Weekend update

Well, we have returned from Seattle safe and sound. We had a good time and definitely plan on going back. Here's a brief breakdown of our weekend:

• We stayed at the fabulous W Hotel. It was by far the most luxurious hotel I have ever stayed at. Their motto is "whatever/whenever", which basically means that they will get you whatever it is that you want whenever you want it. Pretty sweet, eh? I didn't make any crazy demands, but I certainly was tempted. An extra bonus was that every room comes with a little box of condoms and lube.


• The majority of our Saturday morning was spent exploring Pike Place Market. It's famous for the fish mongers who throw fish before wrapping it for customers. This was mildly amusing for about 15 seconds. We then had a lovely breakfast at Maximilien, a cozy little french restaurant in the market. We walked through the seemingly endless corridors of shops and restaurants at the market before growing tired of the crowds and heading to the...


• Space Needle! I found this attraction more interesting for it's history. It was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair and has become THE symbol of Seattle. It is totally a product of its era; very space age, Jetsons sort of looking. We paid for our tickets to the top and right before hopping on the elevator had our picture snapped in front of a backdrop of Seattle and Mount Ranier. Very cheesy and fun. The view from the top was nice but far from spectacular. While looking over the Seattle skyline, I turned and whispered to A. "Portland is much prettier." He nodded in agreement. After getting our fill of the view , we made our way to the bottom to determine our next destination.


• Our next stop was the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Both are the brainchild of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and housed in a spectacular building designed by Frank Gehry. The Science Fiction Museum was tons of fun. They have quite an extensive collection of movie and television memorabilia which A. and I both geeked out on. We stood before a case containing several original Star Wars figurines pointing out which ones we used to own. It was probably the geekiest moment of my life. By the time we got to the Experience Music Project, we were both exhausted and didn't really have the energy to ponder Jimi Hendrix's guitars. Another time I suppose.


• From there we had a less than stellar lunch at the Pike Place Bar and Grill. The service wasn't that great and the food was mediocre. We plan to skip this place next time around.


• We made up for our lame lunch at the amazing Earth and Ocean. This restaurant is in the W Hotel lobby and got a great review in the guidebook we purchased. We got the Wine Makers Menu, which was a four course meal with wine pairings. The first course was a delicious melon and feta salad topped with butter lettuce. A delightful, light way to begin our meal. The second course was a duck confit with an eggplant relish. I love duck and this did not disappoint. The eggplant added a nice sweetness. This was followed by the most mouth watering lamb chops I have ever had. The meat just melted in our mouths. So delicious. The final course was a pungent, raw milk cheese served with a balsamic vinegar. A very nice way to end. This meal was definitely worth the price we paid, and I highly recommend Earth and Ocean to anyone visiting the Seattle area.


• The next morning we visited Volunteer Park. This is a smaller park on the east side of Seattle. We skipped the Asian Art Museum which is on the park grounds and instead visited the Conservatory. They have a lovely collection of plants and the orchids were particularly beautiful. The fern wing which comprises about half the conservatory was closed for a major renovation, so we didn't get to experience the entire facility.


• After our morning at the park, we had brunch at Julia's on Broadway. They advertise "wholesome food and wildly good times." While I didn't have a "wildly good time" at Julia's I did have some yummy french toast and a pretty decent bloody mary. The place was completely devoid of tourists and had a real local flavor to it, which I appreciated after having spent much of the previous day at several tourist hot spots.

All in all our visit to Seattle was fun. We both want to go back and will be staying at the W Hotel again, although I would like to spend more time exploring other parts of the city. I've heard that the Fremont neighborhood is very cool and I would also like to see the Art Museum.

I'll definitely be passing on the flying fish the next time around.