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Ghoulish Delight
01-18-2005, 03:02 PM
Man it's hot here.

This will be pretty short. Most of our time was spent with family, celebrating my aunt's 100th birthday, plus we were at the whim of either my parents or my cousins for transportation since we didn't rent a car of our own. As a result, we didn't do a whole lot, but we enjoyed what we did.

First off, it was cooooold. When we landed on Saturday (about 2PM), it was rainy. That quickly turned to ice pellets. When we got to our hotel, the fountain out front was beginning to freeze over, and we saw a few flakes of snow (never hit the ground though). Coooold. We stayed in Redmond. What a different town than 5 years ago! The Redomond Town Center has gone up, and it's really quite nice. Some unique little eateries (we had late lunch at a family run Turkish restaurant), and things to do. But I think the holiday weekend and the cold kept people away 'cause it was kind of quiet the whole time. But it's nice to see SOMETHING in Redmond.

Unfortunately we went to Pukea di Bepo for dinner. There really aren't many choices when trying to have a dinner out with 22 people. Man do I hate that place. At least the food was better this time than the last time we at at one, but it's got to be the tackiest restaurant on the planet. I don't get it. Who enjoys going to dinner, and then getting into the bathroom to find it covered in photographs of little kids pissing and old men mooning (and you could see more than the moon between the clouds in some of the photos, if you catch my drift)? Or advertisements for home enema kits on the wall? What?!?! People are crazy.

For desert we headed to my cousins place which is in the hills on the northwest side of things (Lynnwood, if I remember correctly). THAT was a fun drive as up there, the roads were slushy and icy. Made all the more fun by my dad's wonderful driving philosophy of, "slam on the brakes for everything" and my mom's navigating philosophy of, "start yelling any time I don't know exactly where I am." I was really hoping the only fish tails I'd experience were at Pike's, but no such luck.

From there we headed down into the Pioneer Square area with my cousins. Our original plan was to hit up this place (http://www.seesoundlounge.com), but my cousin was driving, it was rainy, it was getting late, we got a little lost because people stopped listening to my directions, and one of my cousins was cranky and car sick.

So we just kind of gave up and hopped into the first bar with a decent crowd that we saw. I didn't have much hope for it, it just looked like some lame bar. But once we got it, we started to notice the building. It was old. Real old. Ornate carved ceilings, gorgeous woods. There was one little alcove that they had hung a bunch of mirrors in a really interesting way. I wanted to take pictures, but decided against it 'cause I didn't want to seem too much like a tourist. I did get one, of the mirrors, I'll see if it turned out well or not. It turns out that the building was built in 1889, right after the fire that destroyed the area. The music wasn't my favorite (90s hip-hop mostly), but as bad music goes I can deal with that, and it was live DJs so that's always a plus. We hung out, had a drink. The people were a little pushy, so we bailed after not too long. We probably should have tried to find somewhere else, but the cold rain and whiney cousin sort of just made us head back to the car. Oh well.

The next day, there wasn't a drop of rain all day. A nice change. The highlight of that day was our tour of the new library downtown. The place is a marvel, I'm sure CP will fill you in on the details as well as post the photos she took. It's huge, gorgeous, and functional. I'm glad we got around to that. After that we just kind of met up with my cousins, and rode the monorail back to their car.

One of my cousins, who was supposed to fly back before everybody got bumped from her flight so instead she was staying an extra day. Isntead of paying for a hotel, she actually has a friend from college who just moved to Sumner, so we tagged along to drop her off. Got a nice view of the new football stadium, it's gorgeous, really adds a nice touch to the skyline. And oh man, my cousin's friend got a mansion of a house, 3 car garage, right on the edge of the woods for $450k. Of course, you have to live in Sumner, but man what house!

And that was the end of our excitement. The rain returned the next day. Nothing drastic, just steady rain, no harder than what we'd been getting down here in SoCal. The airport was on the edge of getting fogged in, though, so that was a nail biter, but we made it out with no problem. And after 2+ days of 30 degree weather, it was sure nice to step off the plane in Long Beach!

I do so love Seattle, I could definitely see myself living there, rain and cold be damned.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812
01-18-2005, 03:31 PM
Ah, I'd like to venture up to the pretty, pretty North. Thanks for the reportage!

wendybeth
01-18-2005, 03:33 PM
Moving to Seattle is a rite of passage for kids from Spokane, but most move back within a few years. I love to visit, but the traffic and expense would stop me from moving there. We eastsiders are also a little indignant at all the cool new stuff they get over there, while they hardly notice we exist, except during an election.:rolleyes: Still, I love the city, and I also love visiting the Washington coastline. It's wild and largely unspoiled, and there is even a rain forest. (The Lady Washington is berthed in Gray's Harbor- we saw it while it was under construction).

Cool report- thanks, GD!:cool:

Ghoulish Delight
01-18-2005, 03:35 PM
Yeah, um, somehow I don't think "traffic and expense" would be on the list of complaints from someone moving from SoCal. That'd be a little like someone moving down here from Seattle and complaining about the rain ;)

UvaGirl
01-18-2005, 04:12 PM
I'd love to go to Seattle some time - thanks for the report:)

wendybeth
01-18-2005, 04:16 PM
Yeah, um, somehow I don't think "traffic and expense" would be on the list of complaints from someone moving from SoCal. That'd be a little like someone moving down here from Seattle and complaining about the rain ;)

Lol! Very true. But a home costs a hell of a lot less over here than either SoCal or Seattle. Our house is in the median range here, but would have easily cost us around $450,000 in Seattle, and more than that in SoCal. Granted, our wages suck here, so it's all relative. :rolleyes:

Not Afraid
01-18-2005, 04:29 PM
Still, I love the city, and I also love visiting the Washington coastline. It's wild and largely unspoiled, and there is even a rain forest.

We've gone to Lake Quinault several times and done lots of hiking in the Hoh Rain Forest. It's magical!

I've been longing for a trip North again. We used to go every 6 months or so but, sadle, it's been a few years for us.

wendybeth
01-18-2005, 04:43 PM
Ooohh, maybe a Seattle meet sometime... Wouldn't that be fun?

sleepyjeff
01-18-2005, 09:19 PM
We've gone to Lake Quinault several times and done lots of hiking in the Hoh Rain Forest. It's magical!



Had a trip there cancelled a few years ago....keep meaning to re-schedule it. Did it every rain durring any of your trips there? ;)

Not Afraid
01-18-2005, 09:32 PM
Rain? In Lake Quinault? Nah. The Hoh was COMPLETELY dry.

We stayed at Loch Airie all of the time we've visited. The cabins are charming. They have canoes that you can take out and we'd paddle around the lake while being followed by river otter famlies. Nothing like 5 little heads popping up out of the water to look at you in your odd metal, dented canoe.

I am in LOVE with that place. It's magic.

€uroMeinke
01-18-2005, 09:32 PM
Did it every rain durring any of your trips there? ;)

Why yes..

Here we are in the Hoh:

http://www.linkline.com/personal/cemeinke/img/Ho.jpg

wendybeth
01-18-2005, 09:33 PM
What a great pic- I love it!

Not Afraid
01-18-2005, 09:34 PM
HELP!!!!!!!!! The Bog Moster is after me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MerryPrankster
01-18-2005, 09:39 PM
HELP!!!!!!!!! The Bog Moster is after me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Too funny -- great picture! :D

wendybeth
01-18-2005, 09:40 PM
Wasn't there a movie- Creepshow, I believe, where Steven King turns into that very stuff you're holding on to, NA?

sleepyjeff
01-18-2005, 09:47 PM
Great picture NA.........you must have gone on one of those 361 days that it rains there :D

Cadaverous Pallor
01-18-2005, 10:57 PM
I swear, you two are so damn cute. :)

FEJ
01-18-2005, 11:10 PM
Did you get out to Snoqualimie falls?
I love it there...

Ghoulish Delight
01-18-2005, 11:24 PM
The pass was snowed in.

Claire
01-19-2005, 11:27 AM
I'm so glad you two had fun! Seattle's fun to visit. My friend Dawn goes up there all the time to stay with her husband's cousin's wives who are our age. I've been invited twice and couldn't go. I should go up with her, without the kids and check it out as an adult and not just as a parent, or as someone who's visiting family (about half my mom's family is in the area--Renton, Mercer Island, Medina, Bellevue......they're all over the place.

I just spent a lot of time there in my "grunge" era college years, and that's my only nightlife experience there. Although I did see Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, and many others there.....I was a Doc Martin sporting grunge wannabe back then....barely an adult and had to have my fake ID to get into all the clubs to see the bands. :rolleyes:

I should go. :)

Prudence
01-19-2005, 07:25 PM
So you were here for the freezing rain (It looked like someone dumped a sno cone machine in garden!) But you should know that yesterday and today it's been in the 60s. It's downright balmy!

wendybeth
01-19-2005, 07:27 PM
It was nearly fifty over here in the east. Weird, but I love it! Pineapple Express- thank you!:)

lashbear
01-19-2005, 07:28 PM
Did you go to visit "Rose Red" while in Seattle? Or listen to Dr Frasier Crane's show on the radio ?

:D

Claire
01-20-2005, 12:03 AM
Yeah, the weather is FREAKING me out. I had the A/C on today and yesterday. It was 67 degrees....in Oregon.....in January. So weird. Especially as last week at this time we were bracing for our ice storm. :eek: