Last month, I went to go visit Spence in Seattle. It was really great to hang out (I hadn’t seen him since graduation) and to finally meet Theresa, his girlfriend. I also really enjoyed the city of Seattle. It’s extremely scenic (mountains and water everywhere you turn!), and the city itself was very clean and inviting.

Spence and Theresa did a fine job of showing me around the city. We visited several parks, including Gas Works Park and Volunteer Park. I really liked how Gas Works incorporated the old industrial elements of the site into the park. Some of the old machinery was even turned into a playground!

After that, we went to the Pike Place Market. I’ve heard that the fish market has some really interesting fish-throwing vendors, but when we were there, they apparently weren’t in a fish-throwing mood. Oh well. We did get to see some pretty cool street musicians. But, the real highlight of the market for me was finding some Romanesco brocolli. It’s a fractal veggie! We enjoyed eating it over the next few days. The taste is very similar to normal broccoli, but maybe not quite as strong. Goes great with a ranch dip.

The next day, we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Those ferries are pretty nice! They’ve got a bar, a cafeteria, tons of indoor and outdoor seating, and even Internet access. I wouldn’t mind having a ferry as a part of my morning commute. Once we arrived at Bainbridge Island, we quickly discovered that it’s mostly a tourist trap. But we did find a nice yarn and tea shop and a trail to walk along the water. The best part was just hanging out. That evening, we returned to Seattle and went to go see Slumdog Millionaire. I really can’t recommend that film enough. But, it’s one of those movies where it’s best if you go in not knowing anything about it. So, I won’t say anything more.

On my final full day there, Theresa, Spence, and I drove a ways out from Seattle and hiked up Rattlesnake Ledge. It was yet another stunning example of Washington’s beauty. I was surprised how many people were on the trail. It wasn’t a particularly easy trail (we were all pretty tired when we got back), but we were constantly passing lots of people, many of them with dogs or kids. I guess Washington folks really like their nature!

On Sunday morning, right before I had to go to the airport, Spence took me to Teacup, a tea shop in Seattle. It was awesome! The atmosphere was perfect (not overly frilly, but still fancy), and the tea was superb. I asked if they had any Darjeeling, and the lady at the counter pulled out canisters from 3 or 4 different estates, as well as a house blend, and then proceeded to tell me the differences between all of them! I chose the Margaret’s Hope estate (mostly just because I’d heard of it before), and it was perfect. I’m not used to other people being as passionate about tea as I am, and the people at this place are even more passionate than I am. Maybe I should move to Seattle and get a job there!

More Seattle Pictures