Hal Miller standing on the fire escape of his apartment building on 85th Street. Credit: THE STRANGER

Hal Miller standing on the fire escape of his apartment building on 85th Street.

Hal Miller standing on the fire escape of his apartment building on 85th Street. THE STRANGER

An explosion caused by a natural-gas leak leveled three businesses and shattered storefront windows around Greenwood Avenue North and 85th Street early on the morning of March 9. Where Mr. Gyros, Neptune Coffee, and Quik Mart had been, there was just a pile of rubble. Miraculously, no one was killed.

Now, just over three months later, the block is beginning to return to life. While the Angry Beaver and the Bureau of Fearless Ideas have yet to reopen, Chocolati and Cozy Nut Tavern are bustling again.

But for Hal Miller, life is far from normal…

Ana Sofia Knauf reports on Neighborhoods for The Stranger. When she’s not commuting to work by bus, she’s worrying about Seattle’s rising rents, giving herself headaches thinking about race, or trying...