the logo is a “cyclo” not an insect.

Sometime in the last week, a brave new tenant of the possibly cursed Broadway storefront (#406, above Harrison) opened their doors to the general public. This season’s fresh-faced contestant is Pho Cyclo Cafe ^[1], expanding beyond their Belltown South Seattle location to bring another Vietnamese option to Capitol Hill.

Writing in the New York Times Magazine on the subject of becoming a true resident of the city, Colson Whitehead claimed “You are a New Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now.” [# ^[2]] While the same might be said for any city, I’m afraid that it might be cheating to use memories of previous residents of 406 Broadway as a basis for the formation of a permanent Seattle identity. Instead, one might gain credibility by the number of occupants that one can remember occupying the space.

In any case, best of luck to the new guys. Opening a steaming soup restaurant in the summer can’t be the easiest challenge, especially with Pho institution Than Brothers ^[3] just over a block away (and with vegetarian options).