Though the lingering jet lag is a small price to pay for 4.5 glorious days in Seattle. Those claims of 24x7x365 rain couldn't be less true... or at least for August anyway. Bright blue and sunny skies were present for the duration of our stay and the weather hovered anywhere from the low- to high-70s.

Wednesday started off at the unGodly hour of 4:30 a.m. in Philadelphia. No one should have to be awake and functioning that early, especially when expected to drag a carry-on suitcase through dark streets and into an eerily-quiet train terminal, all while wearing flip-flops (might not seem too much to ask for a normal person, but I have a condition that prevents me from walking without stubbing my toe and/or tripping at least 50 times in as many minutes). The train ride to the airport and the flight to Houston were generally uneventful, and before we knew it Lib and I had arrived in the great state of Texas and were munching on delicious blueberry scones and sipping cafe mochas from an airport ice cream eatery. Two hours later the boarding call sounded for our flight to Seattle... it was all I could do to not jump up and down in excitement (though I may have bounced on the balls of my feet a couple of times).

Now, this was my very first time flying to the west coast; first time flying anywhere west of Dallas, really. Needless to say my camera's lens was permanently plastered to the plane window, much to the amusement of my seatmates Margie and Jim from Beaumont, Texas. Margie and Jim were visiting their daughter, Lisa, who has lived in Seattle for the past 15 years. They make the trek to the Northwest at least twice a year and always enjoy their time hiking and camping among the mountains. Though this time they were embarking on an Alaskan cruise midway through their stay. Oh, and they were very happy to hear I would be spending time in Queen Anne, as it was one of the nicer neighborhoods and close to the Seattle "hub." And I say all of this without a hint of sarcasm; Margie and Jim truly were a pleasure to sit with and made the almost-four hour flight that much more bearable. They also helped me identify several landmarks such as...

The Colorado River and Salt Lake

 

And Mount Rainier

Thanks Margie and Jim!

After landing and having a little snafu with our pick-up location (who knew arrivals had to be picked up at street level?), Mike had whisked us away in the Honda Element zipcar towards downtown Seattle. Lib and I clicked away on our cameras the entire time. Poor Mike didn't know what was in for him.

The inaugural eating establishment was the 5 Spot in Queen Anne. The restaurant frequentlly changes its menu to revolve around certain themes; this time it was centered on Puerto Rican fare. I had a "Top of the Hill Tostada," followed by tempura bananas with coconut ice cream. *slurp*

After dinner the three of us walked through some quiet neighborhoods in Queen Anne (with Libby and I "oooh-ing" and "awww-ing" over the multitude of cute homes) on the way to a great lookout point at Kerry Park.

We then walked to another lookout point for more views of the Olympic mountain range, Elliot Bay, and the marina.

And one of these...

Thus endeth the first day.

On Thursday, Lib and I were on our own to explore the city while Mike worked to bring home the bacon. Our first stop: The Space Needle!

 

A semi-shaky elevator took us up to the observation deck, 520 feet above ground level. And that's where I was able to see this:

Once we were back on solid ground we navigated ourselves down the city's steep hills to the Pike Place Market.

This is the infamous Pike Place Fish Market, home of the salmon toss. A customer would order a select cut of fish, one fishmonger would shout it to the counter, the rest of the guys would shout the order back, and then a fish would come sailing out of nowhere. I was able to witness a salmon toss, but sadly did not get my camera out in time.

Following the visit to the Market, next on our list of "OMG plaster a tourist bumper sticker on my forehead" things to do was to partake in the Seattle Underground tour in historic Pioneer Square. Here we "roam[ed] the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle." It was a pretty interesting tour... we learned about how sections of the city were built on sawdust, the history of the "crapper" (toilet) in Seattle, and how, after the Great Fire, the entire city was raised by 20+ feet.

Mike hooked up with us later that afternoon after the tour and we headed back to the Market because somehow Libby and I had missed seeing the original Starbucks location.

The three of us meandered down to the piers afterwards to take in the sunset glistening off of the water and making the mountain ranges glow.

 

Argosy Cruises offered an hour-long trip around Elliot Bay for $10.75. The marketing ploy worked.

 

The shipyards contained these gigantic cranes that looked like giraffes. So that's what I called them.

 

Once back on dry land it was off to the Market for another stroll and then up to Steelhead Diner for dinner. I had (half of) an awesome pulled pork sandwich that was as big as my head. We were seated right at the bar looking into the kitchen, so were able to see the staff prepare each customer's meal. It was like something straight out of "Top Chef," and I found myself trying to figure out the kitchen hierarchy by listening for "Yes, Chef" and "Yes, sir"...  pretty fun! Service was a bit slow, however, and we didn't leave until around 10:00, after having been there since 7:30. No idea how I managed to get ready for bed once back at the apartment.

And thus endeth the second day.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will follow soon (hopefully)...