So Close, and Yet So Far...

Last Friday, the family and I tried a new restaurant in our neighborhood.  This spot has been there for ages, but it was new to us.  We've lived in Seattle going on nine years, and there are pockets in our corner of the world we have never explored, gaps in my geography.  The restaurant we visited is two blocks from our neighborhood school, and we have driven past it thousands of times.  How could we have never visited a place so close?

And it was wonderful.  This little Greek restaurant had the most perfectly roasted chicken I have ever tasted.  The wait staff was friendly, the decor was comfortable and we ran into neighbors.  I have my daughter to thank.  It was her idea to try this restaurant.  Otherwise, we rotate through a list of three restaurants.  My kids generally prefer the familiar.  I tried an experiment where every other time we ate out, we had to try someplace new.  I'd let them scroll through Urban Spoon and pick a place.  This plan fell by the wayside, and we were back at our usual bar and grill or Mexican place.

It is not just this cozy corner restaurant that I've skipped.  Here I confess the places I've never been:  Bainbridge Island.  The Olympic Peninsula.  Alki Beach.  Whidbey Island.  Unless this summer, I had never been to Mercer Island.  I had driven under the island on I-90, but never set foot on it.

This the challenge of living in such a rich and vibrant part of the country.  There are so many choices, yet we stick with the familiar.  Stepping off of our well worn path was like taking a mini-vacation without the hassle of traveling.  I love to travel, yet I wonder why I have to leave town to try new places.  It is time to bring my spirit of adventure mindset home.