In the beginning, there was Trader Vic's. For a couple of years, anyway (except on the internet, where nothing ever dies). When the Westin Bellevue opened, across from Bellevue Square, with its block-long driveway down 6th Avenue NE, the hotel's porte-cochère was on the right, and Trader Vic's on the left, but--awkwardly--you couldn't drop off your car with the hotel valet if you just wanted a Mai Tai and pupus. There's no street presence; Palomino has the corner location, all shimmering white tablecloths, opposite Bel Square's mid-market Red Robin. more ›

Last June, we almost jumped into that Yellow Cab (with its rooftop ad for flights to Heathrow) just to escape the gloomy weather. That was then--the climate has changed. Last night, emerging well-fed but late from Pearl in Bellevue, we found we'd missed our ride back to Seattle. We'd taken Sound Transit over, but now the prospect of a bus ride seemed overwhelming. Three taxis stood in line outside the Westin. Normally it's a $35 fare but we had exactly one $20 bill in our wallet. "Belltown for twenty bucks?" we asked. The first cabbie, understandably, refused. Second one glowered briefly and muttered, "Twenty-five." Third one reflected a moment, then said, "Get in." Twenty minutes later we were home. A parable for getting along in today's economy, perhaps? more ›