Under the Needle: City that never sleeps, this ain't

In the reverse world, when day is night and night is day, the little things change. There are no softball leagues, lunches in the park or after-work shopping trips. There is quiet, an easy commute and light is screened away for sleep.

In the reverse world, where breakfast is dinner, much of daily life is a little harder to get.

		Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
	Minnie's on Denny Way is one of three 24-hour restaurants in Seattle that have closed in recent months. The others were in Ballard and the University District.

Manny has been on the night shift for years. Part vampire, pale as a ghost, he prefers working at night unloading trucks.

But Seattle sometimes makes it hard.

"This ain't nothing like Vegas," he said of the place he left 12 years ago. "That's a real 24-hour city. Nighttime everything."

Of course, with everything happening at night in Vegas -- summer heat forces daytime jobs such as construction to cooler, dark hours, not to mention the gambling -- nighttime loses some of its appealing separation from the diurnal world.

Seattle, an exceedingly daytime city, gives that advantage back to those who seek work in the reverse world. But then things go and make it a bit worse.

Things like the death of the 24-hour restaurant.

Sitting in the Five Point Cafe on Cedar Street, Manny knows his 4 a.m. options are, oddly, few in a town of this size. And he knows they just got a bit fewer in the past couple of months as three 24-hour diners went under within a few weeks of each other -- Minnie's on Denny, Denny's in Ballard and IHOP in the University District.

"I mean, man, it's not like there were a bunch of places, but I've never been in a town with such a lousy set of choices. I mean (the Five Point) is great, but sometimes you want to go somewhere else.

"You can go to the 13 Coins and spend more than you want, but I don't know. It's kind of embarrassing in a town that thinks it's so hip."

The city doesn't keep separate records for 24-hour joints, but it's safe to say that the number has been fading into Seattle's past, like taverns and affordable housing. Late-night diners say it's dwindled to about a half-dozen.

Even the University District with its forever-young population lacks the standard all-night fare of many tiny, rural college towns.

The town's fancy foodies have tried to step into the breach with a toe in the late-night tub, catering mainly to hipsters, clubbers and the boozy famished. But these places tend to stop at 2 a.m., maybe 3 a.m., and they don't reopen until noon, or late in the day.

"For one, the cost. They aren't cheap. They don't want you to sit around and read the paper," said Manny, who hesitated when he gave his last name as Gomes. He declined to talk about where he worked or many of his specifics. He said to write that he's in his 30s.

"Those places don't fit my schedule because I usually get off around 4 a.m."

He finished his eggs and got ready to leave, apologizing about being so evasive.

"Look, I work these hours because I like to avoid people most of the time. And I like towns at night when they are still. It's just nice to have a place to sit.

"Why is that getting harder?"

It's not about tattoos. Under the Needle is a feature showcasing Seattle and the people who live here. Got an idea for future installments? E-mail suggestions to mikelewis@seattlepi.com.