North Capitol Hill is a wealthy neighborhood in Seattle. A place where 2 million dollar homes are purchased and leveled so the new owners can build 5 million dollar homes. A place where gentrification takes on a new meaning. A place where life-long residents could never afford to purchase a home at the current prices, and the quaint little old bungalows are getting swallowed. A place where German dogs are purchased solely because they’ll look good in German SUVs. A place where kids drive nice cars and stopped riding bikes when they graduated from kindergarten. A place where adults drive nice cars and only ride bikes if they can put then in their cars and drive them to a “bike path”. Well this is where I used to live and this is where I spent the weekend. This morning I went into “the village” to buy some beer and return in time for the Seahawks game. I strapped an 18 pack on my CETMA rack and was riding home on Federal Avenue East, which is rather bumpy. The beer was rattling, clattering, clanking and making unusual noises. Noises perhaps never heard at 9:30am on a Sunday among the uber- mansions It made me laugh. And the looks I got from the elite Seattle residents out walking their elite dogs made me laugh even more.
Federal is bumpy as shit. That's my old hood too, but it's better than getting doored on 10th, and the cobbles on 11th will put your beer in some strife.
