01_01_2009_So this is the new year_bv

--01_01_2009_So this is the new year_bv--

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful, energetic, and safe night. I can only hope that everyone had as wonderful of night as I had in Seattle. Here are just a few images of the Space Needle fireworks last night. These were taken from the Republican Street steps about 50 feet from where a friend of mine lives in Capitol Hill.

I'll probably post a few more images from the night coming up.

To all in this new year may you find happiness, health, and good fortune.
Best,

Brad Vest

--2008_12_19-22_Seattle on Ice_bv--

--2008_12_19-22_Seattle on Ice_bv--

In the last few days Seattle has been rocked by an epic (in Seattle standards) amount of snow. This city shuts down after only a couple inches of snow. As a matter of fact, Seattle canceled all schools for this past Wednesday just at the mere threat of snow. Well, as it turned out, it didn't snow on Wednesday. It did however snow Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Accumulating a total of 8-10 inches of snow in the Seattle metro area. This is quite a bit of snow to fall at once even in Chicago standards. What makes it much worse here though is the face that Seattle has very few snow plows, no salt, and an enormous amount of very steep hills. These, along with 10 inches of snow, combined to pretty much shutdown the city.

Since I personally live on a giant hill, Queen Anne, my car has been out of action for the past 4 days and I've been hoofing it all around the city gathering photos. It's been great seeing the way most people here love the snow. Since they don't get it every winter and barely ever get this much it seems to bring out the kid in everyone.

So, the count. In the last 4 days.... I've gone through 12 pairs of socks, 8.67 gigs of hd space, plenty of coffee and tea, and around 30 miles of walking around from Queen Anne to Capital Hill and back multiple times along with some side treks. One of the many reasons I am going to intensely miss this city when I leave in about two weeks, the fact that when it snows and the biggest hill in the city shuts down it turns into a big party of sledders, skiers, and snowboarders. What an amazing place. It has really gone by way to fast.

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from the past few days building from the ones I've already posted here. Thanks for keeping me busy with your curve ball of weather Seattle.

Thanks so much for looking. If it is snowing where you're at, stay safe, go out, and have some fun.

Best,

Brad Vest

This says it all. Do not enter... my entire neighborhood. Risky.




I began to feel like one of these guys after treadging around in the snow for 4 days straight.




































Cheers to you Seattle, it was a great few days of playing in the snow.

--12_19_2008_Sledding Denny_bv--

--12_19_2008_Sledding Denny_bv--

Since my car is stuck on the side of a steep hill surrounded by nothing but ice I walked from my house in Queen Anne to a friends in Capitol Hill gathering photos along the way for an online slideshow. With no way back to Queen Anne we toughed it out on Capitol Hill by putting together a mini bar crawl... slide. Of course we had to swing by City Market to pick up a few supplies and found they were giving some local love to the gov of my home state, Illinois.
We ended up heading back to the apartment on Bellevue but couldn't pass up the opportunity to cruise down denny on cardboard boxes along with other local revelers of the snow.
It was tough to make photos cruising down Denny but I figured I would share these to let everyone see how much of a phenomena it is to have a lot of snow in Seattle. Everyone comes out to enjoy it. It's not just a regular pain as people view it in the midwest and east coast.
Many more photos to come. After Thursday's storm we have gotten an additional 10 or so inches and it is still snowing outside. Who knows when I'll be able to move my car again.

Thanks for looking,

Brad Vest

Listening to: Solo Impala, The Fashion

Gotta love those City Market signs.