Ready for the Main Course? Well, Seattle served it up. Sweetly.
After an incredible time at Arbutus Cove in Sooke, B.C., Lisa and I were dropped off in Victoria Where we set out to catch the Victoria Clipper, an incredible voyage on which passengers have the chance to see the shores and sights of the Juan de Fuca Strait (no snickering, please) and Pugent Sound on their way into the States. This breathtaking journey took roughly two and a half hours and the trip couldn't have been more enjoyable. From large, comfortable seats to tasty treats and a friendly staff, the Victoria Clipper is a great way to travel. Lisa couldn't help but tell everyone we encountered on the ship about The Oaks, so much in fact that as we made
our way through customs one of the staff members exclaimed, "That's her, that's the woman from Costa Rica!" Thank goodness they simply wanted a few more minutes of our
time, business cards, and website information!
Once we were settled at our Seattle hotel, The Crowne Plaza, it was time to hit the streets and see what makes
this town tick. I pulled out my laptop and found where the local Aquarium and Museums were, of course, and Lisa and I made our way to Seattle's fabled seaport and the Pike Place Market. PPM was truly interesting for shops you just don't see everyday. One, filled to the gills with hand-made musical instruments from every corner of the earth, another equally well stocked with every kind of tea imaginable, all packed into the precariously situated hillside building. We would have stayed longer but the Aquarium beckoned. Just before we could cross the street whic
h separated us from our aquatic goal, Lisa spied a vintage Coca-Cola bottle dispenser...it was love. After prying Lisa off the machine and realizing the
airlines would probably not enjoy the excess baggage weight before we could strap it to the top of my truck, we arrived at The Seattle Aquarium!
Ah, what is it about the joys of watching undersea creatures under glass and in glow-in-the-dark tubes that so easily fascinates we humans? Seattle's water world is perfect for the curious mind and young at heart with dress up areas for the kiddies (be like Scuba Steve or Oscar the Orca), "petting zoo" places to touch manta rays and a mad amount of starfish, even an area to watch adorable clam munching otters.
If you are in
Seattle, drop on by and visit, it truly is one of the nicest I have ever seen. Our second "tourista" destination was one that both Lisa and I believed only for history geeks like ourselves and maybe we were right, we just didn't figure there would be 200 others at the Billy Spiedel's Underground Seattle Tour, a perfect marketing scheme worthy of the colorful characters that made Seattle the city it is today
. Whoever came up with the idea of having anxious tourists meander about dilapidated basements filled with street trash, all leading to a glorious gift store where you can buy founder Bill Spiedel's book (usually 9.99, but say you were on the tour and you get that dollar discount), was brilliant! But truly the tour guides were some of the whitiest and well informed Seattleites EVER and it is worth your time and dime.
And that's not all.
As the titl
e of this blog suggests, there was food, much food, glorious food...but Lisa and I discovered a little secret about Seattle's culinary world- they like their meat sweet. Yes, you read me correctly, sweet meat but not candy confections. First we stopped at the incredibly created FADO near The Underground Tour where one can simultaneously enjoy great pub fa
re and traditional Irish tunes being played by local Celtic music enthusiasts. Incredible. But... out
came the Sweet Meats, round one. Lisa and I tried the Bangers in Dough, sausage of the finest quality (as we were told) that had the strangest flavor of maple syrup. Weird. Next The Oaks Duo made their way to Marrakesh, a traditional Moroccan restaurant of the highest grade with excellent interiors and a staff to match. Everything was superb, but again, the Meats were Sweet! Oh well, we all need a way to get through the cold and rainy day, if Sweet Meat is the answer Eat on Seattle, Eat on.
Check back in a few more days for the RETURN to Costa Rica installment of LISA and RYAN's Excellent (if not CHILLY) Adventure!
After an incredible time at Arbutus Cove in Sooke, B.C., Lisa and I were dropped off in Victoria Where we set out to catch the Victoria Clipper, an incredible voyage on which passengers have the chance to see the shores and sights of the Juan de Fuca Strait (no snickering, please) and Pugent Sound on their way into the States. This breathtaking journey took roughly two and a half hours and the trip couldn't have been more enjoyable. From large, comfortable seats to tasty treats and a friendly staff, the Victoria Clipper is a great way to travel. Lisa couldn't help but tell everyone we encountered on the ship about The Oaks, so much in fact that as we made
our way through customs one of the staff members exclaimed, "That's her, that's the woman from Costa Rica!" Thank goodness they simply wanted a few more minutes of our
time, business cards, and website information!
Once we were settled at our Seattle hotel, The Crowne Plaza, it was time to hit the streets and see what makes
this town tick. I pulled out my laptop and found where the local Aquarium and Museums were, of course, and Lisa and I made our way to Seattle's fabled seaport and the Pike Place Market. PPM was truly interesting for shops you just don't see everyday. One, filled to the gills with hand-made musical instruments from every corner of the earth, another equally well stocked with every kind of tea imaginable, all packed into the precariously situated hillside building. We would have stayed longer but the Aquarium beckoned. Just before we could cross the street whic
h separated us from our aquatic goal, Lisa spied a vintage Coca-Cola bottle dispenser...it was love. After prying Lisa off the machine and realizing theairlines would probably not enjoy the excess baggage weight before we could strap it to the top of my truck, we arrived at The Seattle Aquarium!
Ah, what is it about the joys of watching undersea creatures under glass and in glow-in-the-dark tubes that so easily fascinates we humans? Seattle's water world is perfect for the curious mind and young at heart with dress up areas for the kiddies (be like Scuba Steve or Oscar the Orca), "petting zoo" places to touch manta rays and a mad amount of starfish, even an area to watch adorable clam munching otters.
If you are in
Seattle, drop on by and visit, it truly is one of the nicest I have ever seen. Our second "tourista" destination was one that both Lisa and I believed only for history geeks like ourselves and maybe we were right, we just didn't figure there would be 200 others at the Billy Spiedel's Underground Seattle Tour, a perfect marketing scheme worthy of the colorful characters that made Seattle the city it is today
. Whoever came up with the idea of having anxious tourists meander about dilapidated basements filled with street trash, all leading to a glorious gift store where you can buy founder Bill Spiedel's book (usually 9.99, but say you were on the tour and you get that dollar discount), was brilliant! But truly the tour guides were some of the whitiest and well informed Seattleites EVER and it is worth your time and dime.And that's not all.
As the titl
e of this blog suggests, there was food, much food, glorious food...but Lisa and I discovered a little secret about Seattle's culinary world- they like their meat sweet. Yes, you read me correctly, sweet meat but not candy confections. First we stopped at the incredibly created FADO near The Underground Tour where one can simultaneously enjoy great pub fa
re and traditional Irish tunes being played by local Celtic music enthusiasts. Incredible. But... outcame the Sweet Meats, round one. Lisa and I tried the Bangers in Dough, sausage of the finest quality (as we were told) that had the strangest flavor of maple syrup. Weird. Next The Oaks Duo made their way to Marrakesh, a traditional Moroccan restaurant of the highest grade with excellent interiors and a staff to match. Everything was superb, but again, the Meats were Sweet! Oh well, we all need a way to get through the cold and rainy day, if Sweet Meat is the answer Eat on Seattle, Eat on.
Check back in a few more days for the RETURN to Costa Rica installment of LISA and RYAN's Excellent (if not CHILLY) Adventure!
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