Chrissy in front of Suzzallo Library...the second story there that looks really tall...well it is really tall. It happens to be the largest reading room in a public university library in the U.S. I'll get a pic from the inside at some point.
Chrissy & Mels walking to the fountain
Because I took that first pic of the girls outside, we ended up walking in behind 2 groups and had to wait for a table. But, isn't the pic worth it? To pass the time waiting for a table, I took more. Here's me & Melissa waiting on a table (rather cheerfully, I might add).
This is the hall to the restroom...normally, not so exciting. But, in Seattle, they use the wall space to put up posters of everything exciting that's going on in the city, from Jazz Festivals to Charity Runs.
You've already gathered, I'm sure, that I can't go to Alki without taking pics of the downtown skyline and then posting them on the blog. This is one of my favorites because it has the skyline AND the quintessential ferry to one of the islands across the Puget Sound.
Chrissy is in thinker mode as she ponders the skyline.
We hopped the bus (after waiting for some time, as seen in the photo above) and headed downtown for the day. Notice the leaves on the ground. I had no idea fall was supposed to start in September. Fancy that. In Corpus, we have summer until mid-December and then you look at the trees and they are bare. All of the sudden.
A close-up of the Space Needle
Original Starbucks--this says "First Starbucks Store" in case you can't read it
Chrissy is anti-The Man, so she opted to go down to Local Color, an independent coffee shop, for her drink. When Mels & I arrived with ours, we could sense the disdain from other Local Color-ers. Here is Chrissy questioning our choice.
Although I've posted similar pics before, I liked this one because I accidentally got the "First & Pike" that is engraved in the sidewalk here...do you see it?
I like this one b/c of the ferry leisurely going by in the background. Chrissy said we look interposed into the pic when she saw it. I assure you that we were not.
Due to jet lag and a serious need for a vacation upon arrival, Chrissy had some etymological issues the first couple of days. She was asked at a restaurant if she wanted peach, mango, or raspberry tea. Of course, the waitress did not say, "Peach comma mango comma..." So Chrissy, in all seriousness said she wanted peach mango tea. The waitress looked at her like she was an idiot. Later, at another restaurant, she was asked if she wanted an apple, chips, or a baguette. Again, the comma was not stated and Chrissy requested "apple chips." Mels & I made fun of her until we arrived at Pike Place and, indeed, a vendor was selling homemade apple chips.
Love Pike Place Fish. A reminder: the guys throw fish around at a breakneck pace while yelling stuff no one else understands. I'm standing there, when one of them throws a huge fish at someone in the crowd. Everyone shrieks and backs away...then realizes it was a stuffed (animal) fish. Meanies.
Pretty Pike Place flowers...they are cheap and gorgeous!
This mural shows the tallest man back in the day life-size. Wow.
Mels' friend from college, Paula, lives here in Seattle and works a university. She's super nice and I am excited to have a new Seattle friend!
We met up with Paula at one of the local coffee shops called El Diablo (Spanish for the devil). Tasty drinks, delicious desserts and schmancy decor, such as that in the photo above.
Across the West Seattle Bridge, one can traverse the beautiful Alki beach...I took the gals to my favorite little place, Alki Bakery, for breakfast one morning.
A moment of silence for the best cinnamon roll EVER.
Then, of course, I took them to another favorite spot, Green Lake. We walked the lake and stopped at Chocolati, a truly fabulous spot to grab yummy hot chocolate, truffles, scones, and the like.
Just 1.5 hours north is the Canadian border. So, we took an overnight trip out of the country. The border itself was an experience...the US and Canada flags side-by-side...
The switch to the metric system took me back to West Africa times when speed limits were posted in kilometers per hour instead of miles.
Welcome to Canada! And "Beautiful British Columbia!"
Since the drive is so short, we missed the concept of the fact that we were traveling internationally. So, we never thought to get currency exchanged...that is, until I saw a Chevron with a really bizarre price listed. We raced to a money mart and got Canadian dollars just as they were closing. An interesting aside: the day we arrived was the first day since 1977 that the US and Canadian dollars were equivalent.
The Public Market in Vancouver
A beautiful view in Vancouver outside the Public Market
The Pacific...sigh
Crossing back to the U.S.
The US flag designed into the landscape
Sunset crossing the border
Can you believe this is a library, and a public one at that? They actually give tours of the place. It's 10 stories high and absolutely amazing.
Looking down from the 10th floor to the 3rd floor "living room," where they have a huge area of comfy chairs and a coffee shop.
The 10th floor "reading room"...note the yellow escalator
And the 4th floor "red room," named for obvious reasons...this floor houses conference and meeting rooms...no books. Would you want to sit & read here?
Randomly situated throughout downtown Seattle are the pigs. This is the Green Eggs and Ham pig.
And the porcelain pig.
Chrissy makes friends with the Troll
I did not make friends with him.
A view of the condo building (like no residence I've ever seen) from the outside...mine is on the backside, so I can't point it out from here. And some have requested indoor shots...my roommate, Valerie, arrives on Saturday and we'll hopefully get the condo in great shape to show off soon!
