So I won this giveaway from Seattlest. It was really unexpected, to say the least. Fortunately, I had some vacation time to burn from work, so I made it a long weekend. It was a quiet, relaxing vacation. Lazy late mornings, and no real plan to do anything. We drank a lot and played a lot of games. What more can you ask for?
There were a few surprises for the weekend. First, the Pacific Ocean is cold, really really cold. Numbingly cold. Second, the Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill in the main part of town. I had a $100 gift certificate to burn so we ate, drank and were quite merry. The food was AMAZING. We had clam chowder, bacon-wrapped scallops, crab-artichoke dip, calamari tossed with roasted peppers and award-winning crab cakes. Our server was quite good at pushing dishes on us. She knew we weren't footing the bill, so she got us as close to $100 as possible, $99.98!
When we ordered drinks, I was hard-pressed to make a decision. I just frantically picked one: the fish tank. It was big, bigger-than-my-head big. When our server came around to get the second round of drinks, I had made barely a dent in mine. I don't like to spend large sums of money, but if it's spent on food and drink, I'm all for it. If I'm not even spending it myself, all the better.
On the way back from Westport, we stopped in Aberdeen, Washington's less cute version of Oregon's Astoria. Aberdeen is the birthplace of Kurt Cobain, so we tried to look for places in which Kurt may have at one point set foot. We found an old storefront that seemed to have been around for quite some time. It's *likely* that at one point Kurt himself went inside that store. I can live with that. ))<>((
26 July 2009
13 July 2009
Tucson? Tucson!
Good friend and former overlord, Shawn--from UVA!--once lived here in Seattle. She now lives in Tucson where I had the opportunity to visit her for a long weekend. In my almost 3 years in Seattle, I've noticed that the region has strong ties to the desert; its gotta be the top vacation spot. Just about everyone I know has been to and loves the desert. Either Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Sante Fe or Tucson, everyone loves to vacation where its warm and dry. There is actually one exception, Phoenix; everyone hates Phoenix. Go fig.
I was welcomed to Tucson by very special mojitos. Shawn has infused a bottle of rum with mint and it was delicious. The temperature topped out at 109°F during my stay. The night before I left for Tucson, Seattle had a record low of 53°F. I'm not even joking. Although trite to say, the dryness of the heat made it bearable. I was amused that indoor air conditioning was set to 81°F. A comfortable indoor temp in Tucson is a nasty sweaty day in Seattle or DC.
Beyond seeing a close friend, the highlight of the trip was a visit to the Desert Museum. It was a fantastic way to learn about the desert and the life that has adapted to the extreme landscape. It was also great to see cars from Sonora in Mexico in the same frequency that we see cars from British Columbia here in Seattle. Media portrayal of Mexican stereotypes have many forgetting that Mexico has an middle class that enjoys the same privileges that our middle class does. They can drive their cars across borders to shop and visit friends and like.
Getting to and from Tucson was reminiscent of last year's train tour of the the West Coast. I flew Southwest Airlines. In each direction, I stopped in two cities. On the way down, San Jose and Los Angeles; on the way up, San Diego and Oakland. It was beautiful to see the landscape from the sky. I am going to miss the west very much. ))<>((
I was welcomed to Tucson by very special mojitos. Shawn has infused a bottle of rum with mint and it was delicious. The temperature topped out at 109°F during my stay. The night before I left for Tucson, Seattle had a record low of 53°F. I'm not even joking. Although trite to say, the dryness of the heat made it bearable. I was amused that indoor air conditioning was set to 81°F. A comfortable indoor temp in Tucson is a nasty sweaty day in Seattle or DC.
Beyond seeing a close friend, the highlight of the trip was a visit to the Desert Museum. It was a fantastic way to learn about the desert and the life that has adapted to the extreme landscape. It was also great to see cars from Sonora in Mexico in the same frequency that we see cars from British Columbia here in Seattle. Media portrayal of Mexican stereotypes have many forgetting that Mexico has an middle class that enjoys the same privileges that our middle class does. They can drive their cars across borders to shop and visit friends and like.
Getting to and from Tucson was reminiscent of last year's train tour of the the West Coast. I flew Southwest Airlines. In each direction, I stopped in two cities. On the way down, San Jose and Los Angeles; on the way up, San Diego and Oakland. It was beautiful to see the landscape from the sky. I am going to miss the west very much. ))<>((
04 July 2009
Chase Family Fourth
Seattle is a city lauded for its fireworks for the 4th of July, but never have I gone to the big celebration as Gas Works Park during my time here. I decided that this year I was going to make it happen. I made plans to spend the whole day at the park, set up a tent, bring snacks and see and awesome show. Thomas--from my ATO@UVA!--joined me in the hot sun and drank $6 PBRs with me.
The event, traditionally hosted by WAMU, was hosted by Chase Bank. Having taken over a huge company in Seattle, Chase was over-the-top trying to win the hearts of Seattlites. The show was delayed by a few minutes, at which point someone yelled "WAMU would have been on time!" Those within earshot had a nice chuckle.
In Seattle, the official start of summer is the 4th of July. Without fail, it was hot and sunny. I got a little burnt, but it was worth it for such a fantastic fireworks show. Save for the last hour before the show, it wasn't even all that crowded. It was a great way to spend the 4th. ))<>((
The event, traditionally hosted by WAMU, was hosted by Chase Bank. Having taken over a huge company in Seattle, Chase was over-the-top trying to win the hearts of Seattlites. The show was delayed by a few minutes, at which point someone yelled "WAMU would have been on time!" Those within earshot had a nice chuckle.
In Seattle, the official start of summer is the 4th of July. Without fail, it was hot and sunny. I got a little burnt, but it was worth it for such a fantastic fireworks show. Save for the last hour before the show, it wasn't even all that crowded. It was a great way to spend the 4th. ))<>((
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