Hello Seattle

Know the song by Owl City? No? Go check it out. Who's Owl City? He's a guy that has a hit out on the radio right now called "Fireflies." Know that one? If not, for real, for real, go jump on iTunes. But in the meantime, "Hello Seattle" has become my mantra for my adventure to the overcast city on the western side of the country. I came out here to visit my old roommate and good friend Kari from graduate school.

I arrived late Thursday night and checked in to Hotel Amazing View as Kari's apartment overlooks a lake, parts of the city, and the mountains (gorgeous!). We woke up Friday and grabbed coffee and pastries from a local coffee shop in town. After taking a grand tour of the various areas of the city and the University of Washington campus, we hit up a restaurant called homegrown (very similar feeling to Farm 255) for sandwiches and a bit of shopping. That evening, we met up with Kari's boyfriend and some of his friends for dinner at a neighborhood pub called Latona.

On Saturday, we grabbed doughnuts from Mighty O's and participated in a service project with Seattle Works. Kari and her boyfriend are part of a service team, "Your Mom" that does one service project per month on a a Saturday. It's a great way to meet new people and give back to the community. For this month's project, we spent the day at Cleveland High School landscaping. The rain held off and allowed us to develop a new appreciation for weeders! We capped off the afternoon by sampling some Filipino cuisine (on the recommendation of one of Kari's team members. In his own words, "all my White friends love it!"). Saturday evening, we had dinner at an amazing Mexican place called Pesos (best chicken quesadilla ever) and hung out at a local bar with friends.

We kicked off today by making our famous breakfast (eggs, biscuits, bacon, coffee, and a new addition: fruit salad). Then we traveled down to the Public Market (where the photo was taken) which is located downtown and very close to where the Real World Seattle cast lived when they filmed here. Kari pointed out the original Starbucks (pretty neat to see) and we spent a couple hours eating cherries and walking the market.

As we settle into the evening cooking dinner and watching the Golden Globes, I can happily say it's been a very enjoyable, extended weekend and perfect escape from grad school. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

Cheers.