Sightseeing – Page 15

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 1

August 9, 2016 by Mellie Dee 4 Comments

On Tuesday, the 26th, Scruffy came to my house for dinner and to pick me up so I can sleep over since our flight was at 7:30 AM and his house was closer. The rain kept pouring down so we were worried about delays.

We woke up ~~bright and~~ early and tried our best to keep the noise down since everyone was still asleep. New place, new adventures, new memories. We were tired but excited about what’s to come.

He says that every time he flies early, he gets a taco from Pappasito’s so once we got through security, breakfast was served.

Two barbacoa, egg and cheese tacos, please.

Since rules state to come two hours before liftoff, we had a bit of waiting to do. Luckily, nature worked with us and made sure our departure was on time.

Me & Scruffy on our aircraft

While on the aircraft we tried to sleep, plan dinner, and got frustrated that we could not stream any of the shows we wanted to watch after paying eight dollars for WiFi. Ugh, waste. Thank goodness for previously loaded games on my iPad while Scruffy watched live telly on his iPhone.

We finally saw Mount Rainer (?) out of our window which meant we have arrived in Seattle!

Snow-capped mountains, I want to climb you.

Once we landed and retrieved our luggage, we called for an Uber. Uber at the Seattle airport is on point. Organized with designated places for pick up and drop off!

Our Uber driver dropped us off at our AirBnB, a super old building which made us felt as if we’d fall through the ground. They even have an old elevator system where it uses a hinged door and gate – creepy.

Our windows were all nailed shut from the outside which makes me wonder what happens during an emergency. One of our windows had a crack with a tube coming out for air conditioning.

We ran into a weed shop, Herban Legend, on the way to Pike Place Market. It still boggles my mind that weed is legal in some states.

Pike Place Market was filled with people. We totally forgot it was touristy, summer time which meant long lines everywhere.

We went to look at the ocean view and it was surprising how many people were just sitting there enjoying the sun.

A man stole bottles of Jack Daniel’s under his jacket, dropping them all to the floor when the cops caught him while another kid was sitting smoking pot.

As we searched for the famous chowder place, we got stuck inside the Public Market. There were little shops where artists sell their work on one end like jewlery and paintings.

On the other end were little food stands and the seafood market. The seafood was huge! I am jealous of everyone who gets this goodness all day, every day.

The chowder place was packed with a full line so we ended up at

Rub With Love Shack
2010 Western Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 436-0390
http://rubwithloveshack.com

Braised Pork Sandwich [pork rub, slow-cooked pork, roasted garlic aioli, swiss, pickled red oinion, romaine lettuce] | $10.50

We’re from Texas and should have known better and knew it was a mistake right when we saw it. We shared it and couldn’t even finish it since it was making us feel sick.

We walked around for a bit and somehow ended up at

The Fishermans Restaurant and Bar
1301 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 623-3500
http://thefishermansrestaurant.com

Scruffy ordered a beer and was given free Bread and Butter. Sourdough is his least favourite so he tried his best to eat a bit of it.

I ended up getting a Clam Chowder [Northwest recipe featuring hearty clams, tender vegetables, and sweet cream] | $6/cup

Clam chowder is one of my favourite soups in the world so I was in heaven.

Seattle Great Wheel
1301 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 623-8607
http://seattlegreatwheel.com

Since the Ferris wheel was right next to us, we decided to ride it for $14.90/person.

We were told we would go around three times but it ended up being a good six or so turns.

We didn’t complain though since we were able to snap some great pictures.

Look at this cool guy.

We walked around some stores before Scruffy saw the penny machine and got super excited. We ended up making a Space Needle one. Speaking of which, I still have and need to give it to him.

As we were walking, we saw this beautiful sight. I wouldn’t mind seeing this every day. Sigh. Take me back, please.

Ashy loves antiques so we walked into one to check it out. I was surprised to find vintage Playboys on sale! The ladies look like they were drawn.

We walked back to our AirBnb, changed for a fancy night, called an uber, and ended up at the

Ballard Beer Company
2050 NW Market St.
Seattle, Washington 98107
(206) 783-0179
http://ballardbeercompany.com

Scruffy & I with THE best grapefruit beer EVER

I got the Postdoc Grapefruit Kolsch and he got the Burdick IPA.

The grapefruit beer reminds me of grapefruit juice and I surprisingly loved it! I wish I could ship some back home. So light and refreshing.

We decided to hop to a bar that had appetizers since we were both hungry and ended up at

Kangaroo & Kiwi Pub
2026 NW Market St.
Seattle, Washington 98107
(206) 297-0507
http://kangarooandkiwi.com

I thought it was pretty cool that it’s from an old public library but sad that it means libraries are going out of style.

He ordered a beer and we both shared an Uluru Nachos [corn tortilla chips, melted cheese, black beans, jalapenos, guacamole, sour cream, & salsa fresca] | $5

We made them Aussie Style [top nachos with authentic Aussie-style seasoned ground beef] | $3.

We finally called an uber to take us to our dinner reservations at

Ray’s Boathouse
6049 Seaview Ave NW
Seattle, Washington 98107
(206) 789-3770
http://rays.com

Bread and Butter | free

Scruffy finished it all up. Him and his love for bread …

Puget Sound Mediterranean Mussels [smoked onion butter, herbs, red pepper] | $15

It was a Thai curry type sauce. Mmm … This was easily our favourite dish out of everything we ate at the restaurant. Scruffy even dipped his bread in the sauce because it was just that good.

Seafood Fregola Sarda Pasta [toasted pasta, Penn Cove mussels, Manila clams, Uli’s chorizo, salmon, whitefish, light cream, marinara sauce] | $26

We were both not a fan of this dish. Scruffy’s description is that it tasted like dog food. It was a big let down because fregola isn’t the type of pasta I thought it’ll be. And I agreed it didn’t taste well. I made sure to eat all the seafood though.

Dungeness Crab Cakes [summer squash + zucchini, jasmine rice, herbed lemon yogurt, red pepper coulis] | half $16

He ordered the half which was just right for him since we had nachos and appetizers beforehand and had already decided for light snacking later in the night. He liked his dish enough to finish the crab cakes.

After dinner, we took in the wonderful view while we waited for our Uber. Sigh, perfection … even though dinner wasn’t exactly perfect.

This place, though fancy, didn’t meet my expectations and since then, he and I decided to jump around restaurants and pick something small from each one to try out.

We were dropped off at our AirBnb to change into comfy clothes and pulled up Pokemon Go. Seattle is PokeStop city, guys!

As Scruffy looked up some bars around us with happy hour oysters we noticed that Yelp! had added a filter for “PokeStop Nearby.” All I can say is, wow …

Queen City Grill
2201 1st Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 443-0975
http://queencitygrill.com

This place showed up on Yelp! for happy hour oysters. It did disturb me a bit that there wasn’t much people around but we proceeded to order.

He ordered a Hefeweizen while I ordered a Bellini [peach puree married with bubbles] | $8

Six Oysters on the Half Shell | $2.25 each

We could taste the shell on some of them so he wasn’t a big fan of it.

Prawn Cocktail [chilled prawns with a classic cocktail sauce] | $7

Prawn is a different meaning up here, I guess, since it was more like little shrimp. Nothing too special.

We jumped ship to

Rabbit Hole
2222 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 956-4653
http://rabbitholeseattle.com

where he ordered a beer and we played two rounds of skeeball where we both won once and called it quits and moved over to

Wakefield Bar
2318 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 770-7824
http://wakefieldbar.com

They didn’t have any food though so we quickly left and oddly bumped into my old college friend, Patrick, on the street. He lived a few buildings down! Small world. I hadn’t seen him in over four years.

Rocco’s
2228 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 448-2625
http://roccosseattle.com

We stopped here for to-go orders of pizza slices and headed back to his apartment for a quick catch up.

Pizza is always the best late night drunk food regardless of where you live.

Scruffy got a regular pepperoni while I opted for the veggie one. His definetly tasted better than mine but I enjoyed mine nonetheless. I wanted another slice the next night and I don’t even love pizza!

I’ve never tried watermelon wheat beer until that day. It tasted like a light watermelon juice.

After catching up, Scruffy and I bid our farewells and headed back to our AirBnB to recharge for the next day.

Pretty eventful first day if I do say so myself.

2016 Summer Getaway | Take Me Back

August 2, 2016 by Mellie Dee 1 Comment

Hi world! Scruffy and I are officially back to reality. We went into work today (I worked half at home after taking Dad to the doctor) and we were both so tired. I wish we were still living the good life up in that good weather eating that good seafood.

I took so many pictures that I know for a fact Scruffy was annoyed. I am one of those people who takes a picture of EVERY. SINGLE. THING. because memories. Here’s a picture to tide you over until I have a chance for a recap.

We found this little leaf in the hallway of our AirBnB in Seattle. I’m told it’s a marijuana leaf. I’ve never seen one before so I’ll believe what I’m told and since it’s legal in Seattle and Vancouver, they’re apparently everywhere.

Until next time,

2016 Summer Getaway

June 30, 2016 by Mellie Dee 4 Comments

Seattle, Washington Skyline
via

Scruffy and I have always discussed going on a trip out of Texas in the past and in less than a couple of days, flights, lodging, and transportation were all booked for the end of July for Seattle and Vancouver.

I cannot wait to get out of this humid Texas weather and into more cooling temperatures. I’m certain after visiting, I’ll be wanting to move like I did when I visited Portland a couple of years back. Sigh … my family picked the wrong place to live.

All we have left to plan are places to eat, attractions to see, and things to do. We have both never been to these places before, so it’ll be an interesting, new experience for us both. I cannot wait until the day comes … that is if we don’t kill one another trying to figure everything out.

Vancouver, Canada Skyline
via

2015 Asia Trip | Day 16

November 15, 2015 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Hola World! I’ve finally been back since Friday night and have been so lazy. I’ve played with the poopies nonstop, unpacked everything but my clothes, picked up my parents from the airport for their return, and bought a bajillion stickers on Etsy. That’s pretty much it. Eight work days until it’s Thanksgiving break! Eeeps! Which also means Amanda’s and Brent’s wedding day is approaching fast!

On our last day I waited for Sissy and BIL to arrive to PoPo’s from their hotel and for Mum and Kathy to return from getting B’s Hong Kong ID. During that time, I got ready and planned out my meals for the upcoming week. When everyone got back Kathy and I went to 759 to buy some weird snacks to bring back to people as souvenirs and Sissy, BIL, and the parents went to SaSa to buy beauty products. Kathy and I joined her after we were finished and we all went crazy on buying face masks. I wish certain were cheaper here like they are in Hong Kong. Face masks and stickers being two things on my list …

We went to Shanghai PoPo for brunch of soup dumplings and noodle soups. Freaking delicious last meal in Hong Kong.

Afterward we went back to PoPo’s to pack what we just bought and Rachel came over with treats from her trip. We said our goodbyes. It gets hard saying bye to PoPo since she’s getting older. :/ Rachel rode with us to the airport where we checked in and did some more shopping in the airport. One of the stores had a everything in the store is $12 HKD type deal. More stickers were bought. Sigh … jealous. After Rachel was with us for a good hour, we said our goodbyes to her and went through customs where Sissy, BIL, and I waited for our flight. A little delayed but wasn’t too big a deal. We were all on the plane waiting for takeoff that everyone fell asleep.

By the time we were in flight, we were served a meal. Asians always want to make sure you’re full. Bahaha I felt bad for BIL because it was fish and he is not a big fan of fish. But he said this one wasn’t fishy … I guess because he was very hungry. Everyone mostly slept and soon enough we were in Taiwan. I watched Chinese soaps on my phone while we waited.

Upon boarding our flight to Houston, we saw Sanrio everywhere. On the pillows and on the screens. Even our utensils were Hello Kitty-fied. Sissy was certain we were on the Sanrio aircraft. Liftoff was on time, luckily. I started the Helios movie which is a Hong Kong movie. It was crazy because there was a total of 4 to 5 different languages spoken. 1/3 of the time I had to look at the screen to read what was going on. Nonetheless, a good movie.

After a good forty minutes we were served our first meal of chicken and macaroni. Wasn’t bad. They even had a Hello Kitty strawberry chocolate on the dessert. I just ate that while Sissy pigged on the cake. After finishing Helios, I went to sleep. BIL and I were so asleep that we missed our snack of sandwiches. After what happened with our first time getting a sandwich on the flight there, we didn’t really care though we were very hungry. Sissy got her veggie sandwich and she said it was nasty so … we didn’t miss much.

I slept a lot on the flight and when I finally couldn’t sleep anymore, I started the SPL2 movie. Another Hong Kong movie. This one had 3 different languages. Also another great movie. I wish I was able to watch these Hong Kong movies more over here in America. During this time we had our last flight meal of congee with seafood. Also another boo for BIL because he’s not 100% into seafood and definitely dislike mushrooms. We also got some kind of salad but it smelled like crap and tasted even worse. Regardless, we were happy we were almost home. I couldn’t wait to see Rizzo and Rocky and June had bought Wing Stop for us upon coming home. Happy heart, happy tummy.

I can’t wait to go back again. Hopefully to visit either Korea or Japan. And I got promises that Rachel, Vincent, and Kathy will come and visit us. I can’t wait to show them this part of our world. Our turn to take them everywhere.

Promise the 12 days I didn’t put up pictures will be up soon. Until next time,

2015 Asia Trip | Day 15

November 12, 2015 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

I finally got a bed last night after sleeping on couches the past week + … it felt amazing … except I am a bit too tall for the bed. My legs were hanging off a bit but I didn’t mind. Went to MX for breakfast and got Ramen with an egg and a coffee tea drink. YUM!

We went to buy stamps for the postcards. Late sending them out since we’ve been so busy sightseeing and such. But it’s done nonetheless. Then headed to Pizza Hut. So different here in Hong Kong than in America meaning so much better and yummier. We ordered so much but it was all so freaking good. No lies.

Vincent took me shopping for a new backpack … what I came to Hong Kong wanting. And I got one!! After many hours of overture for both of us because we don’t like shopping … but we sure did get lots of steps in! He got me a mixed fruit juice drink as well. Gah .. so freaking good!

After hours and hours of walking, we met up for dinner at Tao Square. Another table filled with food because my parents are crazy. Best last meal in Hong Kong!

Vincent, Sissy, BIL and I went to BEANS. A dessert place. We ordered another table filled … one that had dry ice which was pretty awesome. By the time we finished we felt like throwing up. We walked the long route home in hopes of walking some of it off. Which I highly doubt we did. Sissy and BIL said their goodbyes to Vincent.

I cannot believe our trip is over. OVER! … I am sad but at the same time excited. I have to say goodbye to my family and Hong Kong. And finding out about what I thought I never cared about anymore still breaks my heart. I’m trying to not let it get to me because I have better things to think about. Like getting to see Rizzo! I cannot wait to shove my face into his and hold him!