Garden spaces between these buildings seems a bit odd as they probably only get an hour of sunlight each day. Then again, this is Seattle where our sun exposure is measured in hours per year rather than days. I guess you plant shade plants that like their privacy.
Twice Sold Tales, a used bookstore on Capital Hill , complete with cat sleeping in window sill and the ubiquitous Obama ‘Hope’ poster. More info on the bookstore here, http://www.yelp.com/biz/twice-sold-tales-seattle.