Two years of technical work and interior refurbishing have returned the performance hall to its place as one of the world's greatest. And this visitor even discovered a (tiny) Seattle connection.
Take your pick from tomes about the rising popularity of Italian cooking, the virtues of 'eating in,' or the transformation of a Capitol Hill restaurateur into a rural farmer and cheesemaker.
A dingy strip lined with old warehouses was remade into a tree-lined boulevard with bike lanes and wide-open views. Of course, traffic is still at a standstill.