Today is my 21st anniversary of moving to Seattle. I came here in late January of 1992. I was just out of graduate school, my job had been eliminated, and I had no romantic partner in my life. I’d visited the Northwest the previous October, staying with my aunt and uncle who’d recently moved here themselves. As I explored the area, I fell utterly in love with the giant trees, the beautiful lakes, and spectacular mountain countryside. When I mentioned to my aunt and uncle how great it would be to live here, they invited me to live with them. So I went back to Chicago, packed up my stuff, and bought a plane ticket to Seattle.