West Coast Bonanza! Part 2

I wrote the first piece about my trip to the west coast and then I just didn't write much of anything so here I am, back to cover off on the last leg of our trip. Back to Seattle!

Years ago we randomly decided to visit Seattle for a vacation cos hey, why not? And it turns out that we sort of love it there. So we've been back a few times. Basically any time we find ourselves in the vicinity of the west coast, and this trip was no exception.

I have the most photos from this leg of the trip, probably because it was the part we weren't with friends and I tend to forget to take pictures when people are around. Except at the zoo. I have about a million from there.

First stop:

Paseo OBVIOUSLY. There's been lots of drama around Paseo and the new restaurant (which is run by the son of the original owner of Paseo) Un Bien and I could GO ON about this. But I won't. I'll just tell you that we landed in Seattle, picked up our rental car and went straight to Paseo and it was just as I remembered. Amazing. We headed to Kerry Park to enjoy our sandwiches. I don't have any pictures before I started eating, because that would have required me to hold off on digging in, but I did get one mid-way through.

We then enjoyed the beautiful weather and view.

We were trying to decide what to do for the evening when we saw that there was a production of the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time going on. And they had tickets available. I had read the book back when it first came out but Tom didn't know anything about it so surprises for him. BTW it was very good and if you get the chance to see, I recommend.

The next day we decided to check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass near the Space Needle. Cos we've done the Space Needle and the MoPOP (formerly the EMP, Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum) a bunch of times. Well we've done EMP a bunch of times. Anyway, we wanted to see something new and glass art is pretty.

We made our way over to the Market for some lunch (Country Dough, homemade Chinese noodles) and wandered around the stalls. We did our mini-shopping: picked up some tea from MarketSpice, Rainier cherries from one of the farm stalls, Chinese pastries from a place I should prob remember the name of, and some homemade pepper pasta from another stall I should prob remember the name of but I am a bad shopper. 

The weather, which had been overcast and drizzly in the morning, improved in the afternoon so we drove up to Snoqualmie Falls and did a little hike. I mean, we hadn't totally planned the hike. It was more like "Hey, let's walk down this path and see the waterfall from a different angle" and then we realized we'd have to come back UP the path to get back to the car. But it sounds better if I just say "And then we did a little hike." There were notices to watch out for mountain lions and bears and I wouldn't have been super surprised if there was a Bigfoot out there. 

We ended the day meeting up with some friends for dinner (at which point Tom coined the term Satellite Seattelite and he's very proud of this) before heading back into the city.

Cities tend to have tall buildings with observation towers, and Seattle is no different. We'd done some of them on previous trips but Tom found one in the Smith Tower, which was originally built in the 1910s. What it lacks in height of some of the newer buildings it makes up for in having a whole bunch of history (which they tell you buy way of a mini-scavenger hunt type thing where you pretend to be a bootlegger from the '20s. Or like a cop or something, but I went bootlegger), a cool old fashioned elevator and a really pretty observation room. And so pretty views of the city.

We went to Il Corvo for lunch. It's this place that makes homemade pastas. They only have a few options each day and the line is insane.We'd been a few times before, including when they had a location at the Market and lines weren't so long, but word got out that the food is delicious so it was about an hour wait. We were prepared and the food was worth it.

After lunch we wandered around Chinatown for a bit before heading to the Underground Tour. Which we've done before BUT it's a neat tour, all about the history of the city and the fact that they had to build everything up a level and also "seamstresses" (aka hookers) were really responsible for a lot of the success of the city. Our tour guide wasn't plastered like the last one we had (who we noticed was now working for a rival underground tour group) but entertaining nonetheless.

Finally we went to a Mets/Mariners game because of course there's gotta be baseball. Tom got some great seats and the Mets won AND it was fireworks night so good times.

(I'm almost done, I swear).

Our last day, we had a red eye leaving around 10pm so we had one final day in the city. We met up with a coworker of Tom's who was in the city for Mets stuff. After breakfast, as it was another beautiful day, we decided to drive around a bit. We went through some new neighborhoods, making our way to Un Bien because we HAD to compare Un Bien to Paseo. It was amazing and delicious and trying to choose between the two is like trying to choose between children. We ended up at Woodland Park to enjoy our epic sandwiches (they were so good) and watch some LARPing (not planned but it was happening), then headed over to Gasworks and the Ballard Locks before picking up some more Un Bien sandwiches (IMPORTANT) and heading to the airport and back to the real world.

West Coast, you were pretty swell. 

West Coast Journey Part 1: Seattle

I realize I've been MIA this last week, but that's only because I was MIA. At least from my normal routine. Boyfriend+ and I headed over to the west coast for a friend's wedding. And we figured if we're coming ALL THE WAY OVER HERE, we may as well make a mini-vacation out of it and head up to Seattle before making our way down to LA. Because really, any excuse to get to Seattle.

Lucky you (or unlucky, if you're not a fan of travel posts) you get 2 posts. Part 1: Seattle!

We land, get our bags, pick up the rental car and immediately head to Paseo for sandwiches. I've talked about this sandwich before because it is the best thing ever. It's roast pork shoulder in this marinade that I'm pretty sure someone had to sell their soul to the devil to get. It's got garlic aoli, the sweetest grilled onions, jalapenos, and lettuce on a french roll and, man I wish I had another one right now. So yeah, these sandwiches are a big deal.

After we had our lunch we headed into downtown (Paseo is out in Freemont, near that troll) to check into our hotel. Then it's time for walking.

Since this is our third time in Seattle, we skipped a lot of the big things like the Space Needle, Experience Music Project/Sci Fi museum, Underground Tour, etc. All stuff that if you've never been to Seattle and find yourself there I recommend. We wandered around Pike's Place for a while, which we've done multiple times each trip but since it's one of my favorite places anywhere, we can't go without a few trips to the market. And we made our way over to the International District for some noodle soup which worked out well for Boyfriend+. Not so much for me, which...whomp. We had plans to stay out later but we'd been up since 5 something and jetlag wasn't helping so I ended up passing out around 9:30.

Of course this meant the next morning I woke up super early but HEY early start to the day. We again wandered the Market and got some piroshkies from Piroshky Piroshky for breakfast, stopped in a cafe for coffee, and then made our way over to the ferries to head over to Bainbridge Island. I ended up spending most of our time on the island at a bookstore which is FINE by me. I picked up Bryson's latest book, which is now out in paperback, much to my excitement. We then headed back to the city to meet up with a friend for lunch.

One thing I didn't realize was this day was also the Seattle Pride Parade. This was something our friend, who was driving in, also didn't realize so it took him a bit longer than anticipated to make it through the traffic. Boyfriend+ and I stayed to watch a couple minutes of the parade. And by "stayed to watch" I mean "watched while waiting for the cop to tell us we could cross the street" so, yeah. We did see lots of people AFTER the parade. I saw so many butts that day...

Our friend did manage to make it in so we headed back to the Market (YAY) for lunch at a Japanese place where I got replacement noodle soup to make up for my dinner the night before. And it was delightful. We then made our way over to the Sculpture Park where there is a new giant head statue and HEY, I know that head. And not sarcastically. It used to be installed in NYC and I stumbled upon it there. Now it's here. Following me. Obviously.

Our friend had to head back and we decided to go and rest for awhile before meeting up with ANOTHER friend (damn, we're popular) for dinner. Walking Seattle is not for the faint of heart because the HILLS. I should know better by now but I'm still consistently surprised with how steep the hills are there. It also didn't help that Boyfriend+ and I decided to be responsible and go to the gym that morning where I did the treadmill because I did not think "Hey, I'm going to spend the entire day trekking around the city. Maybe I should do some weights instead." I'm awesome at planning ahead.

Our friend picked us up and we headed over to Alki Beach to Salty's, which has BEAUTIFUL views of the city and Mt Rainier if you have a clear day. We had a clear day. It was beautiful and we had SO MUCH FOOD. Shrimp and salmon and lobster and dungeness crab.

The next day we woke up to another gorgeous day. Listen, I'm not saying people who say Seattle is cloudy and raining ALL THE TIME are liars. I'm just saying that we have amazing luck because it's always beautiful when we're there. Granted, we go during the summer when things tend to be nice but whatever. We went up to the Columbia Tower Sky View, which is even higher than the Space Needle and gives you better views. TAKE THAT, SPACE NEEDLE, YOU WIMP. Plus Sky View stamps your hand so you can go back whenever that day. (No, the Space Needle is very nice and still a lot of fun.) The views were beautiful because again, clear day. After spending our time up there we headed over to Safeco Field to go to the team store. 

Our plan for LA was to go to a Dodgers game. A game during the afternoon. When the sun just wants to beat you up. So yeah, I needed a hat. And we figured why not get a Mariners one? We walked over to the stadiums (CenturyLink is right next to Safeco because Seattle makes it easy for people to go to soccer, football, and baseball games. Because it's great), hung out in the team store while I agonized over what hat to get. Eventually decisions were made and now it was time for lunch.

There's this restaurant called Il Corvo that makes homemade pasta that is just the best. Here's the thing. They're only opened for lunch and only Monday-Friday. It seems silly to me, but I guess they're making money since they moved to a new, larger location since the last time we went so good for them. And the place was packed, which always gives me some anxiety cos you have to seat yourself and what if there are no seats, huh???? But there were, and I had delicious tagliatelle bolognese while Boyfriend+ got, I think rigatoni with spicy chicken something. I really just remember having a bite despite being warned it was spicy. Then regretting that bite cos HEY, spicy.

Since we've done the main museums, or at least the ones that first caught our attention (Experience Music Project/Sci Fi, Art Museum, etc.) we decided to check out the Museum of History and Innovation, or MOHAI to those in the know. Or those that like abbreviations. Or those that think saying "moHAI" is HILARIOUS. Guess which group I fall into? The museum had a whole exhibit on chocolate so YES PLEASE. It also had lots about the history of Seattle, mostly from the 1900s onward, so it's a little weird to be a museum and see things that would work as props for Mad Men. Although I've seen so many Nirvana exhibits in Seattle, so seeing not-that-old-stuff in museums should probably be less jarring. OH, and there was an AMAZING musical thing about Seattle's giant fire and there was a talking bag of money and yeah. If you're in Seattle, might I recommend MOHAI.

After MOHAI we drove around a few of the neighborhoods (Capital Hill, Magnolia, Medrona) and visited the haunted Coke machine. I did not get one of the Mystery drinks because when the hell was the last time Brisk Iced Tea was even manufactured? Not saying I'd GET Brisk, because of the whole "mystery" bit but I mean, someone has and that was enough for me to be like "I'll not drink the soda of the damned." We got froyo instead.

The next day though. This is where Boyfriend+ gets all the points. The night before, when I asked him what our plans were for the next day he said "Look. I have a surprise for you. In the morning. We have to be up early. And you have to dress nice. Don't ask any questions." OF COURSE I asked a bunch of questions because what? But he wouldn't tell me anything. So the next morning we got another piroshky (they're so good!) and headed down to the water front where we were met by a photographer. Boyfriend+ arranged a photoshoot for us, since I had been saying we have no pictures of the two of us. So we essentially did engagement photos 2 years after the engagement and 2 weeks before the wedding. But it's before the wedding so STILL COUNTS. 

We got another beautiful day (although with record breaking heat which was less fun) and took pictures on the pier, on a little beach, and up at Kerry Park where he proposed. It was the best surprise. And I love the photos so if you're ever looking for a photographer, check our Jordan Quinn. She's in Seattle (obv) but actually travels around a lot for work. 

After that surprise we headed to Paseo, again, for sandwiches. (WE COULDN'T GO JUST ONCE! Who knows when we'll be back again) and then found a bar to watch the US/Germany game which...sad. But the place had good beer so that's a win at least. A small one. We then met up with our Salty's friend again for drinks and snacks before heading up to University of Washington and getting a little behind-the-scenes tour of their new stadium, which is BEAUTIFUL and I have no appreciation for football stadiums normally. But well done udub. 

That was, unfortunately, the end of our Seattle trip. We had to race back to the airport to return our rental car before time ran out and we got charged for another day, then headed over to a new hotel near the airport so we could more easily make our 6:45 (ugh) flight the next morning.

I realize this was long. Sorry, not sorry, about that. What can I say. Even when there isn't much to talk about I have a lot to say when it comes to Seattle. 

Next travel post: LA. That one will be much shorter.

I'm baaaaaaaack

Oh, you didn't realize I was gone? Because I'm paranoid about telling the interwebs when I'm not at home. Cos if I did and then we got robbed I would never hear the end of it. Ever.

So now that you know I am back after being gone, even though you prob didn't notice, you may wonder where I was. I will tell you. I was in Seattle on vacation. And it was amazing. I had gone a few years ago and to my surprise fell in love with the city so Boyfriend and I decided to go back this year. We spent most of the time eating because we do vacations right. I had some reviews ready to post while I was gone and I managed to get online and read some blogs although my Google Reader is currently over 400 unread blogs so I'm going to try and get that under control.* So if you see a comment from me way after your blog post went out, that is why...

Anyway, here are pictures of things I did/saw.**

Oh also Boyfriend proposed so I guess calling him Boyfriend isn't entirely accurate now. He and I were brainstorming about new names because I think fiance sounds silly and makes me want to start yelling "maybe the dingo ate your baby". So we've come up with Boyfriend+. And by "we" I mean "he". But we're engaged so I get to take credit for his ideas. That's how this works, right? Also not long after accepting the proposal I told him "I'm going to marry the SHIT out of you" because I'm a romantic at heart.

In bookish news, here are the books that I need to review:
A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

*Better than my work email which I'm afraid to look at but when I did glance at it the first day of vacation I had 192 unread emails. And I haven't seen it since so I'm going to assume Outlook has just exploded.
Update: In case you care, my work email was over 800 emails and my Outlook did sort of explode. So this morning was fun

**Pictures!
View of Seattle from Kerry Park, where Boyfriend+ proposed
Mariners game where, oh hey, they won
Mr. Rainier which we hiked. Even though there was about 4ft of snow & warm out.
Fremont troll crawling with small children
Peacock at the zoo that posed for me
Paseo sandwich, which we had twice cos it's the best sandwich