Back to Renton

People from Renton usually say that Seattle is our home town because most people haven't heard of Renton, which has traditionally been kind of a backwater Boeing plant town. Well I just paid Renton a visit and I was surprised to see how much it's changed. A lot of places have been redeveloped with fancy-looking new buildings, a new Uwajimaya Japanese import store, a Wal-Mart AND a Sam's Club (c'mon, how much more of a monopoly on the downtown economy does one corporation really need?), the old swimming pool torn out to make way for a skate park, and what I thought was really the jewel of the new downtown: the hip boutiques on 3rd street. There's Happy Delusions, a business undertaking by my high school friend Mary Clymer, which sells original works by local artists and crafters. Lots of really clever stuff on the shelves, definitely a must see if you should happen to find yourself in.... Renton. Happy Delusions is located in the storefront previously inhabited by the Golden Oldies purveyors of all things vinyl, which makes it a very historically special place, indeed. Right next door is the coffeeshop Liberty Cafe, where Mike pours a mean cup of Chai - truly delicious. And up the street there's Tyrannosaurus Records (nice pun on "Rex") which was closed the day I was there, but which I am told is a very nice place to shop for music. After talking to Mary about her business ambitions and goings-on about town, I'm optimistic for the future of Renton - seems to be attracting a young, creative crowd and building lots of community infrastructure. I'm really proud of all my friends who have started semi-thriving businesses and looking forward to visited more often in the near future.

Now I'm back in Santa Cruz and seriously considering running for City Council. Santa Cruz reminds me of Seattle during its repressive "slump" phase - Teen Dance Ordinance crackdown on the club scene, ban on flyering. Only here it's coming in the form a police crackdown on homeless people which is spilling over onto the under-appreciated street musicians who do so much to make downtown colorful and vibrant. I'm happy to say that Seattle has made a noticeable bounce-back in a good direction since they voted out draconian City Attorney Tim Carr. The town seems more open and culturally exciting now. It's intangible, a mood in the air, but unmistakably different from before. Which gives me hope that Santa Cruz could turn around as well, which is a big motivation for running for office. I'll write more about that in the near future.