Another great evening

We went to dinner at Citrus Thai tonight and had wonderful food again. Wally chose a pumpkin curry and out- ordered my Panang yet again. Huge portions and great flavor.

Since Wally had seen mostly the walk from the Westin to the convention center, we walked down to the market after dinner. Metsker Maps of Seattle was still open and we had a great time browsing, buying, and chatting with the clerk. We spotted the Pink Door restaurant, known only by the color of the entryway; no sign other than hours.

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel, stopping at Icon Grill for a nightcap. The place is filled with art glass hung in wire baskets from chandeliers, very Willy Wonka-esque. Hard to capture it all in one photo below. We struck up a conversation with a patron from Vancouver and enjoyed some gratis drinks from our bartender after we'd paid and the conversation lingered. I had a flight of Washington wines and Wally used his order of Gentleman Jack to explain where we were from.

Great conversation with the bartender on Seattle - yep, he loves it too - and regional attitudes (pot is legal from dispensaries, but strict penalties for possession or use in a school zone). It seems it's not a fluke; this is a place universally loved by natives and visitors.

Pike Place Market - the motherland

I headed straight to Pike Place Market this morning and spent almost three hours just walking around and taking it in. I think I've covered maybe half. Pike Place Fish is famous for throwing fish (whole and HUGE) from the displays up front to the cashiers. It's fun to watch! There are lots of fish markets and produce stands, cheese-makers, a million restaurants that take about ten steps farm-to-table of any style of food you can imagine. I'm in food heaven.

Lunch was at Pike Place Chowder, where the smoked salmon chowder warmed me back up from the damp chill out today. They have the top rated clam chowder in the U.S., along with several other varieties including the special of the day, oyster and clam with chorizo.

I've made a habit of asking locals what restaurants they like, what to see and do, and everyone had been very friendly and helpful. I bought some fruit to snack on from two guys at a produce stand, and after talking to them about what it's like to live here - rather than just visit like a tourist - I think I'm sold. Seattle is a city with so much to do, but not overwhelmingly populated like other places. They worship food, local business and have a lot of civic pride. The people are diverse but respectful of all viewpoints, and very friendly. The rainy weather is often overstated according to one shopkeeper, and never goes over 85 or below 35. It's easy to look past drizzle and grey clouds with so much vibrancy around you. Add in ample transit and spotlessly clean surroundings in natural beauty, and this may be my favorite large city.

I'm taking a short break this afternoon to rest my aching knee and warm up. Not sure where we'll end up for dinner, but we'll be at the market!

Seattle - zoo, cruise, aquarium

We arrived Saturday evening after a bumpy flight and made it to the hotel in light rain. How nice to then unexpectedly be upgraded to the top floor of the Westin, complete with views of Lake Union and downtown!

On Sunday, Wally took off for the convention center and I on my adventure: navigate Seattle transit to the zoo. First stop: Dahlia Bakery for an incredible ham and cheese croissant and coffee. I started off very confidently, breakfast in hand and thinking I had the hang of this town. It's much harder to navigate without Wally's good sense of direction! After a few wrong steps - four blocks the wrong direction - I made it to the zoo via a clean and cheap bus.

Since it's mid-November, crowds are minimal and after you dress properly for the wind/drizzle/cold, the weather is tolerable. I spent two amazing hours wandering through the best zoo I've seen. I felt sorry for all the tropical animals who must be very cold...

Lunch was down the street at Phinney's Market; all food here seems to be local and organic, usually sustainable and seasonal as well. A cheddar burger with a side of arugula salad hit the spot. Seattle folks looooove arugula. And coffee, good Lord the coffee. It's everywhere.

After lunch I headed back downtown to catch a harbor cruise, followed by the small but excellently curated aquarium. Highlights included touch pools with starfish and see cucumbers, dwarf cuttlefish, and sea otters.

Wally and I met back at the hotel and then walked to dinner at the Dahlia Lounge. We were both exhausted from long days and jet lag, but perked up for the food. Rustic venison pate charcuterie plate, then Dungeness crab cakes for Wally and Alaskan coho salmon for me. The takeout dessert from Dahlia bakery, coconut cream pie, means I'll be back there every day for sweets and breakfast.

Mt. LeConte success!

My camera battery died before we reached the top, but I made it! Great weather, gorgeous scenery, an altogether great experience. Hopefully I can get more photos from Joni to show the rest of the trip.

Mt. LeConte this week

I realized this week that I need to go back and blog our Italy trip (May 2011) and the Blue Ridge Parkway (October 2010) - but that's a task for another day.

I've been talked into hiking Mt. LeConte by my friend Joni; we've been to Gatlinburg twice and now we're headed back to enjoy the great outdoors. I've test packed my bag, bought a bear bell, and broken in my boots, so now to mentally prepare for the following: BEARS, no medical facilities within hours, no cell service, BEARS, hiking 5 miles straight up a mountain, did I mention the BEARS?!

In all seriousness, I'm really looking forward to a challenge that will take me out of my comfort zone. I'm staring down 30 next year and I feel like this is a great time to focus on fearlessness as a mantra.

For an overview of conditions on top of the mountain at the Lodge, High on LeConte is a great blog. The weather should be good if a bit cold - but better than rain! I plan to use MapMyHike through Facebook so hopefully you can follow along as I climb.very.slowly. up the mountain.

We leave for Gatlinburg Friday and will hit the trail early Saturday morning. Wish me luck!

San Francisco and homeward

We reluctantly left Tanglewood House after breakfast Saturday and drove down to San Francisco. Luckily we received cash for the tire replacement and put the Yaris debacle behind us. We brought the warm vineyard sun with us and San Francisco was unusually hot and dry. After we checked in to the Omni Hotel, we ventured into Chinatown. The Oriental Pearl caught our eye (ok, it was the only thing downhill in an all-uphill town!) and we ordered the dim sum lunch sampler without knowing what we were getting. We tried to identify what we were eating, but the main goal was to keep up with the endless platters being delivered. Turns out this was on Rachel Ray's list of places to eat, so our luck continues in finding good food in unfamiliar towns.

I wanted to ride a cable car, and as fate would have it, one was available right as we left the restaurant. Only two "seats" on the edge of the car remained, so off we go down the street of San Francisco hanging on for dear life! It was a classic scene. We walked to Fisherman's Wharf and jumped on a tour boat at random ($15 each seemed fair for an hour tour...) to cool off. Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the $1M+ boat required yacht club, and the city.

We had just enough time to clean up before headed out for Moroccan food with friends Kris and Owen - great food, even better conversation, and a wonderful way to wind down our trip. We'll be back!

Rewind: Yountville and Russian River Valley

I thought I was out of sequence somewhere. After our balloon ride, on the recommendation of our pilot, we took a road trip northeast to the Russian River Valley. Before we left Yountville we walked to the famed French Laundry to take photos. We weren't able to get - or afford - a table for 2, so we just admired from the sidewalk. I bet a $500 meal tastes great, but save it for your 50th anniversary.

We enjoyed the scenery along the way, stopping for fresh cherries sold on the roadside and the Petrified Forest in the cool trees. Clos de Bois is one of our favorites back home, so we stopped to see where it comes from and tasted their reserve stock. The staffer in the tasting room recommended Diavola for lunch, and it did not disappoint. I had a butter leaf, blue cheese, and date salad while Wally picked lightly grilled romaine hearts with a vinaigrette. Perfect for light lunch on the go. From there we were off to Ferrari-Caranos, a pretentious estate with gorgeous gardens (we went just for scenery, no wine!) and a stop at Quivira, a small family winery that was the most down to earth place we visited. We loved each of the 8 wines they poured us, and managed to bring home only 2. We moseyed back to Sonoma and tried Rinn's Thai just off the square for dinner. What a find! The BEST Thai we've ever had and the most reasonable prices for the entire trip. Highly recommended for when you can't do wine/cheese/bread anymore.