Sightseeing – Page 14

2016 Colorado Trip

December 28, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

As promised, Colorado trip recap. This trip was only for a weekend, yet I was able to cross off a few things off my list!

Wednesday, December 14th

Since our flight wasn’t until 10 pm, we all went into work and Scruffy came to pick me up afterward. We finished our last minute packing and waited for Rami and Caitlin (who were going with us) to arrive. Then we had dinner with their parents before we headed off to the land of white.

We somehow scored a drink coupon and put it to use. A Bailey’s coffee and whiskey shot for me and a Lagunitas Ale and vodka (?) for him.

We landed and waited an extremely long time for our bags. Apparently, the trolley that carried our luggage broke down. Once we collected all of our bags, we headed outside where the cold, crisp air hit us in the face as we waited for our bus to take us to our car rental place.

After much debate on the car situation, we made our two-hour drive to Keystone. We were literally a minute away from our abode but a wrong turn costs us a two-hour delay due to us getting stuck in the snow. It was a freezing experience but a memory I won’t ever forget.

Thursday, December 15th

Rami and Caitlin went snowboarding while Scruffy and I dug the car out for a little adventure.

We had breakfast at

The Pour House
40 Cove Blvd
Dillon, CO 80435
(970) 368-6416
http://thepourhousecoffee.com

We split the Bagel Sammich [egg, cheddar cheese, sausage] | $6, and each got a Small Latte | $3.50. I forgot what type of lattes we got but we both loved the sandwich which also came with a side of honeydew. Yum!

After our tummies were full, Scruffy drove around as I snapped pictures of the gorgeous landscape. We walked into a gift shop but all they had were clothes. After a long while, we decided it was lunch time and went to

Zuma Roadhouse
91 River Run Rd
Dillon, CO 80435
(970) 262-2202
http://zumaroadhouse.com

Burgers and fries for him. Steak, fries, and potatoes for me. Mmmm … so much leftovers for dinner that night. After lunch, we headed to pick up our skis.

Christy Sports Rentals
23080 West Highway 6
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 468-5775
http://rental.christysports.com/

They people there were very nice and got us fitted very fast. We then drove back home for nap time. I continued to sleep as Scruffy ran to the grocery store with Rami and Caitlin. When they came back, we watched telly, talked about our adventures, and ate our leftovers and whatever else they bought at the store.

Friday, December 16th

Ski day. Let’s just say, I am a horrible person to be around when I cannot do something. I gave up after a short while due to the ski boots cutting off my circulation. Hopefully, next time, if there is a next time, I can take snowboarding lessons and get fitted correctly.

While Scruffy snowboarded with Rami on top of the mountain, I went home and changed into my comfortable snow boots. I snapped some more pictures while I waited for the bus to meet them back up for a drink. It had been snowing all morning and was so happy to see this puppy in it’s element.

9280′ Tap House
140 Ida Belle Dr.
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 496-4333

We drank our one and only beers before Rami went back up the mountain for a few more runs while Scruffy and I went on more adventures. We had dinner at

Sauce on the Blue
358 Blue River Parkway
Silverthrone, CO 80498
(970) 468-7488
http://sauceontheblue.com

We used the Bread | free to dip into our appetizer.

Sauteed Mussels [New Zealand green lipped mussels, basil pesto cream, crostini, shaved Parmesan] | $14 was my favourite dish there. I just love me some pesto and Parmesan. Mmm …

Chicken Parmesan [marinara, mozzarella, spaghetti, fresh vegetables] | $16

Chicken Marsala [mushroom Marsala sauce, fettuccine, fresh vegetables] | $19

The pastas weren’t bad. I would choose the chicken Parmesan which tasted better than the Marsala.

We headed back home and hung out a bit before Caitlin headed to bed. Scruffy and Rami set up the Wii in our room to play while I read magazines in bed before calling it a night.

Saturday, December 17th

We woke up to this sight. Inches and inches of snow piled on high.

Scruffy and I took the bus to River Run to do some shopping at various stores. We decided to eat something small and went into

Luigi’s Pasta House
140 Ida Belle Dr.
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 468-0300

We threw back some beers and shared the Fat Luigi [5 meatballs, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese & marinara – add a sausage link for $2] | $10.

We added the sausage but my advice – skip the sausage and stick to the meatballs. The sausage was sub-par but the meatballs were on point.

When we asked if we could have some bread we were told that was only given during dinner time. They were nice enough to bring some to us though, with no charge. Great service!

We decided to dig the car out again for some more scenery shots and ended up at the

Beef Jerky Outlet
167 Wildernest Rd
Silverthorne, CO 80498
(970) 368-6196
https://summitcounty.beefjerkyoutlet.com/

where we each bought a bag for our dads. If you love beef jerky, this place has so many to choose from.

Later that night, we ordered delivery from

Last Chance Pizza Co.
40 Cove Blvd
Dillon, CO 80435
(970) 513-0900
http://lastchancepizza.com

The food wasn’t spectacular but it hit the spot as we spent the rest of the night playing card games, listening to music, and knocking back a few drinks.

Sunday, December 18th

We ate leftovers for breakfast, packed the rest of our stuff before heading out and took pictures. We made a stop at River Run and the Beef Jerky Outlet so Rami and Caitlin can do some souvenir shopping before ending up at

Sunshine Cafe
250 Summit Pl
Silverthrone, CO 80498
(970) 468-6663
http://locu.com

Scruffy and I split the Chicken Fried Steak [southern favorite served with vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and a roll] | $9.95, and Soup of the Day: Curry Soup | cup $3.95. We subbed french fries instead of veggies but as you can see from our plate, they probably thought we didn’t want mashed potatoes either and gave us a crap load of fries. I was sad we didn’t get to try the mashed potatoes but it was okay since we were stuffed. Definitely a good place to stop for breakfast/brunch.

We started our drive back to Denver making a stop at

Falling Rock Tap House
1919 Blake St
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 293-8338
http://fallingrocktaphouse.com

for a couple beers since we had time to kill before heading to dinner at

Ted’s Montana Grill
1685 Briargate Pkwy
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 598-6195
http://tedsmontanagrill.com

Pickled Cucumbers | free tasted a little weird at first but after a while, I couldn’t stop! My favourite were the ends while everyone else chomped on the middle parts.

Karen’s “Flying-D” Bison Chili | cup $5 wasn’t anything to rave about. I think Scruffy’s homemade chili tastes 95% better than that. I could be biased though.

Swiss and Mushroom Bison Burger [swiss, mushroom, sour cream] | $17

Green and Hot Bison Burger [pepper jack, grilled jalapeno, guacamole, chipotle ranch] | $17

Both the burgers were a handful. Literally! There were so many ingredients jammed in there – just like a burger should. If I ever have a chance to come back, I’d want to try the regular burger and see how it holds up.

After dinner we headed to the airport to fly back home in the land of the humid. On the flight back, we watched the movie, Chef, that I downloaded off Netflix and both ordered one drink to end the vacation. We were exhausted once we got back home and all we did was sleep in.

This trip was filled with many fails but those fails make great stories. I cannot wait for our next adventure together – once I save up enough money. Where are we headed, Scruffy?

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 5 & 6

August 23, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

We didn’t notice our gorgeous backyard view at our AirBnB until that morning when we were all packed and ready to leave. On the drive back to Seattle, we tried to eat our Tim Horton’s donuts in the car as breakfast but like I mentioned before, it was bleugh.

Before we crossed the border, we stopped by the duty-free store for some last minute souvenir shopping.

Then waited in line to cross the border where there was a match on Scruffy’s passport so we had to leave the car and walk into the building. They told us his passport had been reported stolen.

They asked questions and did some investigation during which I tried to make him laugh but it didn’t work. Luckily they let us cross the border, but they kept his passport.

Serious Pie
316 Virginia St
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 838-7388
http://tomdouglas.com

We made plans to eat pizza here since it was on his list and we didn’t have a chance to in the beginning of our trip.

We both ordered beers because apparently beer and pizza is a thing.

We shared the Roasted Seasonal Mushrooms with Truffle Cheese | $19. It was very savory and we kind of wished that we got a pizza that had a tomato sauce base but we finished it all anyway. I really liked having the mushrooms in every bite and surprisingly loved the crust – crispy but soft inside.

Dahlia Bakery
2001 4th Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 441-4540
http://tomdouglas.com

I wanted to bring treats to eat on the plane or to take back home and since this was next door, it was perfect.

French Macaron [flourless lemon lavender] | $1.75 wasn’t that great.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie | $2.75 was so huge and was chewy, just how I like it.

Dog Treats [peanut butter & bacon] | $0.75 each – our pups gobbled it up … but I think they gobble everything up.

He gassed up the car while I cashed in my lotto. Then we returned our car and took and Uber to the airport.

When we almost got to the security line, he realized he lost his drivers license and having his passport taken up didn’t help. Luckily he had his old college id and credit cards and after some questions and a body search, we were on our way.

Nothing was going right that day and since we got to the airport early, we went to this restaurant.

We shared a Blue Moon.

And some nachos – bleugh.

We finally boarded but had to sit separately since we forgot to check in the day before. When we were almost back at his house, we realized our backpack was left on the bus that takes us from the airport to where our car was parked but decided to get it the next day since nothing very expensive was in there.

The next day, he woke up early to fill in forms for his driver’s license and went online to “stand in line” virtually so we didn’t have to spend so much time at the center. Once we finished, we drove back to the airport parking place to grab my backpack.

El Tiempo Cantina
21810 Kingsland Blvd.
Katy, Texas 77450
(281) 384-4704
http://eltiempocantina.com

Then we had lunch of drinks with chips and dip and Mexican food. They have my favourite green sauce!

When he was about to take me home, I realized I left my house keys on his desk back at his house. What else can go wrong, right? Luckily, Mum worked five minutes from my house so we didn’t have to go back to his place.

Overall, I had a great trip and we both learned more about one another. I haven’t scared him away just yet and he still wants to vacation with me. We’ve already booked tickets to Denver in December. Eeep! First time seeing snow for me.

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 4

August 18, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

There was early morning fog as we headed to Grouse Mountain. I wanted to go early so that it wouldn’t be hot and sticky when we climbed but I definitely didn’t take into account the fogginess that could occur.

McDonald’s
2601 Westview Dr
North Vancouver, BC V7M 0A3, Canada
(604) 985-0203

There weren’t many places opened on the way to Grouse Mountain and we actually had to turn around and stop at McDonald’s instead. He gave me a mean look when he couldn’t eat his food so that I could take a picture. hehe

Grouse Mountain
6400 Nancy Greene Way
North Vancouver, BC V7R 4K9, Canada
(604) 980-9311
http://grousemountain.com

We finally arrived but we didn’t end up climbing. Instead, we bought lift tickets. I shall climb a mountain next time so I can cross it off my list. Eeep.

The view from the lift was incredible and the fog surprisingly made it that much more breathtaking.

When we arrived, we walked into this cabin-like place. It reminded me of movies and telly shows where people will come inside for hot cocoa and coffee and warm up before going back out on the slopes. Maybe one day I’ll actually get to experience that.

Grouse Mountain | Vancouver, Canada | Scruffy & Mellie Dee

Scruffy & Me on top of Grouse Mountain

The fog sucked since we couldn’t see past much of anything but it was relaxing to be up there because the view was still as stunning.

We walked around for a bit … mostly because I wanted to get my steps in since we didn’t do the hike.

I like that they share the wilderness instead of taking away their homes. We were lucky to run into some bears. It may seem as if they are caged but in reality, they are living in their own habitat with the forest behind them.

The weather was so nice that there was a yoga session going on. They had mats laid out for anyone to join and I almost did.

Scruffy & Me taking in the last of the mountain air

But we just watched them instead and took in the mountain air before we headed back down. Having him with me up there made everything complete and I didn’t want to leave.

Going back down was a faster ride and once we did, we went back to our AirBnB to change out of our “workout” clothes and headed to lunch.

Meat & Bread
370 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4, Canada
(604) 566-9003
http://meatandbread.ca

We split the Porchetta [with salsa verde] | $9 and Sparkling Water | $2. They even added cracklins inside for that crispy texture. Although it is a simple sandwich, it was one of the best I’ve had which says a lot since I’m not a big fan of pork.

We walked into Chinatown for a bit just to see how it was.

And saw a lady using wood and a steamroller to make some kind of art. We didn’t stay the whole time to check out the entire process but I will say that the end products they previously made were pretty.

Scruffy and I had decided to jump around different food places again so our first stop was …

The Pint Public House
455 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1S5, Canada
(604) 684-0258
http://thepint.ca

We both got drinks and thought it was pretty cool that the Grapefruit Mimosa I ordered came with a small bottle of champagne so that you can put in as much or as little as you want. I poured the whole thing in of course.

Pint Poutine [pint fries topped with cheese curds and pint gravy] | $10 to share. It didn’t live up to my expectations or memories of when I first had it in Toronto back in 2006 but at least Scruffy can now say he’s tried Poutine!

Tim Hortons
108 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC V6B 0K4, Canada
(604) 568-9262
http://timhortons.com

I also had great memories of this place back in 2006 so we bought an Eclair, Vanilla Dip Donut, Chocolate Glazed Timbits, Sour Cream Glazed Timbits, Apple Fritters Timbits, and Blueberry Timbits for breakfast the next day. It didn’t live up to expectations as well. Sigh … maybe it’s because it was a day old or maybe because it was just too sweet.

Sushi Itoga
1668 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7, Canada
(604) 687-2422
http://itoga.com

I thought it was pretty cool that they gave each person their own picture of Matcha Green Tea | free.

And they gave us Miso Soup | free as well. I was so excited for all the free things, especially because we only ordered one dish to share.

The Assorted Sashimi [11pc: tuna, salmon, hamachi, tako] | $18. So legit. I don’t ever want to leave the land of raw fish.

BC Liquor Store
1716 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6G 2J7, Canada
(604) 660-9031
http://bcliquorstores.com

We stopped by the liquor store to pick up a whiskey made from Canada for Scruffy’s dad. It was crazy busy in there. We then walked back to our AirBnB to put it down before heading to our reservation at …

Guu with Garlic
1698 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7, Canada
(604) 685-8678
http://guu-izakaya.com/robson

This place gets packed so we had to put our names down while we went to the liquor store and AirBnB.

Sake Bombs. I’m not sure if I have already mentioned this but Seattle and Vancouver are a little more upscale to where they aren’t a fan of sake bombs so we did shots instead and used our beer for chasers.

Premium Garlic Beef Tongue [sliced beef tongue with garlic butter soy sauce] | $8.50 had some chewy pieces at the top but the middle was just right. Tender and juicy. Scruffy wasn’t a big fan but did enjoy those little gems.

Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio [thinly sliced sockeye salmon sashimi with onion & garlic dressing] | $8.80 was just as delicious. Ordering this helps donate money to some charity who builds schools? houses? or something which was pretty cool.

Green Panda Dispensary
1707 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G, Canada
(888) 562-0848
http://greenpandadispensary.com

I saw this across the street and got very excited. I thought it was a cute little sushi place … but I was mistaken. No sushi. Just weed. Sigh … Super cute and clever name for a dispensary though.

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar
1703 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
(778) 712-0694
http://nerobelgianwafflebar.com

This was right next door to Green Panda and since we hadn’t really had desserts, we went in.

Mini Liege Waffles [original, vanilla custard, almond, 2 mini Liege au chocolat] | 5 for $10 hit the spot. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I wish I could get more of the mini Liege au chocolats here in Houston. So freaking good.

Sapporo Japanese Restaurant
1709 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
(604) 684-3444

Volcano Roll [8pcs: deep fried prawn, cucumber, avocado, topped with spicy tuna, green onion, spicy sauce, and sesame seeds] | $9

Hokikai [surf clam] | $2.25

Ama Ebi [sweet raw prawn] | $2.75

Scruffy ate most of the volcano roll and was getting full adding that when we go to our last food place, he won’t eat a lot but will only drink. He can’t hang. Nah, just kidding. It’s because he keeps drinking beer while I stick with water so I could eat more.

Dover Arms
961 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2M3, Canada
(604) 683-1929
http://doverarmspub.com

Exhibit A. haha We had to make reservations to the next place so we stopped by here for him to grab a beer. He loved the glass and asked me to take a picture of it. So here it is. Looks like a grenade.

Kingyo
871 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2L9, Canada
(604) 608-1677
http://kingyo-izakaya.ca

His, of course.

Stone-Grilled Kobe Beef [stone-grilled marinated Kobe beef with 2 kinds of Kingyo original sauce] | $24 was the BEST thing we ate that day. Oh my goodness gracious.

Look at that Kobe searing on that stone! Marbling perfection. My mouth is watering …

Stone-Grilled Beef Tongue [stone-grilled beef tongue served with Shio koji, red yuzu pepper sauce & green onions] | $ 9.80 is the same concept. And I about died. I’ve only eaten beef tongue in Hong Kong and Taiwan so having it here was like a dream.

Kingyo Japanese Izakaya| Vancouver, Canada | Mellie Dee & Scruffy Silly Faces

Me & Scruffy being silly

We took pictures while we waited for more food. This one’s my favourite.

I couldn’t leave without pigging out on this one last time. I would have gotten the Kobe beef if he was hungry but since he wasn’t and beef tongue was cheaper, I picked that instead. He had fun cooking it for me while I had fun eating it. Win-win.

They gave us Frozen Grapes | free as dessert. The flowers made a super cheap dessert super fancy.

While we were walking to Dover Arms we saw herds of people walking down the street with kids in tow. They were heading to English Bay to view the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks presented by The Walt Disney Company from the USA. While we walked back to Kingyo and after eating at Kingyo, they were still walking, like zombies. The fireworks haven’t even started!

We followed the crowd and watched the fireworks with them. I didn’t understand why they were all so excited to see fireworks and figured that they didn’t get to light fireworks like we do back in the states.

After a long walk back with the rest of the zombies, we reached our AirBnB. We finally opened up the Kinder Egg Surprise we got while we were in Chinatown earlier. He loved the chocolate and we tried playing with the toy that came inside.

That was the only form of coolness we got came from that standing fan. I was sweating so bad the day before and we decided to move it to the middle which was better. I thought everyone pretty much had air conditioning since we had it in Hong Kong but boy was I wrong.

Jumping to different sushi places made my heart smile and I’m thankful that he was willing to do so with me. At the end of the trip he flat out told me he was done with sushi/raw fish for a while. haha

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 3

August 16, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

We woke up and focused on packing up the rest of our things and getting ready. Scruffy called Avis to pick us up since that is what they guaranteed to do but when we did, they said that they will see if they can. We were literally a few blocks away.

Instead, we had to call our own Uber to get there, because of their horrible service. Once we got our car, we started our drive to Vancouver, Canada.

Carl’s Jr.
3703 116th St NE
Marysville, WA 98271
(360) 651-7531
http://carlsjr.com

We stopped by for brunch and ended up with horrible service like we did at Avis. The burger I ordered was wrong and when we went and told them, they insisted that they were correct and wouldn’t do anything about it even after I pointed out the picture on the board showed something different. Sigh … what happened to “the customer is always right?”

We stopped by the gas station while on our drive for some lotto and scratch offs. I did a few in the car to pass the time and won a little bit of cash.

We finally arrived at the border and the waiting game to get in began.

After crossing the border and a bit more driving, we were greeted with this view. Sigh … so gorgeous. We got to our AirBnb and after much confusion, we finally settled in and headed out to stuff our faces.

Steamworks Brewing Company
375 Water Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5C6 Canada
(604) 689-2739
http://steamworks.com

He ordered the Empress IPA which was pretty strong and hoppy.

And ordered a flight to share where we each picked two flavours:

Killer Cucumber Ale that tasted like cucumber water.
Grapefruit Radler that tasted like straight up grapefruit juice, which is a given since that is what it’s mixed with.
Cranbeerium that tasted tart and crisp.
Smokey Milk Porter that tasted like chocolate and caramel smoke.

We also shared the Baked Spinach & Crab Dip [crab, Parmesan, mozzarella & cheddar cheese, toasted bagel chips] | $14.99. The dip itself was good but we didn’t feel bagel chips was the right way to go.

One of the reasons we went here was for the view suggested by one of our coworkers. But when we got there, this is what we saw. A gorgeous view blocked by railroads and storage containers. It was still gorgeous nonetheless.

131 Water Kitchen & Bar
131 Water Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1B2 Canda
(604) 669-7219
http://131water.com

Scruffy was still on his ribs high from the night before so when he saw the Dry Garlic Ribs [hickory apple bbq sauce] | $5 he ordered it. It was so horrible we only shared one as a taster and didn’t eat the rest. I also found it funny that there was a dip section for the plate but they didn’t use it.

I opted for the Panko Prawns [spicy mayo and fries] | $4.50 which wasn’t too bad. The shrimp actually hit the spot for me but the fries could be better.

We didn’t go in here but thought it was adorable since his puppy’s name is Luna.

The Flying Pig
102 Water Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2K8 Canada
(604) 559-7968
http://theflyingpigvan.com

He ordered a beer here while I got a water and scratched a couple more lotto tickets before moving on to the next place.

The Lamplighter Public House
92 Water St
Vancouver, BC V6B 2K8 Canda
(604) 687-4424
http://donnellygroup.ca/the-lamplighter/

He ordered a beer and we people watched. We both agreed the people here who have big muscles are less threatening than the ones in the states because Canadians are so nice.

Pourhouse Restaurant
162 Water Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1B2 Canada
(604) 568-7022
http://pourhousevancouver.com

We both got beers since it was a more upscale place.

And we each enjoyed a Scotch Egg [spicy mayonnaise] | $8. I’ve never had one before and he insisted that they have to taste great here and they sure did. I craved this the next day and wished we got some. I want to try making this at home.

Six Acres
203 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2 Canada
(604) 488-0110
http://sixacres.ca

The lady who served us at the Lamplighter guided us here since we just wanted drinks. A Sour Ale beer for him and a wine for me. We had a great time here and even struck up a conversation with the ladies next to us.

This cutie enjoying his beer. He was in love with the bottle design.

Kimprints
41 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1E9 Canada
(604) 685-0443
http://kimprints.com

I like going into gift shops because they have the funniest and cutest things like these pictures above.

The Irish Heather
210 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2 Canada
(604) 688-9779
http://irishheather.com

We made reservations for L’Abattoir so while we waited, we grabbed more drinks. (I’m starting to realize that this is the reason I didn’t lose any weight.)

We got lost searching for L’Abattoir but found a convenience store and bought some scratch offs. We didn’t win anything from Canada.

We saw that the ladies from Six Acres was still there so we asked them for guidance and we finally made it to our destination.

L’Abattoir
217 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2J1 Canada
(604) 568-1701
http://labattoir.ca

He ordered some fancy drink – pretty much a girly version of an old fashioned.

They gave us Bread | free. I loved the little rolls and sticks but not so much the flat ones.

We had decided to order only the Foie Gras Torchon [warm brioche, fresh yogurt, figs]. It was my first time trying this dish and all I could think about was how it tasted like butter. I’m hoping he’ll try the pate next time. Not as buttery but the flavours … oy.

We headed home earlier than all the previous nights since we were out so late the night before and from the long drive. And we knew we would want to try to hit more things the next day.

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 2

August 11, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

When we were about to head out the door for breakfast, Scruffy asked me which place we had agreed on. After walking for a good few minutes, I realized I told him the wrong one. We walked back to the one we originally wanted to go to which was literally down the street from where we were staying. Whoops.

Moore Coffee Shop
1930 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 883-7044
http://moorecoffeeshop.com

The Hazelnut Latte was originally mine but he found his Nutella Latte too sweet, masking the coffee flavour so we ended up switching.

I snapped this picture in my story asking people if the Nutella Latte was a monkey or an onion face. And one of the responses I got was hilarious.

Rosanna coincidentally had the same dilemma. What’s even funnier is that she wrote potato when she meant onion and excused herself because she might be drunk already.

He chose a sweet approach of Strawberry Blueberry Shortcake Waffle which was airy and crispy. I stole a lot of his delicious blueberries. Mmm …

I was a little hesitant to order the Monte Cristo Waffle because the cheese scared me a bit. But I’m glad I did because it was delicious, savory waffle to counter Scruffy’s sweet one.

I secretly wished we went back the next day for some more waffles.

As we were walking, we saw another weed shop but this one looked simpler on the outside to where you could think it’s a fitness place.

Have a Heart | Seattle, Washington | Mural with Mellie Dee & Scruffy

Scruffy & I in front of the mural

We saw a giant mural of a rolled up joint and the bouncer told us that many people come in to snap a picture with it and we could do the same if we wanted to … so we did. Thanks, Bouncer Dude!

Seattle Aquarium
1483 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 386-4300
http://seattleaquarium.org

One of the main things Scruffy wanted to do was to go to the Seattle Aquarium and so we did! There were a lot of people there that day. Kids were running wild everywhere you turned which made it difficult to get around and see things.

It was pretty neat to see so many different species that live in the ocean especially the otters. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in any other aquariums I’ve been too. I can watch them tumble around for hours if I could.

I even found Nemo searching for his daddy.

Scruffy & his telescope

After a long while at the aquarium, we put a quarter in a telescope. He spent his time on that thing, mostly looking at the mountains. I wish we had time to go over to there and hike. Sigh … one day.

We were going to sit by a bar with a Space Needle view but somehow ended back up at the Public Market Center. Luckily enough, we ran into the

Gum Wall
1428 Post Alley
Seattle, Washington 98101

I felt unclean being in that unsanitary alley but loved looking at all the different graffiti. Scruffy kept rushing me though since we wanted to hit many sushi happy hours.

When we got back to our AirBnB, this little marijuana leaf was sitting on the hallway floor. It’s so legal that you actually get to see the leaves?!

We then took an Uber to our next destination and it wasn’t until way after that we realized that we didn’t stick our own gum on the wall.

Flying Fish
300 Westlake Ave N
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 728-8595
http://flyingfishseattle.com

We ordered six Fresh Oyster on Half Shell | $1 and six Large Green Mussels on Half Shell | $0.88. They had rules to where you have to order a minimum of six per order of each type with a limit of two dozen of each type per person.

They were both equally delicious, but I’ve never had mussels prepared this way so it drew me in more. Scruffy on the other hand loved the oysters more.

These are by far one of the best Truffle Fries [French truffle sea salt] | $6 I’ve ever eaten and Scruffy was nice enough to let me eat a majority of them.

When it came time to decide if we wanted to order more food, especially since we were going to other sushi places, I contemplated really hard on ordering more fries.

But we stuck with oysters because you can’t get such amazingness down south like that.

As we were walking to our next destination, we were able to see the Space Needle from afar. It was then that Scruffy decided going there might actually be worthwhile to look out into the horizon so we decided after all of our sushi eating, we would head out there to see if we can get tickets.

Umi Sake House
2230 1st Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 374-8717
http://umisakehouse.com

Free | Edamame is the best edamame but we didn’t want to fill up on them so we only ate a few of these bad boys.

We ordered a Beer and Sake. It’s fancier up here to where they aren’t big fans of sake bombs so we literally took sake shots and downed the beer as a chaser. Not the same but it was still fun.

He would only let me order one Tuna Sashimi | $8 order to try and see if it’s good and boy was it good! Keep in mind these are happy hour prices.

Look how thick the slices are! Back home they would cut them really thin and make us pay $10! And oh my goodness … they melt in your mouth! I could eat this every day!

He was craving Calamari, which is weird to me that anyone would be craving that but he got what he wanted. After eating the sashimi, all I could think about was that and craved only that so he had to finish the majority up himself.

He also really wanted a Spider Roll which was only okay. I mean, why you would get anything else but raw fish at this restaurant is beyond me!

He finally agreed and let me order Albacore Sashimi and Salmon Sashimi both $8/type. He liked the albacore more whereas I liked the salmon more. But we both agreed the tuna was the best. Just looking at this while I write this post makes my mouth water.

We went back to our AirBnB to change and put down our backpack since we had time until our reservations. Everywhere you turn, there’s graffiti and it’s actually kind of relaxing to see.

Shiro’s
2401 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 443-9844
http://shiros.com

They didn’t have happy hour but it was one of the top places for sushi so Scruffy made reservations here which I’m thankful for because it was SO FREAKING GOOD! And because when we looked out the window, we saw a lot of people waiting to get in due to the fact that it is a small location.

We ordered more Beer and Sake shot and chaser style. I loved that their little cups have their logo on it!

I was surprised that Scruffy actually liked the Rainbow Poke [Assortment of seafood with our original sauce] | $9.50. Poke, forever.

Geso Kara-age [deep fried squid legs] | $6.50 weren’t as big of a hit. He’s not a big fan of chewy things and the batter was just okay.

He ordered a King Crab Nigiri while I got a Sea Eel Nigiri and a Zuke Tuna Nigiri. Oh my goodness. The Zuke Tuna was amazing! It was my first time and sigh … take me back please.

I kept seeing people have fried shrimp heads and was curious because it wasn’t on the menu. We asked the waiter and he said it came with the Sweet Shrimp Nigiri. Two orders please!

Best. Thing. Ever. I’ve never had sweet shrimp and now all I want to do is eat it! The fried shrimp heads kind of freaked Scruffy out and kind of cringed when I ate the entire thing, eyeballs and all. But I love the fact that he’ll try anything once so I shared the non-eyeball part of it with him and he wasn’t a fan. Sigh … what a waste.

We walked over to the Space Needle to buy tickets but since we were late in purchasing, we had to book a later time which meant we had to wait.

Sport Restaurant & Bar
140 4th Ave N #130
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 404-7767
http://sportrestaurant.com

We walked over here for a beer while I sipped on water. I didn’t want to fill up on beer if we had a chance of eating yummy goodness!

My old friend, Carla, saw my Snapchat of the Ferris wheel and asked to meet up since she and Andrew, her husband, now lives in Seattle. We use to all hang out back in college, then Carla and I did one-on-ones after college.

Blue Water Taco Grill
515 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, Washington 98119
(206) 352-2407
http://bluewatertacogrill.com/

We agreed to meet up at the Armory, a Children’s Museum downstairs with different restaurants upstairs. When we got there, a lot of the places were closing and this was the only one opened. The boys grabbed a beer, Carla a margarita, and me water and we caught up and talked about random things until our 9:30 PM Space Needle appointment.

Space Needle
400 Broad St.
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 905-2100
http://spaceneedle.com

We were a little bummed we didn’t get to see it when the sky was lit but loved the wonderful burning sky. These pictures do not do it justice. He and I joked a lot throughout the trip whenever we see wonderful landscape that Bob Ross did a great job. haha

We stayed up there for a really long time … mostly taking in the view and trying to figure out how to take a picture of the background with us in it. There was a lot of fails and a okay-I-give-up-this-is-good-enough photo.

Some Random Bar
2604 1st Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
http://somerandombar.com

We were in search of food, like always. Scruffy ordered a beer and we realized their kitchen has just closed. But I still recommend this bar a lot. The lady that we spoke to was very nice especially when we asked if there were any bars around here with food and made conversation with us. She pointed us to our next and last destination of the night.

Buckley’s
2331 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 588-8879
http://buckleysseattle.com

Buckley’s Thai Sesame Ribs (3) [with sweet Thai chili sauce] | $6 was one of Scruffy’s most delicious food he’s had here, which to me is sad because they weren’t good at all. It was featured on Food Network’s “Best Bar Food” so, maybe my taste buds suck or maybe I have higher taste than bar food. haha

Tater Tots [with chipotle ranch; garlic optional] | $4 was one of the best things ever. We definitely did the garlic option and they did not skimp out on that. I kept trying to shove more garlic with his bites so our breaths would be equally disgusting.

Blackened Chicken Tacos (2) [with flour tortilla, pico de gallo, lettuce, shredded cheese, chipotle ranch on the side] | $6 was a local favourite but it wasn’t ours. We tried out best to down them because it was dry and not appetizing. Seattle locals, please come visit Houston for chicken tacos. They won’t disappoint like these did.

He loved the ribs so much, he ordered a second plate and made me help him eat them. And when we left the place, he took a billion pictures on his phone of the place because he wanted to remember the place where he got one of the best dishes he’s eaten.

Sigh … that boy.

We headed back to our AirBnB and called it a night since we had a long drive ahead of us the next day.