Seattle: Final Thoughts & Pics

We have since left that big iconic city of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, and now find ourselves settling into our Island routines. I would one day like to return as there are many sights yet unseen, streets to be strolled & foods to be eaten. Hopefully we'll get a chance when Miki is a bit older and the weather cooperates (does it ever?), summer maybe...? I found Seattle to be a far more ethnically & racially diverse locale than I imagined. Growing up in the 80's on the east coast I was led to imagine Seattle as the cutting-edge birthplace of the white-grunge image & attitude, Pearl Jam, Starbucks & most recently, with the addition of Microsoft & other dot-com biz, Yuppie-ville. It is all these of course, yet to me it was more a blend of "shiny" Vancouver & "brick-laid" Boston: a new-world port on the Pacific meets the old establishments of early East coast cities. My 2 major complaints are the roads & lack of easy access to, or even a pedestrian-attraction on, the waterfront of Elliot Bay. According to the founding history, Seattle's "original" (i.e. white) settlers couldn't agree on the proposed road layouts. One guy (always a guy) wanted the streets oriented & parallel to the shore line; another bloke wanted them plotted to the points of the compass. Well, instead of agreeing on 1 solution they compromised and now the streets and intersections are a cluster of diagonals, one-way cross streets & chaotic intersections where the 2 original design plans meet. Ericka and I had to navigate one crosswalk in front of our hotel each morning where 9 different streets met or intersected! And then there's the ocean - in my eyes always slightly visible & gray sliding between tall slices of the downtown edifice - yet there was no real pedestrian-friendly site on the water. There are, to be sure, numerous piers high above & jutting over the water, but the only place we found even approaching an ocean-front park was at the Olympic Sculpture Park. And this site was just recently opened in January of this year! However, as someone pointed out to me one day during my lament, until recently the harbour area was home to industry, shipping & commerce; people didn't really have "leisure" time to hang out at a city seaside park - nor I imagine did they really want to what with all the stinky fishing vessels & dangerously large cargo & machinery moving about. Despite all this, I am curious to return one day...

Teeny Weeny Mikini!

Miki's old bathing suit was getting too small & Mama ran across this lovely little 'thang (on sale) while out & about in Seattle. Here she comes now, waltzing down the catwalk!

Olympic Sculpture Park

We had a few hours free one morning before Papa's conference seminars started up so we decided to check out the Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park. This new park occupies 9 acres on the downtown waterfront and on display are a dozen or so large outdoor sculptures. Some very interesting pieces and a great place to take a small group of students to for a fun introduction to sculpture art.

Kid's Museum

Miki & Mama spent the morning at the Seattle Children's Museum with 2 of Miki's new friends. They saw Bob the Builder, crawled around a hollow log, tumbled on some mats and played with numerous hands-on exhibits. Needless to say, Miki was exhausted & crashed once back at the hotel.

Aquarius

Papa got an early start this rainy a.m. for another full day of workshops, presentations, poster sessions & discussions at the TESOL conference. Mama & Miki rendevouz-ed with me at 11:15am for a quick lunch at a great Italian ristorante for wild mushroom bruscetta, squash soup & fresh canelonni al pollo before I had to dash off again. They then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Seattle aquarium and cruising around lower 1st Avenue & Pike Street. Aunty "Mac's" graduation booty was found along with a new bikini for Miki! The family met again around 4pm at a bookstore for tea (Starbucks, go figure) and a dinner planning session. The rain stopped and we three wheeled over to Whole Foods Market for grilled lemon chicken & veggies, strawberries & sushii - a most unlikely combination, yes, but delicious nonetheless. Oh, and some lovely Californian petit syrah to wash it all down...now if Miki would just go to sleep...and stay asleep!

Seattle 07 Photos

Just a few photos from Day #1 in Seattle, U.S.A.

Pigs & Needles: Seattle 2007

We're all here in Seattle; Papa to attend a TESOL conference & Mama & Miki to check out the sights, gastronomic delights & the children's museums. Crawled out of Nanaimo on a bus (never again!) to Victoria yesterday, then hopped the Clipper ferry to Seattle and spent the first rainy night with our good friend and her family. Beautiful 180 degree view from their lofty condo just south of the Space Needle. Miki's first molar teeth decided to come in this week - lastnight in fact! - so Papa & Mama were up until 4:30am trying to comfort the poor girl. What a way to start, eh? After registering for the conference and checking into our hotel, I went back to the condo to pick up my napping family. This evening we ventured out to get an idea of the city layout, some food at the Pike's Place Market and a much needed pint. The Market is awesome! How can one living in this city not be inspired to stop in on the way home for work for some fresh seafood, heirloom veggies & wild gourmet pasta? The array of fresh foods available is staggering. It's also a photographer's dream - and I hope to find time later this week to return. Getting late now, the conference starts early (7:30am) and I've got to get some sleep. Hey, wasn't there a movie titled Sleepless in Seattle...or something? Hmmm....

A Wee Helmet

As spring approaches we are beginning to look forward to family mountain bike excursions & the only way to do it safely is with a helmet. Papa feels better knowing that his little passenger won't get injured as he bumps & cruises thru the forest glades. We keep the helmet in the living room so Miki gets used to seeing it & wearing it. And, as you can tell, she's taken to it quite well. Ride on!

All Hail the Queen- We're in Victoria, the City of Gardens. Miki took great delight in Beacon Park, where the flowers blossomed in the green grass, the ducks paddled to and fro, and the Canadian geese were as friendly as the locals. At the playground for the first time, Miki mastered the slide, had a swing and clutched her pinecone treasure. A trip to the animal farm turned out to be "kid" friendly, as baby goats bleated and jumped around. There was even a trio of singers with a banjo to round out the experience. When not napping or eating, Miki enjoyed a stroll downtown with Papa. "Oh aren't the cherry blossoms just stunning at this time of year?" she cooed. Miki can't wait for tomorrow's adventures...