Exploring Issaquah

The biggest challenge of being a visitor to the US, the land of wide roads and spaces, highways, freeways and airways, is trying to move around without a car. I have witnessed the angst of elderly parents visiting their indulgent children in this land of plenty as they find themselves homebound. Unable or unwilling to drive, they stay indoors, in a gilded prison, eagerly waiting for a ride to set them free. I am in such a situation now.

My brother’s home is located in the newly developed community called Issaquah Highlands. The city of Issaquah is located about 16 miles from Seattle. The neighborhood is deathly quiet all day once the morning rush of children being dropped off at school is done and the adults drive away to their work places. Today we decided to break the self- imposed exile and dependence on a car and took the bus to check out the quaint downtown Issaquah. It took us twenty minutes to get to the park and ride and board express bus 554. The ride itself was exactly 5 minutes (and $1.50 each). We got off at City Hall, a cement-grey structure that looked well-maintained just like the rest of the litter-free streets around it. We obediently waited for the signal that allowed us to the cross the road leading towards the City of Issaquah Parks and Recreation center that housed the swimming pool. Aparna is a good swimmer and I was hoping to get her some swimming practice in the pools here. Julius Boehm pool appeared to be a decent heated pool with the requisite lifeguards and other associated facilities in place. The rates were very attractive though we could not find swimming classes during the weeks we are here.

We strolled down Front Street towards the library. The one constant void that I find in my life after moving back to India is the absence of the wonderful library system of the US. For an avid reader, this is literary heaven. The calm order of a library, pulsating with quiet intelligent thoughts as people browse the well-stocked bookshelves, the soft pitter-patter of patrons searching the online catalog or checking out books, the rambunctious laughter of a preschool group that meets every week in the recreation room, are all sights to be savored and stored in memory. Libraries now boast of huge collections of not just hardbacks and paperbacks, but music CDs, movie DVDs, games, toys and other activities. I would be happy to pay more taxes if I could be assured of such a heavenly bonanza – “my tax dollars at work.”

A little later we walked around the streets, finding a “vintage” Shell gas station, a horse made of metallic mechanical parts and just beautiful greenery. The day was sunny, perfect for taking pictures in true tourist fashion, since we are rarely seen without our camera. We took the bus back home, after a satisfying morning outing. Stay tuned for more on Issaquah.