I
don’t know that I’ve ever seen a trip so neatly divided into so
many different sections.
On
many occasions, Terry and I have headed off on a trip with plans
to meander around, potentially even spread ourselves out into
multiple hotel rooms as we explore places located hundreds of
miles apart.
We’ve
been to Australia, and spent time in and around Sydney as well
as up in Cairns near the Great Barrier Reef.
We’ve
been to Florida, with the Florida Keys and Orlando, or the Florida
Keys and Fort Lauderdale, brought together on the same trip.
We’ve
been to San Francisco, leaving most of our things there while
headed to an overnight at Yosemite.
We’ve
been to Las Vegas, leaving most of our things there while headed
to an overnight at the Grand Canyon.
And
now, here we are in the Pacific Northwest. We met up with my sister
and did a bit of looking around the Seattle area. We drove off,
hopped on a ferry, and spent some time on San Juan Island that
included a stay at the Orca Inn. Then, Kris, Terry and I took
off for Olympic National Park with a stay in Neah Bay. Now, we’re
back near Seattle as we wake up this morning, with four more days
to add on to a fantastic visit.
Day
Eight -- Saturday, August 24, 2013
Have
you ever had a jack-of-all-trades day while on vacation? Basically,
such a day is filled with items that are really not associated
with each other. And as a whole, it’s something where you have
no clue looking back on it how everything listed could possibly
have come together in a single day.
I
think just about any vacation—especially those involving tourist
attraction destinations—has a day like that involved. (Such vacations
also come with a pool day, where nothing is accomplished at all
beyond ordering the next round of drinks.) But today is the start
of a run involving several jack-of-all-trades days in Seattle.
Somehow, we are going to bounce all around, in and out of the
city, and cover everything from Jimi Hendrix to Japanese gardens,
Mount Rainer to the Seattle Mariners, the Space Needle and catching
fish.
Things
today start off in a fairly basic way. We have needs to address.
We’ve
returned to 5 Spot for breakfast, and Kris is getting her car
fixed. Once we have great meal completed, and find the wheel of
the car going round and round without concern, the time arrives
to head out to our first adventure.
Kubota
Garden is our intended destination, and it is a stunning place.
Initially
designed and built by Fujitaro Kubota, the lands have a fascinating
history. Part of that history brings us to the 1980s, when community
activity was building to preserve the grounds as a garden in the
face of a possible sale to groups designing projects such as condominiums.
The city of Seattle eventually did complete the purchase and take
over maintaining Kubota Garden.
The
area is a stunningly beautiful. Waterfalls and bridges are just
a small part of the incredible features a walk around the property
delivers.
During
our visit, Fenway decided to ignore the rules, dive into one of
the small ponds and go swimming. Kris was able to fish him out
quickly and begin the process of drying him off before we returned
to the car.
As
we were driving a bit later, something occurred to me, and I asked
Kris about it. Virtually every restaurant we have been in serves
alcohol. She didn’t really know why that was the case, but she
agreed that the percentage of food places serving alcohol was
much higher around Seattle than other places she knew of.
Our
discussion actually is a pretty interesting one, since the three
of us are aware alcohol often provides—by far—the best profit
margins on a menu for restaurant owners. Having alcohol for customers
is not a crazy thing. However, when taking into account how your
menu matches up with something like a wine list, the training
and experience needed for a staff to properly handle alcohol service,
and then toss in several other significant factors, often serving
alcohol isn’t a smooth and efficient endeavor.
Just
a few nights ago, we split dinner into two segments… with dessert
at a separate destination. The bill for dessert almost doubled
the meal. Yup, liquor service is an interesting concept for restaurant
ownership to consider.
We
never really got a feel of whether or not the alcohol idea was
the only part… Terry and I do occasionally drink, but not often
and not regularly… but we are finding Seattle to be an expensive
place for eating. And yet, Paseo
on day five. On its own, not that expensive,
so the theory does need exploration and thought. Is it Seattle?
Is it us? Is it the alcohol?
Tonight,
we have tickets to the Seattle Mariners game against the California
Angels. (Yes, California Angels. I know officially they’ve been
called the Los Angeles Angels for years. They will always be the
California Angels to me.)
Mike
Trout was on display during the game. Hit a home run. Also went
from first to third on a hit to left field (after getting on base
as a result of a fielder’s choice). The Angels won 5-1.
The
hot dogs were so-so. And most of the food items we tried, including
garlic fries, were good but not spectacular. But that didn’t take
down the rest of the experience. One thing we did notice was how
many items were sold with bottomless service options, covering
everything from soda in a souvenir cup to popcorn.
Safeco
has an interesting history. It actually opened with the first
game played after the mid-season break in 1999. It is part of
the wave of new ballfields that came in a rush following the arrival
of Camden Yards in Baltimore. And, it is a wonderful park. Unique
features. Good part of the community. Great experience.
On
our drive home, Terry insists she spotted a license plate from
Arkansas, bringing our total for the trip to thirty-one states.
This debate about verifying this claim continues into the next
morning…
Day
Nine -- Sunday, August 25, 2013
…based
on Kris and I trying to figure out why anyone from Arkansas would
have driven to Washington.
In
order to understand this joke, you have to follow a weird setup.
It is not based on the idea of anyone being interested or uninterested
in travel to any destination. It’s based on practicality.
All
three of us hail from Rhode Island. Born and raised. When you
play the license plate game, and you grew up in Rhode Island,
the plates from Hawaii and Alaska usually border on unicorn-level
status. But you see the Rhode Island plate every day. Every. Day.
It is not rare. It is not unusual.
A
license plate that the vast majority of the country considers
impossible to find, we think of as routine.
Here
in Seattle, Alaska plates aren’t common, but they’re certainly
not rare. (Especially compared to… you know… plates from Arkansas.
(Or, Rhode Island.)) It’s a bit of a twist, and somewhat comical
considering we checked Rhode Island off our list before boarding
our first flight of the trip and haven’t seen one since we left
that airport.
We
decide to give Terry the benefit of the doubt, and the Arkansas
license plate sighting stands.
One
of the crazy things I’ve been noticing is how wildly gas prices
fluctuate.
We
all know the basic way it works. Drive around your neighborhood
and you might see swings of five to ten cents. Hop on the highway
and pass a rest area, you’ll spot an increase of ten to twenty
cents. But if you move only a bit, you’ll usually find prices
don’t vary by more than twenty or so cents. It’s a combination
of state taxes and competition and so on.
Driving
along the Buckley Highway, I spot gas for $3.54 a gallon at an
ARCO station. (My notes mention we were in Bonney Lake at the
time, and I wrote out Buckley Highway. Since then, I have not
been able to verify Buckley Highway. However, we were headed to
breakfast in Enumclaw on our way out to Mount Rainier, and I did
find notes that a stretch of State Route 410 in that area is called
Enumclaw Buckley Road. So, we’re going to go with the notes, and
the idea at least seems to be generally correct.)
A
few miles away from the ARCO, a Hi Way Gas station has it for
$3.99 a gallon. When I say a few miles, my notes have two miles
away written in the margin next to Hi Way Gas.
Forty-five
cent difference. Two miles. Wow.
We
arrive at My Three Sons in Enumclaw for breakfast. Food was good
(not outstanding or really good, but good), portion sizes really
good. One of the funny things for us though was that we spotted
at least eight people that seemed to be working on this morning,
and our total bill was about $30. The restaurant felt like a smaller
local dive place, which the prices and food seemed to back up.
But it felt weird having that many people moving around serving
in a smaller local dive place. How was everyone getting paid?
I
want to mention here, Kris overall has been nailing the food options
along the way. My Three Sons was ok. But the idea that it wasn’t
fabulous only serves to point out how many superb places she selected.
5 Spot was awesome, and we got there more than once. Copper Creek
Inn was brilliant. Look over the stories from this trip, and though
there are a few exceptions, you’ll see that just about every place
we’ve visited would be worthy of heading back and highly recommending,
and Kris is more or less just weaving us around from one great
spot to the next without much debate or issue. Perfect hostess
for us.
Today
we’re headed back to Mount Rainier, and hoping for the opportunity
to take in a bit more than our visit on
day two of this trip (when we closed out a
day trip to Mount St. Helens with the decision to head back via
Mount Rainier and the Paradise area.). Our path will involve using
the Sunrise Visitor Center.
We’re
about eleven miles away from Sunrise Road and the White River
as the trees begin to noticeably seem bigger. The river views
we’re seeing have a white/gray look to the water, with the impression
very similar to the Hoh River area from a few days ago.
We
reach the 6,400-foot elevation of the Sunrise Visitor Center and
settle in a bit. One area we explored involved using the picnic
trail. We saw a few chipmunks during our stay, and then pulled
into the Sunrise Point viewing area on our way back down. Sunrise
Point at 6,100-feet was incredible, but honestly all of the views
from virtually any angle, whether driving or stopped, are spectacular.
Mountains, volcanoes, trees, wildlife, rivers, just breathtaking.
After
a wonderful drive back, Kris has The Pink Door planned for dinner.
A few blocks away from Pike Place Market, The Pink Door is a truly
hidden treasure. Great food, with a theme that features a burlesque
atmosphere and entertainment with trapeze artists.
Kris
went with the house cioppino. Terry and I split a beet salad,
risotto with crab and a plate of two meatballs. We also all shared
a cheese board. Dessert featured Bing cherry and peach gelati.
And…
…jaw
dropping. Please do not disturb me I’m in a trance level good.
Risotto with Dungeness Crab? If you served this to me every day
for the rest of my life... well, I’d be very happy.
One
of the greatest meals we’ve ever experienced.
Day
Ten -- Monday, August 26, 2013
Kris
has a day beyond belief set up for us. We are going to be running
all around the city. And, there’s going to be a story involving
a famous Seattle tradition, which means finding out whether or
not one of us caught a fish.
But
I’m getting ahead of myself.
Time
for a Starbucks visit.
We’ve
arrived in the Pike Place Market area, and drop into the very
first Starbucks store. It was… well… it was a Starbucks. With
a special plaque. Nice to say we were there. Took a picture of
the plaque. Didn’t need a t-shirt.
The
thing it really has going for it is atmosphere and location. We
stopped to watch a band playing outside on the sidewalk. Then,
after finishing our drinks, we walked less than two-tenths of
a mile to Pike Place Market. (And actually, two-tenths of a mile
doesn’t really do it justice. Depending on the entrance you’re
using, it’s essentially a block away.)
As
we enter the market, we spot Whitney Monge busking off to a side.
Terry loves what she’s playing, and we buy one of her discs (Heartbeat).
It’s
quickly apparent we haven’t set up enough time to explore everything.
We’re overwhelmed by some gorgeous flowers and enjoying several
unique items and shops. And overwhelmed is a good word for all
of it. As we start considering lunch options, it’s obvious we
all want something different, and equally obvious we all think
we’re going to have something great while at the same moment a
bit hesitant that picking one thing means missing out on something
else. We simply can’t register all the information flying around.
Nearby
we stop at the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market. And when I
say world famous, it’s because they are known everywhere for tossing
fish.
Good
luck, Terry.
And
one… and two… and three…
SHE
GOT IT!
Yup,
Terry stepped up and caught the fish tossed her way at Pike Place
Fish Market. Well done.
We
picked up something from Beecher’s Cheese that was really good.
As we prepared to move along, it is with the understanding that
once again Seattle has hit us with something we’d like to try
again.
In
the car and off we go, less than two miles to the Space Needle.
And, in fairness, that’s a lie. Sort of.
We’re
actually headed to what is known as Seattle Center. While it has
a history of development that goes back decades before, it is
most closely associated with the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. For
that celebrated event, iconic attractions such as the Space Needle
and International Fountain were constructed. (We stopped at the
fountain and went to the top of the Space Needle.) The area is
also home to museums, exhibits and other landmarks.
If
Pike Place is the must you’ve heard about in Seattle, you are
going to find Seattle Center is the must you hadn’t known about.
Next
up for us is a trip to the Capitol Hill area, where we’re going
to see The Electric Lady Studio Guitar statue, or more commonly
known as the Jimi Hendrix Statue.
From
there, it’s over to the Elliott Bay Book Company, where we looked
around for a bit and grabbed another cup of coffee.
We
made a decision to head back to Pike Place Market. This one was
specifically to stop into the Pike Place Fish Market again to
send a gift to a friend. (Dungeness crab, straight to your home.
Order some today.)
The
Mikado Teppanyaki restaurant was our destination for dinner. Very
good meal, and we enjoy Japanese steakhouses so it absolutely
worked and we enjoyed it. But it did feel a bit strange. When
you consider the run of meals we had in and around Seattle… from
the brilliance of The Pink Door to the fabulous Paseo, from the
views of Ray’s Boathouse to the community of Linda’s Wood Fired
Kitchen, all topped off with the pie at Copper Creek Inn… it seemed
rather ordinary.
The
day wraps up in a different place, but with a very similar feeling
as the start. Kris takes us to the Seattle Waterfront to wander
around the shops. While more structured than the farmer’s market
feel of Pike Place, we had a really good time checking out a few
shops. Easily a place we would need more time at to fully experience
all the food and fun available.
Day
Eleven -- Tuesday, August 27, 2013
In
a way that would be hard to explain, cinnamon rolls at home was
a pretty great way to wrap up our visit to Seattle.
The
day in Kris’s apartment started off slowly with breakfast. We
then took a quick walk to a nearby Starbucks, also stopping at
a pet shop to pick up some treats for Fenway.
After
all of this, it’s time for us to go. Our plane left late, and
also arrived in Chicago late, but my notes say that Virginia and
Karlene did a great job taking care of us.
And
that’s a nice way of setting up things as a statement from the
trip to Seattle. For the most part, we never really looked at
a clock. But we always ended up where we needed to be, had a fantastic
time, and moved along to the next activity wanting more.