Pike's Market

Could a visit to Seattle be complete without a walk through Pike's Market, a view of the fish-catching show, a bowl of chowder and a cup of coffee from the first Starbucks?

Hype and commercialism aside, I found myself falling for the city. It began when we made the back-and-forth trek to replace the camera and I experienced a familiarity with the roads and navigation that I hadn't felt in other new cities. At Pike's Market I realized that Seattle reminded me of what I like about San Francisco but it wasn't as alternative. It seemed to be a good balance of earthiness and bohemianism with enough metropolis to satisfy my urban cravings.

Of course, it is easy to become enamored under dazzling sunshine at the advent of a long-anticipated vacation. I am not so sure if the infatuation would last as I head to the office during a 40-day rain stretch.

Sleepless in Seattle

From the balcony of our room at the Warwick we had a perfect view of the Space Needle erected in 1962 for the World Fair. Very cool sight. After returning from a lovely dinner with cousins Larry & Linda at their beautiful home (with spectacular views!), we took full advantage of an amazing (albeit unusual) Seattle night and walked around the city. It's funky, eclectic vibe was accented by creatively fashioned pig statues (from salmon pig to Santa Claus pig, gold piggy bank pig to patchwork pig). They're the equivalent to Stamford's cows and Rochester's horses. After our casual stroll we returned to the hotel, said our good nights and retired with plans in place for the morning: breafast at Lola's followed by "fish pitching" at Pike's Market!

Snoqualmie

Saturday morning, we walk to town with Howie and Stefani while Becky and John train for the upcoming NYC Marathon. Along the way we encounter many old, rusted locomotives on their final resting tracks, along with brilliant flowers being prepared for open market and small shops closed until mid-morning, all against a backdrop of mountain peaks and lush greenery. Another perfect day.

After our walk, we head back to Salish for a complimentary breakfast suitable for several kings. Despite our server's warning that we were ordering beyond our means, we persevered through smoked salmon on brioche, a northwestern wild mushroom frittata, fresh apple waffles with cinnamon-cider syrup, and the stunning four-course country breakfast. The after-breakfast hike down to the falls would be the antidote to our very full bellies.

Salish hiking trails and the falls

The first trek down to the falls found us at the bottom with a brand new, suddenly non-functioning, Nikon D80. Gasp! (stay calm, cool heads will prevail) We took our time, enjoyed the beauty and wonder of the vista and then meandered our way back to the top (much faster coming down than going back up!) A call into Nikon Tech Support left us stunned when after numerous and varied attempts to reset the camera the voice on the other end of the phone pronounced, "I'm sorry but this camera is apparently defective and has to be returned for service." Are you kidding me?! (stay calm) We were convinced that there had to be a solution. To make a long story short, we located the nearest Best Buy (from where we bought the camera just 5 days earlier) and away we went back to Seattle to exchange it. By 9PM we were happily back at the lodge with a functioning camera as the six of us were seated for dinner.

Salish Lodge

On an unusually sunfilled morning, absent of all clouds and raindrops, we arrive in beautiful Seattle. Armed with our carry-on bags, a print-out from Google Maps and in our rented little Saturn we drive to Salish Lodge to meet Howie, Stef, Becky and John on their return from Vancouver. The six of us will stay here through Saturday afternoon when all the grown-ups (and Aidan) arrive.

Continually rated one of the best hotels in the world, we were ready to be fully pampered by luxury service, fed by top-notch chefs, and soothed by the raging waterfall flowing beneath the lodge. We were not disappointed.