A Seattle Story

Back from Seattle! Four days is sort of a whirlwind amount of time in which to see a major city. Three days in Vegas? Sure, that's just about enough time. But four days in Seattle, with one of them completely booked with conference stuff and one of them really only a half day...well, it takes effort to squeeze in everything.

Wine Guy and I arrived in Seattle LATE on Thursday evening, got the car (a nice Legacy, instead of the Kia we were anticipating) and drove as fast as we could manage to the hotel. I had to get up early on Friday morning to take part in the Emerging Leaders training program, and that meant Wine Guy also had to get up...because I wanted him to drive me, which he did, willingly :). After the day's workshop, we went to a Video Gaming Night hosted by YALSA and had a great time playing around with the Nintendo wii and other various video games, including Guitar Hero.



We did have one sunny day -- I think it was Saturday -- and the picture is proof that the sun does shine in Seattle.






Saturday was more about being touristy, and we headed to Pike Place to check out the shops. The best was Vital Tea Leaf, into which we were beckoned for tasting and to witness the magic that is the opening of a tea flower.












Later on Saturday, we went to the Experience Music Project (perhaps my favorite thing about Seattle) to a party for Wiley Publication. I had managed to score some tickets to this "private" event by doing something I rarely do: asking for what I want. The party was a mix of librarians of a variety of ages, their friends and significant others and some publishing folks. After the food was served, we had the chance to play in the museum for two hours for free! Yay! I love free stuff! I had a blast banging out the electric guitar and playing along to Bob Marley's "Stir it Up" on drums. I also booty bumped to my heart's content in the Hip Hop exhibit. A fun time was had by all. Wine Guy also apparently does have some kind of a clue about what goes on, because upon entering the Hip Hop exhibit he said, and I quote, "This is totally something your dad would like." Ahh, he DOES pay attention!

After the party, we tried for over an hour to find this nifty coffee shop called Victrola that I had heard about on The Amateur Gourmet (another food blog I've found in recent days). We could not find the place. The roads in Seattle twist and turn in funny ways, and I had learned earlier in the weekend to just let Wine Guy find his way on his own, rather than attempting to give direction of any kind (this behavior is familiar to me, as my dad does the same thing...so it's not too irritating...yet).

We found the coffee shop on Sunday, after visiting the Space Needle...and after a bit of irritation as I attempted to get a conversation started, we ended up having what I think was my favorite patch of time in Seattle. We talked about what it might involve for someone to own a coffee shop (no on in particular, just talking), and I talked about my experience at the conference. While I picked up a lot of helpful information, I also came to realize that I don't want to devote my life to my profession. This was a hard fought battle with myself, and it was nice to just have Wine Guy listen to me talk about it, ask appropriate questions and, for once, not just tell me to "calm down."

Monday, we finished up as tourists by eating at Maximilien, a French Cafe in Pike Place, where the waiters have authentic accents, and the views are amazing.
















That finished out the tour of Seattle...

A highlight of various culinary treats:
* The chowder sampler at Duke's Chowder House in the Green Lake neighborhood
* Creamy, creamy chowder at Pike Place Chowder (do you sense a pattern?)
* Delicious coffee at Victrola(I am ruined on coffee now...)
* An amazing, simple, delicious meal at The Palace Kitchen. This place was, according to the Google directions we got via cell phone "forty steps" from the hotel.
* French-type cuisine at Maximilien

Yeah, we were tourists, but it's the food I'll remember most....