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Monday, August 8, 2011
Personal Pilgrimage
Market Morning and Karaoke @ Night
This morning I woke up and swam laps in the hotel pool. It was so relaxing and made my sore muscles not ache so badly.
Alethea and I each had a ham and cheese crepe for brunch on our way down to the market. We grabbed iced lattes to keep us energized as we walked through the market stalls. I walked by the original Starbucks - hopefully tomorrow the crowds won't be crazy and I can actually go in the store to take pictures and have a drink. I ate a cheese curd, my first (I think), from Beecher's Cheese. I saw the guys throwing fish and I took a ton of pictures of all the fresh fruit, veggies and fish.
In the afternoon, we took the Underground tour and got to walk underneath the city and learned that the old sidewalks are actually hollow as they used to be skylights for the underground businesses of the city. A little crazy and a little cool. On our way to the tour we walked past a woman sitting outside having a beer and lunch. That seems fine and normal until you add in the three stuffed monkeys of varied sizes who each had a drink of their own on the table (two beers and one water for the littlest monkey). She was also holding a conversation with her lunch guests. Yeah, Seattle definitely seems to have more characters than Portland or any other city I have visited.
Later in the evening Alethea met up with a friend of hers from college and I relaxed in the hotel room. For late night happy hour we met up with our train friends at OHANA - Japanese Polynesian Tiki Bar Sushi Lounge. They had great sushi and drink specials and BONUS...karaoke! We hadn't seen that on the restaurant's web site so we were all excited. All four of us got up and sang - this was my very first karaoke experience if you can believe that fact. My first song was Britney Spear's "Crazy", Alethea sang Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract" and the guys sang Shakira's "Wherever, Whenever" as a duet. I was later inspired to sing "Fergalicious" and I must say I was proud of my rendition (the bouncer gave me mad props when we left for the night). I totally rapped in front of the entire restaurant...We danced, we sang, and we had a blast!
One more day in Seattle before we're off to Canada!
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Saturday, August 6, 2011
Portland to Seattle
My day started in Portland and ended in Seattle. Alethea and I woke up at her house, walked to Starbucks for breakfast and took the bus downtown to the train station.
Our train left Portland at 12:15 and while we were waiting in line for our seat assignment (yes, it makes no sense that we had already checked in at the kiosk to print our ticket and then wait in another line for our seat number/car to be assigned) we met a girl named Kim who was heading to Seattle to meet with friends. All three of us sat and waited to board the train; we ended up being seated together too.
We settled in on the train, took pictures of the guy who fell asleep across from us with a sweatshirt on his head, and talked back and forth. They are such a nice couple! Eventually Alethea asked where the awake guy (Adriano - Italy) and the asleep guy (JP - Spain) were from...which sparked a conversation between the 5 of us for the remaining 3 hours of our train ride as we ended up being delayed a little over an hour due to an unexplained "incident" on the tracks. We were the loud laughing people on the train and it was great fun. We all friended each other on Facebook before we went our separate ways once we finally made it to Seattle.
Alethea and I hauled our luggage a mile and a half on foot to our hotel - we passed 5 Starbucks and 2 Seattle's Best coffee shops on our short walk. Crazy. Oh, and lots of homeless people and at least one heroin whore who had track marks all the way up and down her arms and legs. Welcome to Seattle. Don't worry Mom, that's not the side of town where our hotel is located, we're on the good side of the tracks.
Once we had checked in and dropped our bags in the room, we headed down to the hotel bar to enjoy a beer during happy hour. We decided to leave and walk a bit to find a place for dinner. After walking around for 30 minutes or so and checking menus, we decided on a Mexican restaurant called Mama's Mexican Kitchen. Alethea texted our new European friends and 30 minutes later we were all seated together in the back of the room "Jelping" (or looking places up on Yelp.com said with a Spanish accent) to see what was good/recommended to do in town during our stay. The guys had been wandering around town sightseeing, they took pictures in front of the original Starbucks and didn't know that it wasn't the original location - Alethea and I were very amused.
We plan to meet the guys for late night sushi tomorrow night. I'm not sure what is on the agenda for our Sunday, but I am sure that it will be busy and entertaining!
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Friday, August 5, 2011
Top of the falls!
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Thursday, August 4, 2011
Weird Portland
After eating lunch downtown from a Thai food truck we checked out Powell's books, and then drove up to see the rose garden and Pittock Mansion. From high on the hill I could see 4 different mountains - Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, and Hood. Mt. Rainier looked teeny tiny from high on the hill in Portland, but evidently it is far more impressive viewing from Seattle.
Once our downtown adventure was complete, Alethea and I headed back across the river to her house. Voodoo Donut just so happened to be on our way...
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Powell's Books
Very cool bookstore.
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Food Truck lunch
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Portland!
I arrived in portland via Alaska Airlines from LAX last night. Alethea lives just outside of downtown and this morning we woke up and walked into town to Starbucks for breakfast. The weather out here is absolutely beautiful - cool breeze, sunny, and NOT humid. In fact, it's so lovely out we're still sitting outside and enjoying the weather!
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Hooray for Hollywood!
After my trapeze lesson on Monday, Aunt Leslie drove me around Hollywood and Beverly Hills. It was certainly a sight to see! The Hollywood hills had some amazing homes nestled behind the bustling city and the homes in Beverly Hills were HUGE. There were some streets with little bungalows, but they seemed to be few and far between compared to the larger homes.
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| Shopping anyone? |
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| I do believe I will perform here one day... |
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| Someone's front yard in Beverly Hills |
TSNY @ the Santa Monica Pier
I had a BLAST taking my trapeze lesson at the Santa Monica Pier. It was my first open air lesson (in NYC I have been in the tent and in Boston the trapeze is indoors) and it was so nice to see the ocean before I took off for my swing. The people in my class were all so much fun, some were very experienced and there were also a few flying for the first time. I'd love to go back to this school again! The trick in the video is the Set Whip - when I am in NYC in a few months I am going to start working on my swings as my instructors said I am strong enough to only do one-handed takeoffs from now on. I can start progressing in my swinging skills to learn new tricks!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Lazy Sunday
Everyone has to have a lazy Sunday, they're good for the soul - or so I hear. We relaxed at the house this morning, Aunt Leslie picked up bagels and after breakfast we rode down the beach with Uncle David to check out the second day of the 6 Man Tournament. Less drunks, less people in general and much more serious competition on the sand. There were a bunch of energy drink/shot vendors at the beach so we got our free shots/bottles and stayed energized without a crash all day. An hour or so later, we hopped back on the bikes and pedaled home.
I took Lily for a nice walk in the early afternoon while Aunt Leslie prepared things in the kitchen for our dinner at the beach. A few friends came over around 5 and we all hauled our things to the sand. It was a beautiful evening to kick back and enjoy the sound of the waves with wonderful company. When we packed up, I came home and changed so I could walk up the street with my super cool cousin Brett, his very sweet girlfriend Anna, and his roommate Jason who is a riot. We hung out at a place called Sloopy's for a bit and then called it a night.
Tomorrow morning is my trapeze lesson and I can't wait! After tomorrow, I will have taken lessons in L.A., NYC, and Boston. It will be a blast and I will probably ache for at least the next three days. It's too bad I don't get to fly more often. I think we're going to head to Hollywood after my lesson, so there will be a lot more to see!
My time here has gone by far too quickly, I am already planning to come back!
I took Lily for a nice walk in the early afternoon while Aunt Leslie prepared things in the kitchen for our dinner at the beach. A few friends came over around 5 and we all hauled our things to the sand. It was a beautiful evening to kick back and enjoy the sound of the waves with wonderful company. When we packed up, I came home and changed so I could walk up the street with my super cool cousin Brett, his very sweet girlfriend Anna, and his roommate Jason who is a riot. We hung out at a place called Sloopy's for a bit and then called it a night.
Tomorrow morning is my trapeze lesson and I can't wait! After tomorrow, I will have taken lessons in L.A., NYC, and Boston. It will be a blast and I will probably ache for at least the next three days. It's too bad I don't get to fly more often. I think we're going to head to Hollywood after my lesson, so there will be a lot more to see!
My time here has gone by far too quickly, I am already planning to come back!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday @ Manhattan Beach
This morning started out with a nice long walk for Lily. We got home and had just enough time to change and for me to pay my credit card bill (sadly, one must still be responsible when on vacation) before it was time for our spa appointments. Aunt Leslie and I both had a facial and massage - the girl who did my massage had superhuman strength and really worked out some of my knots. Between yesterday's pedicure/manicure and today's treatments I feel extra ladylike and relaxed. Ahhhhh.
On our way home from the spa, we picked up lunch and brought it back to the house...but not before we stopped at CAKE - The Bakery. They sell sweets and cupcakes and they were competitors on one of the episodes of Cupcake Wars. We each picked out a mini lemon cupcake and carried them home in napkins because they weren't going to last long enough to require a box.
After lunch, it was time to take a stroll down the strand to the beach where the 6-Man International Volleyball Tournament was taking place. This year was the 50th anniversary of the tourney, so it was extra crazy! Teams from around the world come here to play (Manhattan Beach is the home of beach volleyball - in case you didn't know, I didn't) and some local groups pay to play just for the exposure. They provide quite a bit of entertainment for the crowds. We saw a team of guys dressed in kilts, a group of girls in black tutus and crazy makeup - their team was called "The Black Swans", guys playing for Barefoot wine covered in purple balloons like the Fruit of the Loom grapes, and plenty of half naked 20-year-olds (and younger). There were thousands of people; I'd say a very large portion of which were drunk and/or high - but they were having fun! We didn't stay long, but it was quite an experience and sight to see. Today, many of the crazy teams were eliminated and the serious teams will play tomorrow. I think it's even being televised on one of the ESPN channels, so check it out if you're home.
We spent the evening relaxing at the house and had fajitas (that most of us just made into a fajita burrito) for dinner.
We're having breakfast out tomorrow morning at a place just up the street, The Local Yolk - it's supposed to be really good! I'm not sure what else the day will bring, but I am looking forward to another day with family and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I'm having such a wonderful time here!
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Sweet rewards!
It will be my treat after lunch before we walk down the beach to watch the 6-man volleyball tournament.
I still can't get over how beautiful it is here!
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Friday, July 29, 2011
Dog Biscuits - for dinner!
Stuffed peppers with orzo, dog biscuits and salad for dinner!
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C is for Cookie (shaped like a strawberry)
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A sweet treat!
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Lunching in Palos Verdes
After lunch we headed up to the bard to see Sox the horse - we turned him out so he could run and stretch his legs. We are headed back to the barn this morning so I can ride Sox for a little while before lunch.
Last night Aunt Leslie made dinner at the house and we crashed early.
We walked Lily the dog around town this morning and now we're off to ride! More pictures later today!
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Newport News
Early to wake at 3:30 a.m. this morning and no traffic on the way to the airport. I was "randomly selected" to be screened when I went through security, but they only swabbed my bag (no pat down or body scan a la RDU). I won't be able to catch an earlier flight to Los Angeles as it seems to be the destination of the day. Looks like I'll be wandering around ATL for a few hours...
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Saturday, July 23, 2011
Have toys, will travel.
Bailey is packed and ready to go on my trip - it's too bad she doesn't know she isn't coming along this time.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
It's time for a vacation...
When I graduated with my master's degree last year, my company rewarded me with a 2-week sabbatical that I could use for rest and relaxation. After saving it for a year and a half, I decided to use the time to head to the west coast. Texas is as far west as I've traveled in my lifetime, so I'm breaking my own personal record with this adventure.
I will be starting out in Los Angeles, flying to Portland, taking the train to Seattle, hopping on a ferry to Victoria, B.C. and finally flying back to the east coast. There will be friends and family along the way - in some aspects, it's going to be like that Lisa Kudrow show "Who Do You Think You Are?" on NBC.
As for daily plans, I don't really have any and I like it that way. I'll be going to trapeze school, eating lots of good food, taking pictures, visiting the original Starbucks, and trying to stay out of trouble (I can't make any promises about this last one, as I have a tendency to talk to strangers).
I'm still not sure if I can make this trip without bringing along a checked bag, but I'll figure that out this weekend!
I will be starting out in Los Angeles, flying to Portland, taking the train to Seattle, hopping on a ferry to Victoria, B.C. and finally flying back to the east coast. There will be friends and family along the way - in some aspects, it's going to be like that Lisa Kudrow show "Who Do You Think You Are?" on NBC.
As for daily plans, I don't really have any and I like it that way. I'll be going to trapeze school, eating lots of good food, taking pictures, visiting the original Starbucks, and trying to stay out of trouble (I can't make any promises about this last one, as I have a tendency to talk to strangers).
I'm still not sure if I can make this trip without bringing along a checked bag, but I'll figure that out this weekend!
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