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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Day 22

Day 22: 6/8/15 (Seattle)
47 miles

Today we slept in a bit, all the walking seemed to tucker us out.  We finally got ourselves going in time for lunch at Ivar’s.  Alli suggested we stop in for some clam chowder so we decided to give it a shot and also get some fish and chips.  We figured it would be some kind of restaurant, but it was actually a fast food joint – but better, we got Andes mints at the end of our meal!  The meal was pretty decent given our New England standards.  Afterwards we headed to the water to see the locks where a contraption helps boats move from the ocean to the lake and vice versa.  The water levels are dramatically different so the must lock the boats in and raise/lower the water levels to ease them into the waters.  Another feature of the locks is a fish ladder which helps the salmon migrate between the waters.  We managed to see a few fish, but most want come through until July.  While waiting and watching we saw a seal swimming around as well as a blue herring – apparently they figured out how that it was easy picking when it came to finding fish. 



We headed back to the Public Market so we could spend more time walking through.  We found out that we had seen most of it during the previous day.  It is one of the oldest markets, but definitely not one of the biggest.  If we had plans to stay for a week at our own place, we would have definitely picked up some fish and produce for dinner.  Instead we just walked through the stalls taking it all in.  On the opposite street we stopped in at the cheese store again, but this time we got some mac and cheese to snack on.   We also went hunting for a yogurt stall which we couldn’t find the day before.  We finally found it – right in front of our faces – and we split a marionberry pie Greek yogurt, delicious.  It was a close decision between that and the chai tea flavor and rhubarb.  We ate the yogurt on the way to finding the gum wall – a disgusting, yet intriguing landmark in Seattle.  In a hidden alley, close to the market, the walls are lined with chewed gum, and of course, we could help but contribute.  It’s kind of a like a car crash, you can’t help but look at it.





 We had visited Hard Rock on the previous day looking for some unique sticks for Jillian’s brother.  For the most part, every city has a distinct set of sticks that has a distinguishing feature
hat represents the city.  We were told that more sticks would be brought in the next day so we checked back, but they still weren’t in.  We moved on to get some chocolates from Fran’s which apparently is a favorite of President Obama and the first lady.  We didn’t want to buy a whole box because we figured it would melt, so we decided to try just a few and come back later for the assortment.  Jillian picked out an imperial chocolate truffle and Rico got an espresso truffle. 

Next, we walked around a few blocks looking for a good happy hour on the way to visit the Escala building which was featured in the book/movie, Fifty Shades of Grey.  We didn’t go inside because we figured we would be too out of place, but we took a few pictures outside the building.  We hadn’t seen any good, lively happy hours so we went back towards the market area and stopped in at Rachel’s Ginger Beer for a few cocktails.  Jillian got the Porch Swing which was a gin and ginger beer drink and Rico got a frozen guava ginger beer drink.  Once we were finished there, we walked up a few shops to Café Campagne to have some wine and bubbly.  After drinks, we were hoping to stop by a delicious smelling cinnamon bread shop for some sticky buns, but we got there 5 minutes too late L.  We decided to get out of the city so we stopped back at Hardrock one last time looking for the sticks and finally, they were there.  We also grabbed a box of chocolates from Fran’s and then left for Alli’s place. 




On the way, we got some homemade ice cream from Molly Moon’s.  Jillian got maple walnut and melted chocolate, and Rico got salted caramel and melted chocolate.  We also picked up some beers to bring back to the apartment.  We saw that Alli had some Stella in her fridge, so we picked up a six-pack as some way to thank her for inviting us strangers into her home for a couple of days.  We were happy to be home a bit earlier so we could chat with Alli and get to know her better.  We learned of each other’s previous travels and plans for the rest of the summer.  Alli also suggested a good place for lunch before we left the next day and after hearing the word Cuban, we were in.  We stayed up trying to watch the finale of The Amazing Race, but Rico fell asleep.  Jillian stayed awake to catch up on some other shows before finally passing out for the night.   


Fact:
160,000 sockeye salmon are expected to come through the sound this season

Lesson:
A stranger can quickly become a friend


Eat Well; Travel Often
Rico & Jillian


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