is a main character, others are also important. A young philosophy student, Bertrand, (who happens to live above "Le Luco" café) and a friend (Guillaume) meet with Suzanne, a young (but not too pretty) woman. Guillaume starts to date her. Bertrand disapproves because Suzanne is not good enough for his friend and he hates the lack of self consciousness and the rude manners of the girl.However, when Guillaume leaves Suzanne, she keeps calling Bertrand to hang out. The whole issue is about how fast you can judge someone, and how things can change, changing radically your opinion on a person.

I liked very much Rohmer's intentions in those two films, the way he shots Paris and male characters. And what stroke me is how contemporary his discourse is. TO BE SEEN !

MJ.

Lunch Time: Skillet!

Photo by Tim Schlecht (The Stranger)

11 am. 1 Inbox. D, a co-worker, tells everyone at the office that the Skillet Van is parked in front of our building. "Skillet Van"? I had never heard/ read anything about it, but as I happen to be very fond of food, I decide that I doesn't cost anything to click on the link copied in the e-mail.

And here I am, on a website with pretty pictures of an amazing van, with a very attractive menu right in front of my eyes: the burger (grass fed beef, arugula, bacon jam, cambozola), the classic poutine and a fantastic pork sandwich with aioli and caramelized onions.

Photo by Sean Flanigan

The goal of this evolved cuisine - modern American mobile diner? Go out to local office parks, events, farmers markets and provide impeccably executed and seasonably relevant bistro style food. They want to "to provide seasonally relevant, locally sourced and impeccably executed bistro style food up and down the west coast".

Of course, there was NO WAY that I would eat my poor tupperware salad with this tempting moving bistro right next to me. At 11.45 am (got to eat early when there are 1pm meetings!), there was already a great crowd in front of the van. It smelled like Heaven, and the people passing us while we were on line showed us that the food looked incredible.

And it was! The Pork Sandwich was the best lunch I had since I moved here ! So, if you ever come to Seattle, be sure to take a look at the Skillet's website and see where they are when you're in town thanks to the great Google Calendar they update every week. It is really worth it.

The website :

http://www.skilletstreetfood.com/

The calendar for this week :

http://skilletstreetfood.com/calendar.htm

MJ.

Here comes Powell Street

Even though it wasn’t my first time in Francisco, going there for a short week-end with my pal A was really different from what I had seen of the city with my mum a few years ago. Of course, the fact that I am now 21 changed some things, but I also discovered that the city was much bigger than I thought.

We flew there with a Virgin America airplane: best company ever, which actually uses some comics to explain the security rules to passengers and has many songs that you can listen to even when the plane takes off - and believe me, this is really useful and reassuring for someone who’s scared as hell like me when they fly.

We arrived in SF in the late afternoon, after taking the Bart (local subway) and walking up the highest hill of the city. And when I say high, I mean high as in “it-felt-like-walking-to-the-top-of-Mount-Everest”. After a vegetarian quick meal (Californians and A are going to convince me that I shouldn’t eat meat), we went to Haight Ashbury, the Hippie area of SF. Tons of vintage and second-hand clothes shops, small restaurants and bars. It’s a pretty nice neighborhood if you want to walk around.

It was already dark, and we experimented the one specific weather condition of the city: the fog! It looked like we were in a ghost city, which was kind of scary. Back to downtown, not far from the only “dangerous” area of the city – the Tenderloin -, we had drinks in a lounge with some live music (they played the song of Michael and Jul in “My Best Friend’s Wedding": The Way You Look Tonight) and sushi that were passing us on little boats. People are really nice in SF, even if their reputation is that they tend to be a bit snobbish.

On Saturday, we went to “The Bridge School Benefit” that Neil Young gives every year. But that’s another story, and quite an adventure because of the rain. To be continued…

MJ

M.I.A - WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Two nights ago, M.I.A. performed at the Showbox. I must admit two things: first, I didn't really know her music except the singles "Bucky Done Gun" from her first album Arular, "Paper Planes" from the second one Kala (the song is also on the OST for the movie Slumdog Millionaire), and "Born Free" from her third album /\/\/\Y/\ realeased last year (actually I knew the song because of the controversy over the violent video realised by French director Romain Gavras). Ok, one song per album is fairly good.
Second, I am not a huge fan of hiphop music.
For these two reasons I could have spent a boring night. However, I was pretty excited and curious about this performance because M.I.A. is supposed to be one of the best in this domain. Moreover, she is an interesting personality. Indeed, not only is she very prolific on the artistic side (music, videos, fashion) but she is also involved in many political and social issues.
As a matter of fact, she was picked by Time as one of the most influential people of 2009.

But let's get back to the show. What else can I say other than I HAD A BLAST ?
That night, everything was good. And my buddy M. would say the same.
OK, let's start with the opener. Rye Rye is a hiphop-rap chick from Baltimore signed on M.I.A.'s label, N.E.E.T. Recordings. Even though the room was half empty when she started, she really did a good job in warming up the Showbox. I cannot really say that her music is revolutionary, because it's not. Nonetheless, her and her three dancers had everybody dancing and getting ready for M.I.A.'s performance which has been a real show for the eyes and the ears.

A hooded M.I.A. appeared on stage in a big cloud of smoke and started dancing, shouting and stimulating the sold out crowd who came to see her.
The flashing lights and video screen on stage regulated her and her dancers (two very energic guys in the front and three girls wearing fashionable burkas in the back) on stage.
The sound was amazing, M.I.A.'s voice is perfect and the way she behaves on stage cannot prevent you from joining that crazy party happening in front of your eyes.
As a matter of fact I found myself and M. dancing harder than we had in such a long time! - we were sober; no way I'm gonna drink alcohol, I'm an UNDERAGE, don't forget.

M.I.A.'s three burka dancers

The only negative criticism I can make about that show was its length...
After about an hour and an amazing four-songs encore - among wich "Born Free" and the final "Paper Planes" where she had people from the crowd joining her on stage - the show was over.

People from the audience on stage with M.I.A. for her last song

To put it in a nutshell, I really advise you to go and see M.I.A. live. I doubt you will be disappointed. She is a very good performer and her music really comes across better on stage than on record.

M.I.A., we want more!

A.C.

PS : "The amateur's point of view"

I have to confess that A.C said it all about this show. Just like her, I'm not a huge fan of hip-hop music, but I do enjoy hit songs, and the truth is that "Paper Planes" was a REAL hit. The first band's performance didn't impress me much, but the dancers did warm up the room, and when M.I.A came, it was the orgy. I had never seen the Show Box that hot! Everyone was dancing, screaming and taking pictures. Her staging was innovative, colorful, dynamic. She was close to the audience (it sounds corny, but it's true!) She jumped on some tables, threw herself into the crowd. And even if she left too early when A and I could have stayed hours dancing and enjoying the music, she left me with one envy : listening to her songs. It was definitely an amazing performance.

M.J

" Some moments of sublime filmmaking and beautifully mannered performances ", they say?

A few days ago, I was going through the database at work, and I saw a film called 'Never let me go', that was actually an adaptation of Kuzuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel with the same title. Immediately, I decided to watch the trailer. It was pretty good, and of course, the fact that there was Carey Mulligan in it pleased me a lot (I simply loved her in 'An education'). Within a minute, I was in A's office begging her to go with me to see the film. I had read one review in Variety that was saying "the less you know about the story, the better: it's a really good film". The trailer wasn't very clear and kept the mystery unscathed.

This is why this Saturday, after some shopping in Capitol Hill's vintages shops, a quick look at Nordstrom's shoes and a short visit at H&M, we went to the Regal's Cinemas to watch the oh so expected 'Never let me go'.

Let me tell you the truth: they were the loooooongest 103 minutes of my life (almost). Even if the cinematography is interesting and lovely, even if Carey confirms the fact that she is an actress people have to look after, the script is terrible and MY GOD terribly depressing! Not a single ounce of hope, a boring impossible love story, intolerable shortcuts. The entire story is predictable and in the end, the only thought that came up to my mind was "How did I do to stay until the end"? And I can tell you that A's opinion was exactly the same!

Please, do me a favor, keep your money for a burger, a drink, a cab when you're too tired to take the bus, and RUN if someone asks you to go see this film.

HOWEVER. I had a good surprise today concerning films. And the one I watched actually made my day.

I have never been a fan of Léa Seydoux, a French actress whose family is... guess who? The one that owns the biggest French production company. When I discovered her in "La Belle Personne" by C. Honoré, she made a bad impression on me: cold, too sensual, a failed Emmanuelle Béart. But today at work, I found a DVD on a desk. On it was written "Belle Epine". I had heard about this film during Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately, we didn't get the opportunity to see it, but I knew that it was supposed to be good.

And it is! A moving, humble and very very very well directed film. The actors are amazing (Léa Seydoux bluffed me). The director uses dark colors that are simply stunning. She creates an original and unpredictable mood around the universe of motorcycling, a universe that characterizes perfectly the youth, and more specifically the parisian youth. The music fits each shot, each scene, and the story is human and touching.

The director, Rebecca Zlotowski, was actually a student at La Fémis, the most prestigious and elitist cinema school in France. She wrote the script of Belle Epine as a school project. It is her first long feature.

MJ.

When you like the opener better than the headliner

This can seem weird, but it happens. More and more often actually. Working in a music venue allows me to get to know new bands and in particular bands from the Pacific Northwest.

When I worked my first show in Seattle, The Walkmen – whom I only knew by name -this early September, I enjoyed much more the opener band, The Helio Sequence, Portland, Oregon. Ok, The Helio Sequence is already a big name for an opener band and many people came only to see them - the band has already released two albums with Sub Pop – and I really liked them better. Rather, I really enjoyed them.

Anyway, the show I wanted to focus on in this article happened two nights ago at the Showbox : Telekinesis, Teenage Fanclub and Superchunk. Maybe you know one, two or even all of these bands; I didn’t.

All signed on the same record label, Merge Records, based in North Carolina, Teenage Fanclub and Superchunk, indie bands from the 90s deliver the kind of same pop-rock songs which didn’t really convince me, while Telekinesis turned out to be a very good surprise for both M (who came for the show) and I!

Telekinesis is actually one man who does everything by himself. This man is Michael Lerner, a young smart, funny and easy-going chap from Seattle. After a bunch of LPs, he released his first album, Telekinesis! in 2009, produced by Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie, and on which he wrote the songs and played all the instruments.

Design by Julia Guther

On stage Lerner, who plays the drums and sings, is accompanied by a guitar player and a bass player. The trio gives an energetic and intense pop-rock performance, which cannot prevent you from dancing and beeing in a happy mood. If Lerner says that he his deeply influenced by the bands he is supporting (what I do understand after the end of the show), his music appears to me as more fresh and sparkling.

Most of the catchy songs Lerner and his buddies performed are on the album on which you can definitely find the Death Cab For Cutie influence and which reminds of Ben Kweller’s early work.

What M and I really enjoyed too, maybe because we are two French girls (let’s be cliché, we know you love it!) is that Lerner also gives importance to the visual side of his work. The covers and artwork of is CDs and vinyls as well as his super cool tshirts are colorful and happy, which changes from all this passion for music artwork about nature and animals (which I like but I think that it’s getting a bit repetitive among young folk rock bands).

In conclusion, in case you haven't understood yet, if you’re looking for something to listen to right now or if you feel a bit down (or both – sorry), check out this guy, he’s really worth it!

Note for European people: Telekinesis will be touring in Europe in November.

For Parisian people, he is going to play at La Flèche d’Or on the 18th… cool music in a cool place

=> NO REASON TO MISS IT!

A.C.

Claire's Knee : my Rohmer's Project

Before I left France, my father gave me many films. There are mostly classics , and when I looked the other night to find something to watch, I fell face to face with all of Eric Rohmer's films.

Of course, I am planning on watching films at work, and on giving my opinion on them, but I decided that this year would also be the one I would use to discover great directors such as Rohmer. His filmography is quite impressive (27 long features), but I am giving myself 9 months to watch them all.

I must confess that I'm a bit of a cheater: I've seen some already. When I was 16, my father tried to put me in front of 'A Tale of Summer'. I was horrified, and it almost broke all the potential links I could have with Rohmer. However, a few years later, a friend of mine, A, tried to convince me that he was a genius. If I found it hard to believe at first, I decided to give it a second shot. I watched 'Pauline at the Beach" and simply loved it. After that came 'Full moon in Paris', 'The Collector', 'My night at Maud's' and ... 'Claire's Knee'. Even if some people will find it long-winded, the ideas, the feelings, the relationships and the characters created by Rohmer are amazing, sincere and profundly human. Plus, the shots are impressive, just like the actors.
So far, I would say that 'Full moon in Paris' is probably the easiest one to start with.

Next step for me : 'Love in the Afternoon'.

MJ.

One single thing to say

It's my 17th day in Seattle and the sun is still shining ! 2 days of rain only. Oh yes, you're reading me right "people-who-depressed-me-before-I-left-Paris", telling me ALL about the weather here.

MJ

Music is an industry, and a show is a product

(View from the great restaurant Wild Ginger on Union and 3rd)

With very few notions of the music industry when I got here, I’ve been learning a lot over the past month.

Music might be seen as a cool environment to be part of because you get to see many shows, but believe me, it’s not cool all the time. It is work. Hard work.

And shows, when they are good and when you actually get the time to attend them, are a small recompense for all the work you’ve done during the day.

Of course, I knew all that before coming to Seattle tfor eight months to be part of the industry.

And it was exactly what I wanted to experience: being behind the scenes, understanding how shows are made, getting to know the various protagonists of this world.

Again, shows and artists are only the tip of the iceberg. And despite the fact creation is the raw material and that artists worked hard for being who they are and where they are, there is plenty of other people working hard (sometimes harder) to make it all happen.

Satisfying the audience by giving them a good show is the main goal.

As a production intern in a music venue, I’m getting to deal with a lot of new people who all have a precise role to play in the show industry. As I don’t know yet exactly which part of the industry I’m most interested in, I try to get as much experience and advice as I can from all these people: production managers, house managers, tour promoters, tour managers, talent buyers, lighting and sound techs.

So far, it’s too early to determine if I’d rather be part of a band’s entourage, work in a music venue or work for a tour promoter. As an intern I’m observing a lot rather than running the shows myself and my working hours and the pressure I’m subject to are far from being that of the actual production manager.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t prevent me from understanding and seeing by myself that advancing and running a show is not a piece of cake.

Working in the music industry sometimes appears to me as more about making money than about the deep feelings and passion you can have for the music.

I may sound a bit disillusioned – this is part of my training here I guess – but this doesn’t prevent me from thinking that I do want to be part of this world, no matter how hard and boring it will be sometimes. Despite some very bad performances and a big amount of energy and efforts that you have to devote to work, the fact of being able to meet a lot of colourful, talented and experienced people along with the satisfaction of seeing the audience enjoying the show you've worked on really make it worth it.

I really don’t see myself anywhere else. AMEN.

The Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It)

AC.

Weekend Film Festival

Oh boy. It turns out that when you are not 21 here, of course in the US but also in Seattle, it is not always very fun to see the weekend approaching. Even if there are great stuff to do, such as going to shows, walking around, taking coffees and going to the movies, I must confess that I can’t wait for my pals birthdays so we can see a lot more of the city…especially at night.

However, waiting for these days to come, I have the possibility to … watch even more films. On Friday, I took home from work 8 films (5 shorts and 3 long features). Of course, it was a bit too ambitious BUT I managed to see all of the shorts. To be perfectly honest, there was only one that was worth it, but I came here with the idea that I had to watch as many films as I could. I knew I would have to face many.. many.. many bad films for only a few great ones. Nevertheless, I know that it is also by watching the “not so good” movies that I’ll learn to avoid doing many mistakes with my own scripts.

The difficulty with short films is that most of time people find it impossible to tell a story in only a few minutes. Basically, what they do is that they shoot… video clips. Indeed, it is really hard to organize a script and to make it progress when you don’t have much time. Plus, short films usually need a great and original idea to be fantastic. Or at least, the story has to be told perfectly if you want to catch the audience’s attention. The one I found fantastic (let’s call it “X”) was about a sound engineer who becomes obsessed with the idea of recording silence. The pitch is quite surprising and unusual, but almost every single thing in the film was good: the cinematography, the shots, the light, the editing. A single little defect would be that it could have been a bit shorter, but even for this, I am not sure that it would have made the film better. The tension that surrounds the room the protagonist is in is amazing and strong. I was bluffed.

Other films watched (for the first – but not always – time): Abyss (incredible, Cameron really has something), Planet Terror (one word: waow) and Pretty Woman (ok, ok. It was late, we were two poor girls sitting on a couch on a Friday night and for Christ’s sake: it’s Julia!).

But what would be a weekend without going to the movies? In Paris, I could not imagine a week without going to an MK2 or an UGC or an art house rue des Ecoles. I’ve been here for two weeks and yesterday was my first time at a theater. The thing is that it is really expensive (11 bucks). The whole “illimited card” in France was an incredible invention. I don’t think that I’ll be able to go to the movies often here (sad face). Anyways, two days, two films, no revelation: You will meet a tall dark stranger (W. Allen) was not good at all, messy, boring and not even funny (and oh my, I LOVE Allen’s humor). The social network (D. Fincher) was long, yet instructive, with good actors but not really exciting. Once you’ve seen it, you don’t want to see it again.

God. That was a loooooong cinema weekend. Off to bed now. Cheers!

PS : for those who understand French and who are interested in Cinema, here a great radio program on Haroun's film "A screaming man" who won an award at Cannes Film Festival this year ---->

www.franceculture.com/emission-projection-privee-projection-privee-emission-du-2-octobre-2010-2010-10-02.html

MJ

Hitchcock is my buddy

Scariest film ever: Hitchcock's "Birds", first out in 1963, with Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor. It felt so awkward to be in front of the rolls of film. And there were two of them, just like the lovebirds in the movie : awsome!

Isabelle Huppert in Claire Denis weird film "White Material": vague but poetic.

MJ.

You better be a FileMaker Pro addict…

Monday was my first day at work. Starting wasn’t too stressful because we had got the chance to meet with the staff, but we didn’t quite know what we would have to do for nine months.

The first interesting introduction was the FileMaker Pro software. When the person who was supposed to welcome us opened this program, I was first VERY scared: there were spaces dedicated to almost every single thing you can find about a film (director and cast of course, but also editor, music, running time, year, print source, distributor, production company or festivals!). And a database already filled with… 24 000 movies.

Then, she opened the Google Calendar, where everyone was sharing their agenda with us. It seemed like an entire page full of different colours for each hour of the day. I understood that it would take me a few days to feel comfortable with it… or a few weeks?

However, the job description got me very enthusiastic. We would get the chance to see films, grade them and make some detailed research about specific countries.

The funny part would also consists in attending meetings about the organization of events and to listen to the “green corner” speech made by a manager: how to recycle and how important turning the lights off was. I realized that almost no one in France could ever consider talking about such things in an official weekly meeting, and how great Seattle was concerning ecology. The coordinator even asked us what was our means of transportation because the city taxed companies on that (better to take the bus or to walk!).

At the end of the day, I had watched a short film about mushroom hunting, a documentary about Tanzanian kids and updated almost 60 films in the database. At least there is something I know for sure: working there will not be a waste of time and even if the sun is still shining out there (day 10 with no rain!), there is no time for me to tan.

MJ.

One month later...

Today, it's been a month since I moved to Seattle for my internship in the music industry. The city is how I left it the last time I came in April: friendly, green/clean and relaxed.

Seattle was my first choice for this gap year. Not only I wanted a city closely related to music - and it is obvious Seatlle is, no need to say it - but I also wanted a big city where my life would be really different from the one I live/leave in Paris. Seattle, known for its music scene and its West-coast spirit seemed perfect to me and now that I've spent a month here, I cannot say that I've been deceived.

The adaptation here was easier than I thought it would be, even if some details kept my attention. As my buddy M mentioned yesterday, life is way slower but it's just something you have to get used to. On the contrary to M, this is the first time I've been living for a long time in the US and getting used to a slower life was not the only thing I had to learn. I also had to cope with the fact that people HERE are friendly. I'm not saying friendl-ier but friendly, which for a parisian - as you may know - is a big deal!

On the musical side, I have been able to attend many good shows thanks to some amazing people I met here. Among those, the most impressive was with no doubt Willie Nelson at the Puyallup Fair, on September 16th. Not only it was my first time in an (American) fair - with its Hypno-Chicks, giant pumpkins, elefant ears and roller coasters, but also the show itself was a-ma-zing.

Born in the early 30s, Mr Nelson, who recently had his braids cut out but who still wears his bandana, is way more of a performer than many young and hip musicians. His voice was powerful and deep, his guitar playing was energetic and the songs he played had the public clap and sing along for almost two hours. Being able to convey such strong emotions, Willie Nelson appeared to me as the American folk singer par excellence.

As days go by, I feel that I'm becoming a real Seattlite. As a matter of fact, today I was told how to pronounce "Puyallup" as a real Pacific-Northwesterner!

This may be not enough though...
However, I can also give directions - knowing that Broadway and Madison are tricky streets, I am able to order at any coffee shop without even looking at the menu board, and I always go out with both an umbrella(1) AND my sunglasses in my purse...
Are you convinced now?

(1) To ALL the people around the world who warned me and M about the awful weather in Seattle ("the city where it rains 24/7"), just know that it hasn't been raining over the past ten days... Oh yeah.

AC.

Wandering in the street(s)

Dear America

Coming back to the US so soon was unexpected, but everything looks just the same, even three years after leaving Washington D.C. Immigration process, bus transfers, roads and streets names: it feels like I’ve never left.

Settling down was quick and easy. Good start: the Verite Café on 34th & Spring Street. It is the ideal place for espressos and for cupcakes (chocolate/ coconut for example).
People are much more relaxed than in Paris. No rush and no stress. It is going to be a challenge to adapt, in a good way. Buses are slow and drivers are aware of pedestrians (who ALWAYS have priority but MUST respect the lights), a thing that would be unconceivable in France.
Downtown is not such a giant area, even if there are some tall buildings. Great places to go to (no endless list I promise): Pike Place Market and the Show Box for concerts. Capitol Hill is much more pleasant for a walk and for shopping second-hand clothes and design stuff. And after an entire week, I’ve walked through a few places.
If you are looking for College guys, girls and books (let’s pretend), the U district is the area you’ll want to go to.
Seattle is an interesting city. There are many health and yoga centers, people recycle almost everything and are really serious about household-waste sorting. The funny thing is that the center contrasts with the neighborhoods around, buildings contrast with cute houses and old warehouses. The city is also a witness of America’s disparities.

After a week, the general impression is that even if Seattle is an American city in many ways, it is also a unique innovative and creative place. The music and cinema scenes are well developed and really rich. I believe that the 9 months I have to discover it will be useful.

MJ

Seattle here we come