Mercer Island Mysteries

It's been nearly 12 months since I moved to The Island, but I haven’t yet quite cracked the "MI" code. There are several little quirks to life here that still have me stymied. If anyone can shed some light on these questions that remain a mystery to me, drop a note in the comments. I’m all ears.

Why exactly is Mercer Island nicknamed "The Rock"?

There’s no rock here, is there? It’s not a particularly rocky place. It doesn’t jut up out of the water like, say Alcatraz, which is what I think of when I hear The Rock.

Why are names like Cable-Helen embedded in the sidewalks downtown?

Were these once the names of the streets? If so, why were they changed? 

Why on earth did the city allowed so many fast-food type chain restaurants in the CBD, like , , and ?

Considering how intense people are about big decisions concerning the Island, I’m amazed they were allowed to clutter up our main streets. Wouldn’t we have much rather had an independent café or cheese shop? I know I would have.

Why is everyone so enthralled with around here?

I mean, it’s okay and everything, but the buzz seems a little over-rated to me.

Where’s the beach?

Considering we live smack in the middle of Lake Washington, it’s surprisingly difficult to access the water, unless you own a chunk of it, of course. Aside from, where else can people get close to the lake?

Why people are still so worked up about the big new buildings downtown?

Are they that awful? (Aside from the fast food chain restaurants on the ground floor….) Or is it more that they've brought an influx of people crowding the schools and the streets?

How can we have an art walk with only one actual gallery?

Why does the  not start up until mid June?

Yes, I know a lot of crops aren’t harvested until then. (Something about the weather I’m guessing.) But other communities, like Columbia City, start their markets much earlier in the year.

What the heck is the convergence zone?

You can’t tune into a weather report without hearing about the blasted convergence zone. But I have yet to meet anyone who can explain to me what this actually is. And why does it send weather patterns into a tailspin?

Three words: !?

Is there that big of a market for parrots on the island? Who, why, how? We don’t have any kids clothing stores, a gift shop, or more than one or two women’s clothing outlets, but at least we have our parrot needs covered. I’m greatly amused that it’s not even a general bird store, only parrots. (That’s like having a dachshund shop.) And let’s not even get into the bigger mystery of how they stay in business….

And last, but maybe most importantly, what's the story with that car with all the pink flamingos on it?