Travel Stories!

So, we are finally home from the whirlwind travel experience. I started out with a weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona for Convention. It was an awesome experience, but I haven't uploaded my photos yet, so I can't blog about it yet. But D created a photo album online with pictures from our Seattle and Vancouver adventure (see link below). Here is a recap of our trip:

Wednesday 07/16: Got up and ran the last errands (including a stop at Costco) before treating ourselves to lunch in Old Town (Cafe Coyote). Headed to the airport and had a quick check in and security screening. We had some time to relax before boarding our Jet Blue flight to Seattle. The flight was nice...they have Direct TV screens at every seat with 20+ channels of programming. This was enough to keep up entertained on the flight. Arrived in Seattle and made our way to our hotel for check in. We then walked down to Public Market (aka Pike Place) for a quick survey of the city. Dinner was at 13 Coins which is a 24-hour restaurant with great food. We had some really good clams in a pesto broth plus dinner. It was more than enough that we had leftovers to snack on.

Thursday 07/17: Got up and ate some of the free breakfast offered by the hotel before heading to Pike Place. Pike is a really cool place...like a farmer's market on steroids. We wandered through the stalls taking in the sights and sounds. We made the obligatory stop at the original Starbucks and bought Mom a mug with the original and current logos on it. After we'd done all we wanted there, we took a bus out to the UDub (aka University of Washington). Our first stop was the bookstore...I have a thing for college sweatshirts (they are the most comfy to wear), but was unable to find anything that I wanted to buy. We found greek housing and I took a picture in front of my chapter's house...my advisor in college was an initiate here. We headed back for a quick rest and went to dinner at Shiro's Sushi, which is supposed to be the best. It was good, but I'm still a Sushi Ota fan. We then met our friend, Kristen, for drinks before heading back to the hotel.

Friday 07/18: We were both tired, so after a late rising, we headed back to 13 Coins for lunch. That afternoon, we took the bus and headed to the ballpark for the Seattle Mariners game. It was Felix Hernandez bobblehead night, so we got our bobbleheads and our hand stamped before heading out to the Pyramid Brewhouse. They sell cheaper beers and food before the games while hosting entertainment. We then headed into the game...after a few innings, we were tempted by the ballpark food. We found a Japanese food kiosk that looked really good. I ordered a bento box (filled with chicken, rice, edamame, sushi) and D ordered an Ichiroll" (sushi) combo. The food was great, but we missed the Seattle grand slam. The game was good, but we weren't so invested in it since we aren't fans. After the game, we met Kristen and her friend Lunchbox (he has a real name, but this is what everyone calls him) for some beers and late night grub at 5 Point Cafe. D and I shared a plate of sliders and tater tots (so good!) before heading home for the night.

Saturday 07/19: We cruised around the city and ended up at the Experience Music Project Science Fiction Museum. This was so cool...we spend several hours in there playing instruments and looking at the exhibits. That night, we decided to take a bus out to the suburbs to find Beth's Cafe which we had seen on Travel Channel. It is a total dive, greasy spoon place complete with 6 and 12 egg omelets. D braved the 6 egger, but didn't make a dent in it. I ordered the chili burger with tater tots (again, so good!). After dinner, we went back and packed.

Sunday 07/20: We left Seattle and headed for Vancouver...we thought we were on a train, but it was a luxury motorcoach (bus). It was a pleasant ride (I slept a lot) except for the stinky man in front of me. We got to Vancouver around 3:00 and checked into our hostel. We had a private room which reminded me of a college dorm. We walked around our area and had dinner. I was chastised about my iced tea (it was presweetened) by the waiter. We then relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Monday 07/21: Had breakfast at the hostel before heading out to explore the city. We walked around the downtown area for a while and then headed toward Gastown. We went in search of a place we had seen on Giada's Getaways and found it...Salt Tasting Room. The concept is meat and cheese platter with various condiments and bread that can be paired with wine tastings (we went for a bottle). It was so good and opened us to the cheese concept (we now crave it). Feeling a little buzzed after lunch, we continued to cruise around the city and into Chinatown. We accidentally fell into a bad block with the "hypes" (aka drug users) and had one woman (with 3 teeth and ratty looking) trying to get D to give him money. That night, Tracey and Sean (D met them last year) took us to dinner at Bridges on Granville Island. Dinner was great and the view of the city and harbor was amazing. Plus, sunset is not until 9:30 so it adds to the views.

Tuesday 07/22: I was a little tired and not feeling too well, so we got a late start. We went to lunch at Stepho's Greek restaurant. We had walked by and seen lines for dinner. The food was really good. We then took a bus to English Bay and went in search of Stanley Park. We found it and were amazed at how big (larger than Central Park in NYC) it is and how beautiful. On a recommendation, we took a horse tour around the park. Then, we took the free shuttle back to the spots we wanted to see (the totem poles and rose garden). That night for dinner, we took the ferry back to Bridges for dinner. D laughed at me for demolishing my dinner (not a bite left).

Wednesday 07/23: We were lazy again and then took a bus out the commercial area of Vancouver in search of another place we'd read about for belgian fries. It was good and filling. On our way back, we took the bus to the end of the line, but it was the wrong way. So, we hopped on another bus and headed back into the right direction. That night was the first of 4 nights of the HSBC Celebration of Light fireworks show. We decided to go and see it also. After a quick bite to eat, we walked (no buses running in that direction) to English Bay. It was so crowded that by the start of the show, there was not one empty space on the ground to sit. It was an amazing show! Afterwards, we headed back and ended up taking the long way home.

Thursday 07/24: We had a late lunch and headed toward downtown. We did some souvenir shopping and last day sight seeing. For dinner, we decided to go to the Granville Island Market (like Pike Place) and buy some cheese, meats, and a bottle of wine. We took the ferry back and sat on a hillside people watching and seeing the sunset our last night.

Friday 07/25: Time to head back to Seattle and then home...took the bus back to Seattle. At the border, the Customs guy asked how we knew each other. I was tempted to say that D was my random vacation hookup or some other smart ass response, but jail does not appeal to me. We made it back to the station with less time to spare than originally planned. The taxi driver got us to the airport in record time (in rush hour traffic) and we got checked in with some time to spare. We went through security and I hear someone ask about a bag and D says, "That's my wife's." and then TSA says "Bag check". I get summoned over and then realize that in all the rush, I'd forgotten to take out the butter knife we used for our leftover cheese on the bus. I immediately start explaining to TSA what it was and started panicking on the inside about what will happen to me. TSA was really nice and offered to mail it to me if I wanted (no) and we were off to the gate. Our flight home was uneventful and we were entertained again. Finally, we arrived home safe and sound around 11:30 (following a late night dinner stop).

We had an AMAZING time together and we learned so much (another blog, another time). It was exactly what we both needed...it's good to be home, but I miss that time together!

The link to D's photo album of our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dv82u/sets/72157606453740041/