You Are Here: 2009 in Places

According to the Chinese, 2009 was the year of the ox. For me it was the year of the kettlebell, vodka gimlets, and marrying my wonderful husband. Although the year was pretty good to me, and my regrets are limited, I'm pretty excited to close the door on the aughts and move on the the teens (tweens?? 10-12 aren't really teens yet). Here's the top five places of 2009.

Greenwood
Okay, so our 'hood was terrorized by a serial arsonist this fall, but this same community is responsible for delights such as the Oroweat discount bread store, Labels consignment shop, and an expanded, overpriced, yet utterly convenient Ken's Market. One
of my small pleasures in life is watching the high school employees change the specials and messages on the store's marquee. In an era of stupidly fast technology, it's nice to see someone manually change old-timey letters, one by one.

By the way, the arsonist was caught and two local artists recently unveiled a mural to support the notion that good (public art) prevails over evil (fire).


Astoria, OR
A perk about being a planner for a consulting firm means we get to travel around the Pacific Northwest for jobs. This year brought me to Astoria, OR, to help develop the Port's strategic plan. You may be aware that I used to live in Astoria, NY. Whereas an authentic Greek bakery in Astoria, NY provided the cake from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", Astoria, OR is where Goonies, Free Willy, and Kindergarten Cop were filmed. True fact. It's a super cute seaside town that has recently been restored from oblivion, with the downtown shops still in tact from days of yore. My favorite restaurant is Gunderson's Cannery Cafe, where you can eat a damn good salmon sandwich while perched over the massive Columbia River.

Rancho Bravo Taco Truck
If 2008 was the year of El Chupacabra (a local Mexican joint staffed by the semi-rude and totally-tattoo'd), 2009 was the year of Rancho Bravo Taco Truck (run by Mexican grandmas). Sure, we had to give up some of the luxuries of El Chupa- jukebox, roof, margaritas that practically flowed from the tap- but what we got in return is worth it. Delicious, authentic, and WARM carne asada burritos, equally delicious chicken quesadillas, quacamole, tamales, where two people can eat happily for under $10. It's totally recession- and stomach-friendly. So what if you have to eat in your car?

Crossfit
Crossfit is not only a place, it is a state of mind...or I'm sure that's what the founder believes. Maybe not, but I do love the class workouts and the camaraderie. I'd been flirting with the idea of doing Crossfit since my Astoria days, was put off by the price and inconvenience of going to two gyms, but I joined in 2009 and it's totally worth it. I mean, you don't get this hard body by just eating burritos, right?

My bathtub
"There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them". I have totally embraced baths as a way to decompress after a long day. It's a daily habit that I picked up from my mom. They warm me up, chill me out. I often read magazines (my other great mindless pleasure) and think about my dream bathtub, which has a place for my beverage and is ceramic, not some plastic "bath-fitter" crap like the one in our rental condo.

Apparently I'm not a girl of luxurious needs. Change the marquee sign, feed me cart food, draw me a hot bath and I'm good. Here's to more pleasurable moments and places in Twenty-ten!