Wednesday morning, we returned the rental car and had a pleasant brunch in downtown Portland. We then walked to the train station and took the Amtrak Cascade train to Seattle. Although scheduled for four hours, we got there in just over three hours. You could see how fast the train was going - often in the 70-80 mph range. At various times, I think each of us nodded off for a short nap.
Upon arriving, there was a very long line for taxis, so Ben tried Uber - we promptly got a van for the four of us and our luggage, and a quick ride to our Airbnb rental. After getting settled, we walked to the Elysian Brewery brewpub for a tasty dinner. We got both of their sample flights, allowing us to sample ten of their draft beers. After dinner, we went back to the rental and played pinochle until Megan arrived from Ketchikan. Because Megan had worked all day in Alaska before flying, she was tired. We all visited for a bit and then called it a day.
On Thursday, using Yelp recommendations, we went to the Skillet Diner for brunch. The positive reviews were accurate - we had a great meal.
We then walked into downtown to the Pike Place Market. Built in 1907, it still stands on the hills above the waterfront, some five levels of shops, restaurants and residences - I believe that get many millions of visitors every year. This is where the famous shop is located where they catch the fish - the workers behind the counter toss the fish, one at a time, some 15-20 feet to a coworker who is out front; he catches the fish and then puts them in the display for customers to select and purchase their fresh fish.
Again using yelp, Ben led us to Seatown Seabar and Rotisserie at the foot of the hill - an excellent late lunch/early dinner and drinks. Our server is also one of their bartenders, so we got a great explanation of their "shrub with love" and other shrubs for cooking and drinking.
Then on we went to the REI flagship store. I got a new rain jacket and Santa (aka Patty) brought Christmas early to Megan - since Megan will again be in Antarctica at Christmas, Patty felt this was a good time to have Christmas.
Friday, Ben's use of Yelp brought us to another superb restaurant, Cafe Presse. It was a delightful French cafe and all was superb.
Even the Men's Room had the French accent.
From Cafe Presse, we walked the two miles to the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass. We had bought tickets online that got us into both. The Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World's Fair, just as the space race was heating up. It still stands strong - no damage after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in 2000.
But the highlight of the tourist locations we visited has been the Chihuly Garden and Glass. It is just absolutely amazing. I have seen his exhibits twice at the Desert Botanical Garden and this spring at the Clinton Library. But this just blows my mind. Words cannot describe the amazing things done with glass and colors.
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| Look closely, that is Megan in the doorway at the other end of the room |
And after that, just a five minute walk away, Yelp led us to Tilikum Place Cafe. The neighborhood gave no indication that there was a restaurant like this. We had a super waitress, and later found out that she had retired from running several restaurants, including the Diamond Club at the Seattle Mariners Stadium. Even foodie Ben was awed by the great food ranging from the squash blossom appetizers to the after dinner espresso martinis.
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| Gazpacho |
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| Salad and stuffed tart |
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| Shrimp, cucumber, radish, avocado and pea vine salad |
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| Green bean salad |
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| Halibut entree |
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| Grilled ghicken entree |
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| Pork tenderloin entree |
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| Flank steak entree |
After all that, Patty and I called it a day and went back to our rental, while Megan, Martha and Ben went out visit Ben's friend Squirrel (aka Andrew, friend from Clarkson University). A magnificent day in all ways.
Both the glass and the food are BEAUTIFUL! Good post! - And glad you all are having such a nice visit together! :)
ReplyDeleteI have been reading about Uber and Airbnd in the newspapers here on the east coast and in your previous posts. Interesting to hear about your (positive) first-hand experiences with both. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAirbnb has worked well to find places to stay, but you have to be more flexible with them than with a hotel. Both rentals where for a full apartment, but the one I have in Munich in October is just a room with a private bath (since I will be alone, I was willing to try this option). Ben and Martha, and Megan and Jon have used Airbnb many times and they are big fans.
ReplyDeleteUber has been superb in Seattle - but they are not everywhere, including not here in Portland. So last night when we got back to the King St. Train Station, we had to use a regular taxi - Portland city ordinance prohibits Uber from operating. In Seattle, all rides were less than $10 - the taxi last night was $40 (it was about twice the distance). Uber tends to drive prices down because it gives competition. You pin your location with the Uber app, then choose the type of car (with five people, we needed a minivan or SUV), then put in location, then request - in about 30 seconds, we had a confirmed driver and they showed up within minutes - you can monitor the progress of the Uber car on the app as it is nearing you. It gives you a photo of the driver, her/his name, the type of car and plate number - this makes it easy to see which car is your ride.
We did have a nice visit in Portland, and Chihuly does amazing things with glass, especially the Macchia Forest creations which have different colors on either side of the same piece of glass.