Yakima, Day 1

Hello friends and comrades,

I've been assigned to work 4 nights, 5 days in our neighboring state of Eastern Washington. Its a strange land, where they helpfully have the same currency as us in Western Washington, the dollar.

First off, the weather... Its amazingly sunny out here. In Tacoma, the highs for the next 4 days should be 71, 71, 68, 66 with partially cloudy/patchy fog type weather. Here in Yakima, its 81, 81, 80, and 76 and completely clear, literally, not a cloud in the sky. So for all the people who grump and grouch about "where's summer?", you should take the 2 hour, 40 minute drive over the scary mountains and visit the Palm Springs of Washington.

Second, the grocery store. Top Foods is Top Foods.. which is true, but i was startled by the size of the hispanic foods aisle. At the Top Foods on Union Street back in Tacoma, the Hispanic Foods sections occupies about 3-4 bays, where as at the Top Foods at Union Gap, Yakima, the same section occupies one whole long side of an aisle. There's one bay devoted entirely to bagged masa (the corn flour used to make primarily tamales) and another that's nothing but canned chiles of different varieties. Also, in the bulk foods area, theres an immense bin of dried pinto beans.

This may be because according to the best (and quickest) source I found, the population mix is 69% white and 34% hispanic/latino. Now beyond the obvious that this adds up to more than 100% and that african american/pacific islander/native americans are somehow in the negative percent, there's a substantial hispanic population here, compared to Tacoma's 60% white and 7% latino.

Finally, the Yakima Mall area... It looks normal enough, with 2 stories and what not. The bottom story was the normal mix of clothing stores, a hallmark, an orange julius, nothing to speak of. The top floor had a 3 restaurant food court - a pizzeria, a chinese place, and the very tasty Bruchis cheesesteaks. To the left of the pizzeria was a framed picture store, and to the right of the other 2 were a Christian bookstore and a huge military recruiting area (that has banners visible from downstairs). It was a really weird and quiet floor with the eerie feeling you get when devout photographers, glasses wearing Jesus biography readers, and the military. And tasty cheesesteaks and a bored looking chinese lady and the most stereotypical Italian guy working at the pizzeria (his name might have been Tony and the special was spaghetti with meatballs).

The rest of the mall area looks like someone saw the Lakewood Town Centre and decided to place the same bunch of stores, except not in a neat grouping where they all face inwards and you park inbetween them. Instead, the Union Gap mall area has the same 10-12 stores (Borders, Petco, Shopco, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.) all in one huge interconnected parking lot facing pell mell in every direction so you have to drive around to each one separately in the least convienient way possible. This would be a problem in Lakewood, except at this town center, there was literally no one there (I know its Thursday afternoon, but still) so getting around would only waste your gas and not your time.

Got to go earn my keep and go to work and have some folks guess at some Skittles.

That's all I have to say about that... For now

Patrick