Nick Maxwell is not what you think of when you think of New York City. Warm and open, he likes to take time to talk with friends and strangers. He has that laid-back and comfortable attitude that is characteristic of the West Coast, but he was born and raised in the Big Apple.
Years later he found his way west, spending much of the 1980s in Hollywood at the heart of America's entertainment industry. He pursued his acting dreams, scoring a minor role here and there, including one as a security guard in the Tommy Lee Jones flick "Black Moon Rising." No job in Hollywood is ever guaranteed, though, so he moved north to Olympia in 1989 in search of steadier work. He managed to get several odd jobs at restaurants and construction sites, but nothing that could support him in the long run. Several months ago he relocated to Seattle, hoping a bigger city would mean bigger opportunities.
Instead he found himself out of work and sleeping in a homeless shelter in Queen Anne. But Nick Maxwell has never been a negative man, and he was not about to let this get him down.
"I really believe that if you have a negative attitude, things will be negative to you in return,"