Ferry Rides, Markets, Sushi, and fun

For our third day in Seattle, we managed to pack in a much as possible, but in a very leisurely pace. We took another crack at the ferry and just made it on to the 3pm ferry to Bainbridge Island. It was a fun, relaxing ride. We ran around on the top deck until we were too cold and windblown, went under deck to warm up, and ended up on the sundeck for the return ride. The views of the city were excellent. I wish I lived in a city with a ferry system.

After the ferry we went to Pike Place Market at caught the very end of it. We saw them toss fish... and drop one. It was fun to see a market again... DC doesn't really have one and I am always jealous when the cities I visit have excellent markets... The Italian Market in Philadelphia takes the cake. We walked by the original Starbucks but had the good sense not to go in.


Nicole and Chas have a wonderful apartment located right in downtown... just a walk from the ferry, from the market, and from the sushi place we went for dinner. We made it in time for happy hour, so the sushi plates were heavily discounted. Lucky for me we had a nice waitress who brought me a seafoodless feast of rice, avocado, and short ribs with toasted garlic flakes. I think the name of the place was Umi Sake House, and I recommend the happy hour (4-6pm) to anyone who may be passing by. The interior of the restaurant was really well done... Chris and Dad would have enjoyed it. The only strange thing about the place was that it was so "swanky" they soaked cucumbers in the water to give it a "refreshing" taste... it wasn't unpleasant but after a glass or two I just wanted some regular, un-swanky water.

We ended the night with a Bernard Fanning concert at the Crocodile Club, just across the street from Nicole's apartment (once again... that apartment has such an excellent location!). Justin managed to get a interview with him earlier in the evening, and afterwards we all enjoyed the show. He is the lead singer for the Aussie band Powderfinger... and he is currently doing a solo tour. It was a great show and there were a lot of Aussies in the crowd. After bouncing around to the music, we said our good nights and headed home to Woodinville.

Now I may not have explained this yet... but it is well worth the mention. Janice and Jim (James and Nicole's parents) live about 20 minutes outside of Seattle in Woodinville. Janice has a studio that is separate from the house and has it's own bathroom. We have the good fortune to have been given the studio for our visit... it is fantastic. We don't want to leave, it is so comfy. It's really like staying with family back on Guam. We wake up in the morning to the sunlight coming through the sky light, have breakfast in their lovely kitchen, and get a very peaceful start to the day before heading into Seattle. They have a really nice place out here, and Janice keeps a garden, fruit trees, and the studio is surrounded by sunflowers. It's very hard to leave to get back on the road when you've been this well treated.

This morning it was raining (as it has done most of the time we've been here) but we went to Snowqualmie Falls at the suggestion of several people here in Seattle, walked around, and took a lot of fun photos. Then we came back to Woodinville and James and Nicole came up from Seattle. Justin went to see Josh for one more day in the city and the three of us hung out around the house. We had a nice (and delicious) family dinner and spent the night talking in the kitchen, taking photos, and exchanging music. I can't say enough how wonderful it has been to spend time with this family. They were such a big part of my childhood. It feels like nothing has changed... but at the same time I realize how much I missed them after they left.

Tomorrow we leave for Portland, I'll be sad to leave my friends... but I know I'll be back.

Click here for photos from the last two days!