Washington Weekend

I am making a quick trip to Seattle to hang out with my friend.  I was hoping the weather would be cooler than Texas, but it is predicted to be in the mid to upper 80s and just HOT!  I dropped Colin off at school and headed for the airport.  I was so excited about the weather and had a seat on the 'good' side of the plane in hopes of a stellar view of Mount Rainier.  Well that isn't going to happen because I picked seat 10A that looks like this . . .

Seriously, you must be kidding me right?  Isn't that just crappy!  Hopefully it isn't an indication of how the weekend will go.  So the flight was a quick 4 hours and it was off to downtown Seattle!  I love Seattle . . . this will probably be my last trip here for a while so going to enjoy all my favorites which means a lot of food and to explore a few new places too.  We spent the first evening near Lake Union which was a first.  It was beautiful.  Stopped at Daniel's Broiler for a drink and appetizers outside on the patio . . . the Dungeness Crab and Artichoke Dip was amazing and those citrus martinis (yes that is plural) weren't too bad either!   Since it was so nice outside we walked back to the hotel which was good because I needed to burn some calories.  Great start the the trip . . . it can only get better right?

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Every time I visit Seattle I always have to walk through Pike Place Market . . .

You can't go to Seattle without walking or pushing your way through all the fresh fish, beautiful flowers and fresh produce!

. . . or seeing the pigs; this is a new one!  Our favorite Starbucks in Seattle is across the street from the main entrance and not near as crowded as the original one that always has a line that is super long!  It has some great people watching if you sit outside.  Every trip to Seattle I have on my list to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island.  It has never happened . . . until today.  So since the weather is amazing it is first on the list!

I told you it was beautiful outside.  It was a quick 35 minute ride and the most perfect day.  We did not have any real plans except walk around and check it out . . . oh and ice cream!  I had read about a place called Mora so it was a must do.  I go a scoop of blackberry and it was delicious times 10!

There wasn't much else that seem to draw us in as it was mainly just a bunch of over priced shops with unique things but not my thing.  So it was a quick walk back to the ferry terminal and before we knew it we were back in Seattle.  You can not beat the view of the Seattle skyline on the return!  It was worth the $8 to see this!

Lunch was calling so to Uli's Famous Sausage for a fix of some German food . . .

I tried the garlic sausage and it was so garlicly which I loved.  I wasn't a fan of the potato salad but was okay.  Seattle is the home of Starbucks . . . the original is always crowded but went one trip.  You really can not walk more than a block without seeing one!  They also have these new places called Starbucks Reserve Roastery.  They are more trendy, hip, and upscale  (note that none of those words describe me) with different products unique to this place.  It was fun to sit at the bar and enjoy a cold iced tea on this hot day . . .

We also noticed a drink called Nitro Cold Brew so we asked for a sample.  I am not a coffee person but this was refreshing and smooth!  It comes out of a tap like beer and reminded me of a fresh tapped Guinness.  It was summarized as . . . our small batch cold brew--slow steeped for a super smooth taste--gets even better.  We're infusing it with nitrogen for a naturally sweet flavor of cascading. velvety crema.  Perfection indeed!  I couldn't wait to order a full size tomorrow morning!  It was back to the hotel to relax and enjoy being lazy . . . we called it a day after sitting outside and soaking up the setting sun and cool breeze.

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It is tradition on vacation/trips to make our first stop at Starbucks . . . don't ask!  Oh yes I ordered the Nitrogen Infused Cold Brew . . .

AAAHHHHH it was delightful!  On a previous visit to Seattle the Pacific Science Center had a special exhibit with King Tut artifacts and this trip it was the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor from China.  I bought tickets for the first time slot and it was great to be the first group in as it was not crowded.  When I lived in Germany there was a traveling exhibit of this but never made it so knew this was my chance.  I am glad we went!

Before we left the downtown area, I just had to have my favorite, Mr. D's Greek Delicacies.  It did not disappoint!

It was back on the south bound highway out of town and as always the traffic was awful even if it was noon on a Saturday!

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Today is a new day!  I am so excited to be outdoors.  First was some kayak time . . .

It was so peaceful until all the boats started showing up!  It was then on to the Nisqually National Wildlfie Refuge.  We have driven by this place a lot and decided to check it out.  The parking lot was packed but not too bad on the trails.  It was worth a stop to get outside and enjoy the area . . .

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I had to pack my bags to head to the airport at the crack of dawn and then my trip turned crappy!  At least I had a seat on the 'good' side with a window . . . Mount Rainier was amazing even if it was way too early!