Seattle Revisited

I have felt for awhile that I owed it to Seattle to see it in the sun. Our last trip was in wet and cold January, which was completely fine since our good friends were with us, but I felt the city required a revisit. And it was wonderful - incredibly relaxed and warm and probably one of my favorite weekends we've spent in the PNW {made more wonderful by the fact it was 10 degrees cooler in Seattle than in Portland, and we got to stay in an air conditioned hotel - no worries though. That brief heat wave is over and our high temperatures are back in the 60s. I'm actually sitting on the sofa wrapped up in a blanket enjoying the sound of rain outside - it hasn't rained here since June. But now that it has started, it won't stop for another nine months. Sigh}

So here are a few too many pictures from our time in the Emerald City, a city that is complete chaos but incredibly friendly. Apparently Portland is what Seattle used to be in the 1970s. Portland is more casual hipster, Seattle more artsy grunge, but both are very much Pacific Northwest.

Supposedly the "Gum Wall" is the second most germ-filled tourist attraction in the world. I can believe it. I wanted to throw up a little when I saw it actually. Mark had a completely different reaction, went straight to a candy store, bought some gum, and added his own chewy contribution to the wall.

There is this fantastic map store in Seattle called Metsker Maps. As soon as I walked in I could feel my endorphins pumping - a sign that I'm probably in the right profession, at least for now anyway.

Gasworks Park, which is where the paintball scene from that great American teen classic "10 Things I Hate about You" was filmed. Gasworks sits on Lake Union, which was filled with numerous boats, people on kayaks and paddle boards, and sea planes, which landed about every five minutes.

The park also offers a nice view of downtown. Those are my super rad sunglasses that Jamie, my photographer friend, gave me. If you ever want to snag some free stuff, help somebody move. Last Friday, after helping her pack boxes, Mark and I came home with several books, a crazy 1970s style dress, those ridiculous sunglasses, and a fancy Kitchen Aide mixer, which is on loan but will be instrumental in making pizza dough later next week.

My biggest thrill in Seattle was seeing Rhett Miller in concert Saturday night. He used to be the front man for the Old 97's, a band that practically defined my early 20s. I didn't actually know he'd be performing - we just happened to park our car next to the theater and I saw his name on the marquee. Fortunately we were able to get tickets and ended up 30 feet from the stage. The theater was really fantastic - you sit at a table and are served dinner by candlelight while the performer sings on stage. It's very chilled and relaxed - perfect for "old" people like me who can't handle loud noises.

His opener was Dan Something or Other. I can't remember. But it doesn't matter because I will never be able to get this song out of my head. And just so you'll have something fun to sing today, here's a little diddy with a very catchy tune.

The words are "Robots needs love too. They want to be loved by you. They want to be loved by you." So sing along...

Imagine a bunch of people dressed up eating a very expensive meal, Frank Sinatra-style, all singing along. And its been stuck in my head all week.

And if you haven't read about our recent news, click here. We're moving!