Just over four years ago, I was standing at a gate in Newark International Airport waving goodbye to my girlfriend. Jyl had had it with New York and was moving back to a city she loves, Seattle. I handled this parting the way I usually handle goodbyes: I cried like a baby - like a really emotional baby. Since that time, Jyl and I have remained exceptionally close. After all, she's still the same wonderful woman I fell in love with in New York; she just moved away, that's all. We never fought or hurt each other the way people are wont to do, so it's always seemed perfectly natural that we should remain close and stay in touch. However, I've only seen her once (for a couple of days in New York) since she left and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to hook up with her here in Seattle.

After a few missed connections, we finally we met face to face. It was great to see her. I suspect it always will be; in fact, I can see us as a couple of old folks (knock on wood) still greeting each other after some time apart and still feeling as if we just said goodbye yesterday. We headed to a pub in downtown Seattle where Jyl's mom, sister, and friends were waiting to bid her adieu and bon voyage prior to her Japan jaunt.

On Tuesday, Jyl and I took a short drive east to the towns of North Bend and Snoqualmie. This is Twin Peaks country; much of the TV series, created by David Lynch, was filmed in this area. We had lunch at the Mar-T Cafe (the Double R on the show) enjoying a "damn fine cup of coffee" and some of that famous pie. Also in North Bend is the enigmatic traffic signal that was often shown swinging in the breeze on the show.

In Snoqualmie, one finds the giant log that was seen in the show's opening credits every week. Just outside of town is the Salish Lodge, the stand-in, in external shots, for the series' Great Northern Lodge . Right next door is Snoqualmie Falls, often pictured on the series and majestic enough to warrant a visit even if one isn't a Peaks fan. This is beautiful country, even on a cloudy, foggy day such as this was. In fact, the fog and mist helped recreate the mysterious feeling of the now-canceled series so I didn't mind it a bit.

Back in Seattle, Jyl and I made a visit to a great emporium, Archie McPhee's. I had heard of Archie's before, had even called them for a catalog but it was much more fun in person. Say you were in the market for - oh, I don't know - a rubber brain. You might not know where to go for that, right? Or a sphere that looks like an eyeball, that glides along a smooth surface with the eyeball always gazing upward. You might even be in the market for little plastic trinkets, tiny babies ready for stringing on a bracelet or a wedding couple, semi-suitable for the top of a cake, or tiny plastic combs. All these items, and millions more every bit as frivolously indispensible, can be found at Archie's. It's the place where old toys go when they die. They were offering, for example, a set of plastic figures, a young couple in love. Sort of a made-in-Taiwan Barbie and Ken, only smaller and made completely of moulded plastic, even the hair. These figures are right out of the '70s. The male has nearly shoulder-length hair, and he and his lady friend are indentically attired in blousy yellow shirts and bell-bottoms!! Pretty scary.

Archie's, like just about every other store in this area, also features a coffee bar, so one can enjoy a cappucino or a latte while strolling the aisles. Seattle is Coffee Central; this town is keen on the bean. And Seattilites are particular, too, in their search for the perfect cup of coffee. A server must listen quite carefully to absorb the specifics when a resident of the Emerald City is placing a java order. I understood a little better this obsession after a couple of days in town; the weather became quite cool and damp. Here it was July and yet, in the mornings, I was wearing a sweatshirt and jacket. A hot cup of joe suddenly sounded quite appealing and over the next couple of days, I had more than my share.

On Wednesday morning, Jyl was off to the land of the rising sun. I was sorry to see her go so soon but was pleased that I'd gotten to see her for even a brief while. Her sister, Wendy, had graciously offered to let me stay a couple more days at the house she shares with Jyl, an offer I wasn't inclined to pass up as I wanted to see more of Seattle. Over the next couple of days, I visited a couple of old movie theatres: the Neptune, where I caught a festival of award-winning television commercials from all over the world, and the Guild 45, which was unspooling Batman Returns . The ad fest was surprisingly entertaining, while I found Batman's return to be a bit of a snoozer. Like the initial installment, it was badly in need of a good trimming.

I drove around the city a fair bit, had some good meals (the Beeliner Diner, the Dog House) including a dinner with Wendy at the Crocodile Cafe. Wendy works at the Bad Animals recording studio, one of the hottest in the Northwest. Heart has recorded there many times and REM was in the studio just a week or so before I hit town.

Seattle is a cool town. It's a place that, if I ever decided to leave New York, I'd consider moving to. It's a beautiful town, very green and hilly (in fact, it's got some hills San Francisco would proudly claim). It's a water town, and I'm not just referring to the rain. When driving around town, one is constantly coming upon bridges, crossing Puget Sound and Lake Washington. It's quite a place. I look forward to spending more time here soon.

Continue on the American Odyssey.
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