Proctor District Redux

Since my last post about the Proctor District, I have probably gone there every day I've been in town. I would like to claim I walked there each time but, no, most of the trips were by car (laziness? no time? no excuse). One of my favorite places in the District is Metropolitan Market. Met Market regularly has samples like cooked-on-the-spot food, delicious cheese (my latest favorite is graskaas, a wonderful "fresh" cheese), fruit--particularly new varieties--and occasionally sweet treats from the bakery (today was a little key lime "bite"). Mmmm. Two items that I like that I can get only at Met Market (at least in Tacoma) are a very good version of cioppino (excellent with their herb rolls) and rebel crunch granola, which is made by Blue Heron bakery in Olympia.

I love the colors and quilt-like displays of the produce department so want to take a picture. However, I feel strangely guilty and furtive aiming my camera. Would someone think I was an industrial spy? No one questions me but my red-flag feeling is confirmed when I approach the table where an employee is wrapping and displaying the items shown in the next picture. (I've included the picture as a guessing game for all you three who read this blog. What are the objects displayed in the picture? The only prize for getting it right is your own self-satisfaction and that's worth plenty these days! What a clever way to get you to comment on my blog!)

To continue: the employee grimaces when I brandish my camera and then explains apologetically that I can't take pictures without permission. She suggests I speak to the manager who, when I explain my blog, is thrilled that I am including Met Market but hopes that I am not sending it to Whole Foods. I assure her that Whole Foods is not following my blog. Ha!


When I leave Met Market to go home, I find the main intersection at 26th and Proctor is under construction. The City is installing traffic-calming bulb-outs and lovely rose-colored pavers to prominently mark the crosswalks. Unfortunately, I've also hit it right when Mason Middle School students are getting out of school and parents are everywhere picking up their kids. The traffic is brutal. (Why are all those parents picking up their kids? I don't remember parents picking up students when I was in junior high school.)

I apparently need to watch my timing because on the day I walked to take the pictures, I also managed to get right in the middle of gaggles (giggles?) of  red tee shirt and sweatshirt-wearing Mason students. The snatches of overheard conversations were amusing and horrifying and probably not that different from when I was a teenager: "Aiden, Christian (or was it Kristen?) wants to beat you up" and ". . .she's only 13 and I don't usually . . .but before I touch her I'm gonna make her sign something . . ." (a budding lawyer? I wondered and worried about that one). Then there was the angelic-looking young woman/girl who turned around and shouted "Hey, homey!" surprising the hell out of me.

More on the rest of my walk home next post...