At night, what you see is a city, because all you see is lights. By day, it doesn't look like a city at all. The trees out-number the houses. And that's completely typical of Seattle. You can't quite tell: is it a city, is it a suburb, is the forest growing back? Jonathan Raban backcitycompletely share on social
Interstate highways dull the reality of place and distance almost as effectively as jetliners do: I loathe their scary monotony. Jonathan Raban distancedulleffectively Change image and share on social
'Rage' is the word that most often attaches itself to the Tea Party movement, and it's true that, from the outside looking in, their public demonstrations appear to be more enraged than any political events in America since the race riots and anti-war protests of the 1960s. Jonathan Raban 1960samericaanti share on social
Seattle is a liberal city, its politics not so much blue (in the American, not the British, sense) as deep ultramarine, and its manners are studiously polite. Jonathan Raban americanbluebritish Change image and share on social
Inaugurals conventionally start with a history lesson and finish with a prayer. Jonathan Raban conventionallyfinishhistory Change image and share on social
The north-south line of 'the mountains,' meaning the Cascade Range, forty miles east of Seattle, is a rigid political frontier. Jonathan Raban cascadeeastforty Change image and share on social
Every White House has had its intellectuals, but very few presidents have been intellectuals themselves - Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Woodrow Wilson, the list more or less stops there. Jonathan Raban adamhouseintellectual Change image and share on social
Because Washington state now votes by mail, elections here tend to play out, at an agonizingly slow speed, over many days and, sometimes, weeks. Jonathan Raban agonizinglydayelection Change image and share on social
Seattle was built out on pilings over the sea, and at high tide the whole city seemed to come afloat like a ship lifting free from a mud berth and swaying in its chains. Jonathan Raban afloatberthbuild Change image and share on social
'Dreams From My Father' reveals more about Obama than is usually known about political leaders until after they're dead. Perhaps more than it intends, it shows his mind working, in real time, sentence by sentence, in what feels like a private audience with the reader. Jonathan Raban audiencedeaddream share on social
