A Sunday in Seattle

My brother had a conference in Seattle over Memorial Day Weekend so Brandt and I drove up for the day to visit him and my sister-in-law. They were the first family we've seen in a year, excluding a lovely aunt who I had dinner with a few months ago. My brother and his wife were super sweet and got a room with an extra bed so Brandt and I didn't have to make the three hour drive back late at night. A friend watched our three monsters, and Brandt and I made our way to Washington.

Our first stop after the hotel was the Pike Place Market. It's along the pier and full of shops, food, and more. We had to go to the Pike Place Fish Co. while we were there. If you haven't seen any videos, they throw fish to each other, across the counter. Brandt, my sister-in-law, and I were fortunate enough to see it happen! I would definitely drop the floppy fish. My brother missed out because he was watching a somewhat perplexing interpretive dancer a few feet away. I thought Portland was weird, but Seattle definitely gives it a run for its money.

Another thing to see in the Pike Place Market is the Gum Wall. This is just what it sounds like. There's an ally near the market where people put gum all over the walls. It was disgusting. I couldn't walk more than a few feet in because of the smell. My brother and his wife ventured into the dark abyss of multicolored walls without us. I think they could stand it because they're dentists. I suggested they try to look for teeth impressions in the gum. It's something you should see, if you have the chance, but just thinking about it makes my stomach turn.

Brandt's artist shot of the gum.

That wall is covered in gum.

A braver man than I.

It's just disgusting!

Maybe the original Starbucks?

The last sight that we couldn't miss in the market was the original Starbucks. Even though they had a Starbucks in the hotel and we passed about three or four on the walk to the market, we had to see the original! Problem was, we couldn't figure out which one was the original. I took a picture of the one that we think is the original but who knows. We kept hearing different things from different locals. Either way, the signage and building were vintage.

We also had gyros and gelato at the market. Both were delicious! However, those are two of my favorite foods so it's a biased statement. Walking all afternoon, coupled with a cold treat made us thirsty. We got water from the gelato place, only to discover it tasted odd. Turns out the new thing to do is add various foods to water to give it taste. What do I mean? Normally people add lemon to water (I'm not a fan). Now they add a multitude of foods to perfectly fine drink. This place had added cucumbers and my sister-in-law and I couldn't drink it. It just tasted funny. I guess we're not hip enough for the west coast drinking habits.

We stopped in a few shops here and there. My favorite was one with native-type art, including marble and tusk carvings. There was a tusk carving that was about four feet long with intricate carvings of a village and wildlife. My favorite was this little guy on the left. When I was young and we'd visit Beaver Lake, AR, my dad would float in the lake on his back. He'd scrunch up his face and act like an otter, which looked that much cuter with his mustache. I'm not sure if this is an otter, but it definitely reminded me of my dad!

On our way down to the waterfront from the market, we noticed some interesting lamps. These guys were completely parallel to the ground, holding bulbs. It was an interesting art piece along the stairs but what I liked the most was that this one's face looked like Harrison Ford.

We got a little lost but eventually found the Seattle Aquarium. I'm a fan of sea life and absolutely loved the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. While I new this one wasn't going to be anywhere near as amazing, I still enjoyed it. We played in the indoor tidal pools, touching weird things like sea cucumbers, star fish, and anemones. They had a variety of fish and crustaceans for viewing too. They have an octopus, which I love, and I fought my way to the front of the crowd to watch it. I have videos of the ones in Vegas moving across the glass. It's fascinating.

My favorite part was the sea mammals. This was my first time seeing a sea otter and I spent too long watching them swim around, below and above water. Below is a highlight of our pictures. Brandt and I love taking pictures and this is a small collection of what we actually took.

Probably the best mascot ever.

My sister-in-law enjoying the tidal pool.

I thought this guy was cute.

Possibly the best picture of the day?
Hard to beat a winking otter!

We stopped by a thrift store on the way back to the hotel and my brother hit the jackpot. He found a street sign with the name Blaine. The story is too long to tell but this was quite the find. I'm only including it because my family will appreciate anything related to the glory that is Blaine.

We finished our adventure at a classy sea food place. We had wine, enjoyed fabulous food, and laughed all night. I'd never had lobster, so of course, I tried it. I still prefer crab but everything I tasted was delicious. My brother got crab legs and although it was sad for me to see those poor legs strewn across his plate, those things were delicious. Below is a panorama that my brother took before the sun set. These kids and their crazy iPhones.

We stayed up much too late that night but it was well worth it. The restaurant gave us a free ride back to the hotel so that we didn't have to walk. Like I said, this place was nice! Dinner was probably my favorite part of the trip because of the time we were able to spend sharing stories with my brother and sister-in-law.