After the coffee run pictured below, Samantha and Michael and I wended our way over to the neighborhood of Ballard, where we spent a pleasant Afternoon eating and lechant les vitrines. On Tamar's good advice, we sought out the excellent Thaiku, which served up a delicious lunch in a soothing space.


A not-entirely-soothing-yet-pretty-cool carved wooden deer's head at Thaiku

In the back of the restaurant we discovered the gorgeous Doctor Fu Kun Wu's Cocktails and Herbal Apothecary, which could well have been designed by Wong Kar Wai (whose intriguing, frustrating, and elegant new film, 2046, I saw last night). We hoped to return for cocktails with Tony, Maggie, Zhang, and Gong, but didn't get around to it. Next time.


"Summer afternoon, dragon breathes fire in my eyes, o mojo juju."

Of the numerous quirky little shops and galleries, our favorite was a true modern-day Wunderkammer, which Tamar had aptly described as "like the inside of the owner's brain." Anybody with an interest in artistic arcana and ephemera should seek this place out.


Samantha examines the curiosities in the cabinet.

Let's take a peek inside those drawers with her, shall we? Remember, you are looking inside somebody's brain.