Seattle Monday August 6, 2012

Wow, what a long day.  Are you guys as tired as me?

I started the day deciding to do some laundry, remember?  But the washing machine and dryer cost a combined $3 and I only had $2.75 in quarters.  I figured I would do the laundry at the end of the day.  I sent off two emails (hope you got them) and headed out for a walking tour of Pike Place Market.  I had over an hour  before it started, so I swung into a deli first and grabbed something to eat.  Now that Hannah's not with me I see no sense in keeping up with the Hannah/mommy cinnamon roll ritual.  

Remember yesterday I showed you a picture of the skylights underground?  Here's what it looks like above ground.  They look like magenta glass bottles.  The above ground view is really pretty.

After my meal, I passed a store with the cutest vintage style dresses and decided to pop in.  The prices nearly made my head fall off so I kept going.  I arrived at the market far too early for the tour so I walked through to kill some time.  They have all sorts of things.  There's the obvious fruits and veggies, but they also have clothes, silly trinkets no one wants and people only buy for souvenirs, magazines from all over the world, nuts, jams, flowers.  You get the picture.  Speaking of pictures...

I think these are the biggest lobster tails I've ever seen in my entire life!!!

Pike Place Market needed their floor replaced a few years back so they had a fundraiser.  It was the kind where you could buy a floor tile, or a fish scale, or something along those lines with your name engraved.  One of these days I'm going to buy one and it will say Here lies Jimmy Hoffa.  

A certain percentage of the taxes Seattlites pay goes toward funding art in and around the city.  Here are just a few.  These gutters have plants growing out of them, and the light posts hanging on the walls are another example.  It might take a second or two for your brain to orient itself to what it's seeing.

Gutter

Street Light

Street light closer up.  This picture is NOT sideways.  The man is.

There were some fun buskers, like this hula-hooping/one-man band.

After the walking tour I walked a few blocks over to the Duck Tour . I had some time to waste so I sat at this park, Westlake Park.  There is nothing sadder than depressed trees.  Why so blue? 

There were some interesting things at the park.  A giant chess set, life size sculptures of men, and this interesting *fountain that one can walk through without getting soaked to the bone (in theory anyway). 

Before the Duck Tour started I went to the bathroom.  I am short.  I not only accept it, but I embrace my lack of height (it's the easiest way to speak to good looking men, "Excuse me sir, would you get that for me please.  I'm too short to reach it...") but this bathroom was for extra, extra short people.  The walls and doors of each stall only came up to here... 

I would've taken pictures, but uh...that's just weird.

It was time for the tour.  We were given assigned seats when we purchased the tickets. I sat beside a ten year old boy who was soaking wet (see "*fountain that doesn't get you soaked"...)  We all, well many of us had quackers; silly duck-bill shaped noise makers.  The little boy had one too.  Really, he did and he never stopped making noises with it.  I almost threw him overboard..

Just kidding.  He was a cute kid.  I told him, "I'm going to call you honey.  It's not because I'm weird, it's because I call all kids 'honey'.  Ok?"  He just looked at me like someone who might take pictures of short bathroom stalls.  I did end up calling him honey, by the way.  "Oh!  Don't stick your arm out so far, honey!"

  

This is what it looked like.  It would've been more fun, but the driver wasn't especially into his job.  One could tell he's been using someone else's jokes for far too long.  He could use Toastmasters.

Oh yeah, Toastmasters.  You guys know it wouldn't be like a vacation if I didn't attend a Toastmaster meeting.  It's kind of like AA, but without having to stand up and say, "Hi, my name is Diana and I'm addicted to public speaking..."  I will be attending a meeting tomorrow evening at Razzi's Pizzeria.  (Robert, Sharon, it's NOT in my neighborhood.) I'll let you know how it goes. Of course, there's little chance it could be better than Positively Speaking Toastmasters (my club), but I'm going with an open mind. 

I need a life...

Seattle August 4, 2012 PT 2

Hi again.  Hannah and I have created a little tradition for ourselves in the three days we've been here.  Each morning we go to the coffee shop, Seattle's Best, around the corner to get her a cinnamon roll.  It's two blocks away and a pleasant walk, especially because we get to pass these beautiful hanging baskets.  Some of these pictures were taken from directly below the basket.  They don't even look real.

We pass this wooden wall and Hannah covers her nose.  She says it smells, but none of the rest of us smell anything yucky.

Saturday we walked to Pike's Place Market.  On the way we stopped at an interesting store called Paper Hammer (http://paper-hammer.com/).  After that we walked a few more blocks to the Market.  I wish I could've taken a picture of flying fish, but a little girl kept whining, "Ooh, it smells like fish... let's go..."  We got something to eat, then headed down to the farmer's market section.   

 Don't these look pretty?  

Anyone wonder what came of Marion Barry, the former mayor of DC?  Me neither, but I did discover Marionberry jam.  Ms. J told me about Marionberries last year, but I thought she was making them up, until I saw this for myself.  They do NOT come from the politician.

Afterwards we wandered around some more, got Hannah some ice cream and discovered what could possibly be the most significant thing in all of Seattle.  You know how in Jerusalem, at the Wailing Wall, people write prayers and shove them between the cracks of the ancient stones?  Seattle has its own special wall.  People don't yet write their prayers on paper and shove it on the wall, but business cards aren't too different from prayers, right?

Yep, it's the gum wall.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall) It is disgusting, but real.  Covered COVERED with gum and it smells like it too.  Yes, like bubble gum, chewing gum, gum.  One does NOT want to get drunk and stumble down this alley way.  Yuck, Blech, and a host of other such words.

Before I came out here I bought a new umbrella to replace the one my evil son stole (He denies it, but I know he took it), but it was too large to pack in my bags.  I found the perfect hat to replace it.

We went back to the apartment for dinner and stayed in for the night.