Seattle the land of liquid sunshine … not! For a wet little town, there is a lot of emphasis on the fact that it actually has less rainfall than Boston or New York. Personally, it sounds like the little yappy dog that insists it is not small … we don’t have that much rain, it’s misty. Misty? Whatever, this weekend it was absolutely gorgeous! And I mean gorgeous in that skin cancer sort of way. Yeah!
My mother will be disappointed but I cannot move back to the home state until the smoking laws arrive. We Californians may be a little freaky and have the terminator for governor but we also have fresh air with our pancakes. We started the day with a little in-room Starbucks and breakfast at the Mecca Café—Not Fine Dining, Just a Fine Diner!. Indulging in a carb-filled breakfast (it was Frank’s birthday weekend) we wandered into the Seattle Center and took the elevator to the top of the Space Needle. This was followed by a race to the ferry building where, we missed the ferry to Bainbridge Island. However, we took the opportunity to wander Pioneer Square and to inquire about the Underground Tour.
On the boat to Bainbridge Island
Catching the next ferry, we enjoyed views and wandered the town to our lunch spot, Café Nola , which had to be, followed with dessert at the Black Bird Café —love the Monkey bars. Anyway, I didn’t plan on biking, which looked like a good option and thought about a bit of hiking which also took some planning. We jumped on the ferry back to Seattle and took the underground tour.
Hmm. Either I am becoming jaded or things just don’t shock me anymore. The “seamstress” stories (a.k.a. prostitutes) didn’t shock. The drugs, the gambling and the filth stories, didn’t shock but the “Steam Baths” sign that was taken down and placed underground made me laugh … since it used to indicate the space used as a gay bath house and is now an area where people can get married (not gay people of course … but that is another story). It is still a great tour and if you get a chance to take it, do. That’s an order.
From there, it was time for dinner and we found a great space, Rosebud, which included the sleigh and memorabilia from the Citizen Kane movie. Interesting ambiance. Great service – the water girl looked like a Stepford wife and the waiter looked better suited for a new age rock band. We finished the evening hopping from place to place on Capitol Hill. Neighbors … was like watching a train wreck unfolding in slow motion. There were muscle boys and Goth girls with horns. A tranny in a gold mini-dress and the 400-pound guy doing a shimmee on the dance floor. Of course, our foray into R Place made us feel … well, old.
However, with three good meals and a few beers under my belt, I cannot complain.
Summary:
· Café Mecca
· Space Needle
· Bainbridge Island
· Café Nola
· Underground Tour
· Rosebud
· Neighbors
· R Place
