There are many very long and very steep hills in Seattle and when there is any snow that sticks around that amounts to more than 3 inches, these hills get shut down to all vehicular traffic and become 24 hour ski/snowboarding/sledding/snowmobiling hills. Complete with kickers to jump off. It is really a sight to see.







Seattle takes a very creative approach to sledding. You don't need an actual sled, just something that you can sit on that slides on snow. Like a rubbermaid storage lid. I, myself attempted to sled by sitting on a piece of cardboard. This didn't work very well once it became very wet. Below you will see photos of a guy waiting to sled down the hill on his roasting pan. Then there are the two guys who went down the street in a mailbin together. I really hope that Warren Miller got some of this for his next movie.

Now I'm going to ask some help from my readers. I saw this the other day and I honestly can't understand what the purpose of this is.



At first, I thought that maybe this was to make snow removal easier, but isn't snow wet? Wouldn't the cardboard just get too wet to be helpful with getting the snow off the windshield?

In case you were wondering, James Brown is not really dead. He's living and wandering around Seattle apparently.

As mentioned in a previous post, Seattle in general is pretty laisez faire with regards to any snow that has fallen. More or less, the city's citizens are expected to just wait for the snow to melt. This applies to the sidewalks as well as the streets. See below:



Seattlites have varying forms of footwear and clothing to negotiate the snow that we've been having. Some are very practical, and some are less so. I've seen several girls wearing unbelievably high heels on the icy sidewalks - I don't have pictures of them because they walked so fast. I guess the heels act like stabilizing ice picks?

The holiday decorations at Pike's Place Market are really pretty, especially with all the snow we've gotten. I especially like the pigs that are dressed up to be reindeer - the front pig even has a red light nose.

As some of you may have heard, Seattle got some snow on Thursday. Inside the city, close to 3 inches. On the East Coast, this would barely be a blip on the radar. Here, 3 inches is enough to bring the entire city to a crawl. The reason for this is that Seattle generally has no need for snow removal, so they don't have plows, salt trucks, etc. This means that when it snows, you have to wait for the snow to melt for it to go away. Usually, this is not an issue, since it is rarely below freezing in the city.

Except now.

It is 29 degrees, and there is no sun. So there is very little, if any melting going on. The roads are, to say the least, complete sheets of ice. And that isn't even the tricky part, which are the hills. I happen to live on one of the biggest hills in Seattle. Yesterday, getting home from the Symphony, I couldn't make it up one part of the hill, and nearly didn't make it down another part. The fact that only 3 inches of snow can make such a mess is just mind boggling to this Jersey girl. I am very lucky to have an all wheel drive vehicle. Here is what just happened not even half a mile from my apartment:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008540171_webbus19m.html

Here are some pics from around town Thursday that were taken by a friend.

Last year at this time, I had left for the East Coast way too early to partake in any local holiday parties. This year, I was lucky enough to go to several. Happy to report that holiday parties out here are generally the same kind of animal as out East. They even have their own version of a "yankee swap" called, "white elephant." I don't really understand where the name comes from, but I assume the concept is the same. I've never participated in a yankee swap back home, so I don't know what kind of gifts are generally given. Out here, the goal is to either, give crap gifts OR get rid of crap gifts that you got at other white elephants. It is essentially "re-gifting" at its highest form.

I was guilty of "re-gifting" at both white elephants I participated in, but I actually had nice stuff that I just never used. As a result, karma came back to me in the form of a fondue set. whoo. Other people got things like a Hooters serving set. My personal favorite gift was a QVC Christmas sweater - you know what I mean - the kind that can only have been purchased from an overly enthusastic Christmas decorator on TV. It had apparently made its way through years of white elephants, being regifted in fancy boxes to lure unsuspecting participants. Brilliant.

Even after being here for more that a year, I still find touristy things that I've not experienced. Over the weekend, I saw the famous houseboats that are featured in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle." I don't think I saw the actual house in the movie, but I was definitely in the right place. These houses are nothing like their floating Southeast Asian counterparts. They are really neat. They've got gardens and decks. And even boats parked where you would expect a car to be. All in all very charming. Adding this to my "what to show people when they come for a visit" list.

Just like a lot of other place in the US right now, Seattle is experiencing very cold temps. For us, that means that it is below freezing in the city. This, almost never happens. Quite honestly, I hate it. I've grown very attached to our moderate climate, and when i have to wear more than a fleece, I get a little testy.

Unless there is some snow that comes with this freezing weather. Then it is more palatable. Here is a snowman my neighbors made just outside my door on Sunday. It is still there now, it is so cold.

I guess where there is a will, there is a way. On Sunday, I was finally able to attend a Seahawks game at Qwest Stadium. I even got to tailgate. Tailgating in the PNW is decidedly different from that on the East Coast.

For one, tents are compulsory. I gather this practice is due to the weather, but when the weather at Giants Stadium was foul, I don't remember there being tents. I think when that happened, people either toughed it out or just didn't tailgate. There just isn't room in the parking lot in East Rutherford for everybody to have tents as well as a car. In Seattle, I guess it is just understood that each car is going to take up two spaces. Must be why each car is charged $50 to park.



Propane powered heaters are also the norm, which I also don't remember from the Meadowlands. My first response when I saw those was, how wimpy. It is only 45 degrees! People tailgate in NJ when it is below freezing with no bloody heaters. That is what bbqs and blankets are for! AND... some people even brought their own portopotties!





The one part of PNW tailgating that was the most interesting was the drinking games. I've NEVER heard of beer pong at a tailgate, but it is clearly the most popular tailgating activity in Seattle. There are non-fancy pong tables (regular folding tables), and seriously fancy pong tables designed purely for beer pong (painted like a football field). There are also endless varieties of beer bongs. The most elaborate, pictured below, was as tall as a fire truck and had two spouts. There were even motorized coolers, to bring beer faster to those who needed it. The things people think of these days.







The fans were also considerably more enthusiastic with regards wearing their team pride. I was impressed.

Just to prove that you in fact, can wear whatever you like to just about anywhere in Seattle, here is a picture I took today at the symphony. Please note that both men are still wearing their biking cleats.



BTW, in case you might be keeping count, this is post #200.

I'm sure it has to do with the angle and height of the sun, but I've decided that the sunsets, when we can see them, at this time of year are just breathtaking. The colors look as if they've been painted in.

When in NYC, what happens when the weather turns cold, wet and rainy? People generally duck into cabs and stay inside. Not here in Seattle, no siree.

Yesterday I volunteered at a "Holiday Carousel," which, to my surprise, was outside. When I realized that it was raining and miserable, I was pretty convinced that there would be nobody interested in riding that thing.

I was wrong. Parents brought their kids out in droves to take pictures of them in their fancy holiday dress on the horses - I guess for Holiday card pictures? It was astounding. It isn't like this carousel was only operational for one day. It will be there for the whole month, and technically, it is free. I know free is good, but GOOD free things are good. Not wet, bone chilling free things.