Old Friends, New City

Apologies for the lack of recent postings of late, but gotta admit, I've been having the time of my life this last week! After I bid my housemates adieu (they went on a 2-week long holiday), I got myself and the girls together for a northerly trip to Washington. This was motivated by a visit to some good ole friends of mine from my early Michigan days, Kate and Brad. They moved out here a few years ago, and have since had a couple kids--cutie pie kids, I might add--in the interim. It had been about 3 1/2 years since I'd seen them, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised by how easily we sank back into our old friendship, catching up and joking around. Kate is my fave potty humor friend, so I could totally be my naturally poopified self around her, and she just laughed. Gotta love her!

Despite being parents to an adorable (not to mention active!) toddler and newborn baby, Brad and Kate still found time to show me around downtown Olympia, where we attended the Sunday farmer's market and visited the fish ladder to see the salmon running. They were also responsible for some yummy vegetarian meals while I was visiting, so hats off to my great ole friends!

Monday morning, the girls and I set off for downtown Seattle. I was a little apprehensive about invading a foreign city, but what the hell, I am an American, that's what we do, right?? Once I got to my motel (Motel 6, by the way, allows pets without a pet fee, even if it is a little sketchy...), I got a guide to the city and found Seattle fairly easy to drive to and navigate around. The familiar rush of driving through busy city streets came back all at once and I realized how much I've missed living in the hustle and bustle of a real city (sorry Lansing...). That first day, I made it to the Space Needle and did the obligatory tourist visit to the top. It was really interesting to read all the history surrounding its construction. I walked around the city center for awhile, and then tried to find a sushi restaurant my friend Alix had suggested I check out. Evidently it no longer exists because no one in the neighborhood knew what I was talking about, so I settled for sushi at another restaurant, and it hit the spot. I loved walking around at night, the energy and zip-zam-zibble-bobble that pulses out at you. The only thing that surprised me was how early things close in Seattle for being such a city. A lot of restaurants were shutting down by 9pm, unheard of by NYC standards. Day 2, I got out early and went to (what else?) the Pike Place farmer's market, the go-to place for tourists after the Space Needle. This is the oldest farmer's market in the U.S., and perhaps the largest. It seems to go on FOREVER, and there are many levels of shops and stores. It was great. I spent far too much time there, but couldn't tear myself away. When I left, I encountered a Japanese teahouse (The Vital Leaf) that was offering free tastings. Can this tea enthusiast resist? Of course not! After several yummy sips of jasmine tea later, I headed outside of the city to the Museum of Flight. I don't know why this piqued my interest, but as soon as I heard that the Concorde and Air Force One were parked there, I had to go. Unfortunately, I spent so much time at the farmer's market that I missed the opporunity to see the two above-mentioned jets, but I did get 1 1/2 hours in the museum to see films on the history of flight and many retired aircraft. Later that evening, I went back into the city for a dinner of fish and chips. I was craving it, and it was good, but I definitely know why I am vegetarian. I think I've fulfilled my fish craving for another year.

My favorite thing about Washington? All the major highway signs have silhouettes of Washington's head on them. I LOVED that! I mentioned that to Kate and she said, "So if anyone asks why you decided to move to Washington, you'll say it's because you like his head on the highway signs?". Hey, I never said I was intriguing, just a little original. Later gators!



Didn't quite get close enough...but we were about to enter Washington...



Olympia's capitol building looks a bit like Lansing's capitol building...



Brad and Ella at the fish ladder, surprise, surprise!



Kate and (sleeping) baby Jack!



This is the Museum of Science Fiction; the building was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, who I once saw giving a lecture at the Guggenheim in NYC.



Sunset on the coast



Dim lights, big city



This might be my favorite shot from Seattle. I was at the Pike Place farmer's market, talking to my girlfriend on the phone, when I noticed a crowd gathering around an escapee king crab. This little boy and several other people were gently kicking the crab so it wouldn't go in the street and get run over. I finally got fed up that the vendor didn't go get his crab, so I picked it up and carried it back to the stall. At least if it's gonna die, someone should eat it!



Crazy busy at the Pike Place farmers market


The Space Needle at night...sometimes technology really can be beautiful...