  Local Cinema I was able to buy my home in Seattle because of a urlLink neighborhood renovation project .  New Holly took space that was either undeveloped ( Hmmm,  there's this big field under these high voltage power lines,  I'm sure we could do something else with it!  or was World War II-
era public housing,  and turned it into a modern " affordable"  neighborhood.  Now,  the word affordable is relevant,
 of course,  but the homes and townhouses that were listed for the first stage of development were unmatched for price if one was looking for a home within Seattle city limits that wasn't ( literally)  a one- room bungalow from 1910,  or a "
charming fixer- upper"  in the heart of the industrial district.  By choosing one of the last homes available,  on the smallest lot in the development,  we were just able to put every last cent into buying our home.
 It certainly helped that the developer was eager to sell,  in order to get the rest of the funds released for further stages of the development.  The prices for homes in the subsequent " stages"  of the development are significantly higher than what we paid.  We were extremely fortunate that timing worked out for us as it did.
 We now live in a modern house,  with plenty of electrical outlets,  fully wired with cable and telephone connections in every room.  The neighborhood has urlLink a branch library and urlLink community center ,  multiple parks,  and is bordered with bus stops for several different bus routes.
 It's all very handy,  and while not as full- on urban as living downtown or in the University District,  it's still pretty acceptable to me.  The one thing we don't have are the other amenities people associate with urban living.  There's one corner store,
 which I call the beer and bread store.  It's the kind of place whose windows are covered in posters for Old English 800 and 24- packs of Michelob Light,  which I must admit,  does not meet my shopping needs.  The nearest supermarket is a decrepit old Safeway,
 positioned next to the salvation army/ gospel mission/ youth outreach center a the bottom of the hill.  Their selection is focused on stocking plenty of ramen noodles,  white bread,  Budweiser,
 potatoes and hamburger but it's not the sort of store where I'm able to buy more than the very generic basics ( milk,  cheddar cheese,  frozen pancakes,  soda)  We have no neighborhood bar or tavern,
 no local butcher shop or bakery,  no neighborhood restaurants ( besides the very good,  though exceptionally informal and tiny urlLink Willie's Taste of Soul )  no shops,  and certainly no Starbucks (
or indy equivalent)  For those things,  we have to go to urlLink Columbia City .  Columbia City is not far,  less than a mile from the house.  It's where my daughter's school is located,
 and where the urlLink farmer's market runs from May to October.  There is a library ( currently under renovations)  a couple branches of different banks,  two thriving coffee shops ( Starbucks and urlLink Lottie Motts )
 a tavern ( the urlLink Columbia City Ale House )  a butcher shop ( Bob's Quality Meats,  founded in 1909,  is the oldest,
 continuously operating meat market in the state of Washington)  that I keep meaning to try,  and a couple of nice restaurants ( from Willie's Taste of Soul's rival BBQ place,  urlLink Jones Barbecue ,  to the more upscale urlLink Deux Tamales and urlLink La Medusa )
 Columbia City is the location of the post office I use most often,  even though I technically cross the zip code line to get there I consider it " my"  post office.  In addition to all these riches,  there is now an organization that has started a movement to bring back a local cinema to the neighborhood.
 The urlLink Columbia City Cinema is definitely a work in progress,  but thanks to either my association with Orca school,  or maybe something I signed up for at the farmer's market,  word trickled down to me about the organization,  its fund- raiser showings of movies all this month,
 and so on.  Last night I finally had the opportunity to go there and see the place ( and a movie)  for myself.  What fun!  Films from the last few weeks have included matinees for the kids (
The Brave Little Toaster,  The Black Stallion,  My Neighbor Totoro,  James and the Giant Peach)  and evening classics for the adults ( This is Spinal Tap,
 Double Indemnity,  Dr.  Strangelove,  Rebecca)  Halloween night they've got Nosferatu on the schedule.  Last night's feature was North by Northwest.
 We walked in immediately behind another family who had never been to the cinema before.  The father,  while paying,  asked what millimeter the film was and was very twitchy when told we'd be seeing a DVD.  " A DVD?
 A DVD,  on a television?  His rising panic was palpable and started to touch off a feeling of panic in me against my will.  I could vividly picture us,  a sad group of viewers,  huddled around a television on folding chairs,
 and I'd already made up my mind that I really didn't want to sit by this freaky father.  He was reassured and offered a look at the screen around the corner,  and I paid my fee and went in.  To the right,  an informal little concession stand had been erected,  staffed by a grinning middle-
aged woman and her husband/ assistant.  Fresh popcorn and sodas,  suggested donation $ 1 each.  The popcorn was great!
 Straight ahead is the theater itself,  with a makeshift screen ( little more than a two- story sheet on a wooden scaffold)  and seating including cushioned wooden benches ( church pews?
 and yes,  folding chairs!  ( According to their newsletter,  they've had a donation of theater seats,  but have to raise the money to have them transported to the theater at $
3 a piece,  so we may be sitting on folding chairs in the future.  In the center of it all was the DVD and projector.  Once the lights were dimmed and the movie started,  I certainly lost myself in the experience and enjoyed it thoroughly.  I suspect Father Freakout did as well.
 I was happy to pay what Chris called " New York prices"  to contribute to the fundraiser,  and I look forward to seeing this community cinema take shape.  I can't wait to see what the schedule for November is.
