A trip to Bainbridge Island

One of my friends was really gung-ho on visiting Bainbridge Island this weekend. I wasn't really sure about the idea, as I wasn't sure there would be a whole lot to do, but seeing as I didn't have any other Saturday plans and I didn't want to let her down I decided to go.

And, the trip started out not too spectacularly as I missed the bus I wanted to take to the downtown ferry terminal. I wasn't entirely sure where the bus stop was and I wasn't there when it stopped. Oops. Of course the buses at the other stop near my apartment were all late. So then I decide to just get on the next bus (the 13, for reference) because I thought it would stop close to the ferry.

Yeah, kind of. I realized I wasn't going in the right direction when the next stop was on 4th Ave and not 3rd (for my East Coast readers, 1st is the closest to the water). I then booked it to the ferry terminal and was able to procure a ticket in time. My friend was also pretty late because her bus was delayed and she didn't immediately realize you have to walk up to a second level to board the ferry. Did I mention that public transit is hard?

Anyways, we take the ferry over and end up eating lunch on the island. Like everything else here, it's a pretty picturesque place. There's really only about 4 blocks to the town, with lots of small shops that line the street. It reminded me a lot of the small beach shops on the NC Coast... which makes sense when I think about it. A little bit expensive for what I'm shopping for, but still nice to look around.

I did have the ice cream at Mora Iced Creamery, which was pretty delicious. Apparently it's a pretty popular place, as there was a significant line out the door when we went. My friend chose Green Tea, I chose the Dark Chocolate Mint and Maraschino Cherry Cream - all very good flavors, and I feel like you couldn't go wrong there.

After we peruse all the shops on the main drag we got back on the ferry to Seattle. A lot of the reviews for the Island said that the trip on the ferry was a big highlight of the trip. I didn't believe them, as I didn't think it would be that thrilling to be on a commuter ferry. Then you see Mt. Rainier off one side of the boat and the cityscape slowly approach you and you realize that the reviews weren't lying at all.

All-in-all it was a pretty good use of a relaxing summer afternoon. Being able to chat and spend the day with a friend AND get a beautiful view was worth the $7.70 ferry ride.

More exploring

So it's been a few days since my last post, but I've been a little busy, what with working an actual job and all. Most of my days have been navigating my new job and things related to that - figuring out what food trucks to eat at in South Lake Union may take some time.

But even though I've been working, I haven't stopped exploring the city! The weather here is absolutely beautiful, and I'm finally understanding what others have told me about Seattle having a perfect summer. It's sunny all the time, and the temperatures are in the comfortable mid 70s to mid 80s range - and there's not really any humidity, which is definitely a new thing for this NC girl. All of this means that I'm spending a bunch of time wandering around and enjoying the outdoors.

One of the places I meandered to was Discovery Park, which is a large park in the Magnolia neighborhood and a pretty quick bus ride from my apartment. I think it's something like 550 acres, and it is criss-crossed with different trails, both paved and unpaved. I went down to the beach (which is a beach in the sense that it abuts the ocean, not in the sense that it has sand, as it was full of pebbles and larger rocks) and saw the lighthouse. The lighthouse was moderately disappointing, as I was imagining something closer to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse than a house with a light in it. But I still took a picture of it, because that's what I do.

So after Discovery Park, I then traveled a short distance to the Ballard Locks. That's the giant thing of machinery and water that allows boats to go up and down - apparently it's a big attraction, but I kind of didn't get it. However, I did enjoy looking at the copious amounts of salmon taking advantage of the fish ladder - definitely going to have to cook some one of these days.

Another day this week I took a walk along the waterfront and ended up at the Olympic Sculpture Park. It's exactly what it sounds like - a green area with a bunch of art just chillin' in the open. Definitely entertaining to go with a friend and mock the pretentious quotes included on the plaques naming the pieces. Not that I would know, as art is a Very Serious Thing and not to be laughed at.

Then, finally, I live somewhat close to the Seattle Center, and I'm finding it very enjoyable to explore that part of the city on a near-daily basis. There's a bunch of fountains in different places and there always seems to be something different going on. Yesterday was the Polish Festival, which I was super excited about considering my Polish heritage. And, yes, I did chow down on some pierogies.

So good.

And that's about it for my second-ish week of being in the city! I might create a post about my progress in meeting people in the city... but then again, I might wait a bit to have slightly more material. For now, you readers will just have to be envious of my pierogies.

Riding a Gondola

So today was my father's last day in Seattle, and seeing as most of the move in type things were done, he wanted to go explore some of the area around Seattle. He suggested hiking, but I pointed out that the only shoes I had that were moderately appropriate were my Converse Chuck Taylors. So instead, we set our sights on the Crystal Mountain Resort gondola ride, which would zoom us up to the top of the mountain so we could spy upon Mt. Rainier up close.

To get there from Seattle, it's about a 2 hour drive southeast. I was expecting picturesque trees and mountains, which we got eventually. But we passed through a section which reminded me of backwoods South Carolina - trailer parks, fireworks shanties, and we even went by a revival being held at a Christian church. If you had told me we had just crossed the NC-SC border I wouldn't have looked at you twice. One of the fireworks shanties (not even as classy as South Carolina's fireworks warehouses - at least those look permanent and aren't made of plywood) was named "Lost Appendages". Because I totally want to go buy fireworks at a place with that name.

Anyways, back to the point of the trip. We made it to Crystal Mountain and rode the gondola up. Pretty sweet, especially because this marked the highest elevation I've ever been in my life. The view at the top was pretty spectacular, although unfortunately low clouds covered a lot of Mt. Rainier. But it was fine - I don't think this will be the first time weather messes something up for me out here.

So we looked around, ate a brownie at the mountaintop lodge, and decided to walk down via one of the paths/logging trails. Please note that I am still in my Chucks. Please also note that, even though it is the end of June, there is still quite a bit of disgusting old snow on parts of this trail. So, yes, I hiked down a steep snow-covered incline in a t-shirt, shorts, and Chucks. The Northwest is not prepared for my level of badassery.

(I had a picture of the slope, but it just doesn't do it justice. Use your imaginations, and trust that it was remarkable.)

But, despite being completely unprepared for the surroundings, we made it safely down the trail and declared the day a good one. I'm sure this won't be the only hiking/nature-ing I do out here, but I think it was a great intro - no more Appalachian foothills for me!

Exploring

Went exploring quite a bit over the past few days with my dad, who's still in town. I managed to take a few pictures as well, to help with the storytelling.

I can confirm that Queen Anne Hill does actually live up to its name, and is quite a steep incline. The purpose of the trip was to locate the area Trader Joe's, but after climbing up a staircase built into the hill, we came upon this view.

That is the view from Kerry Park, and it is really stunning in person. Definitely worth the hike up the hill, and it was nice to see something like that when we weren't expecting it.

Then we went on a trip to Sweden's favorite export, Ikea. I had never actually been in one, and I was thrilled to go shopping after I had gone to the online site and drooled over the furniture. So, without further ado, I present to you my couch, Ektorp the Grey!

Yes, I've named my couch. Ektorp is great. I don't think words will explain how monumental this moment in my life is. My first couch - not a crappy Wal-Mart futon, but an actual couch of wonderment!

We also stopped by Pike Place Market, just to walk around and take in the sights. I wonder if going there will ever get old, as this was the third time I've been and it definitely is entertaining to see what's there. Picked up some cherries, which are absolutely delicious.

Then we wandered around and ended up at the Seattle Center (two pounds of cherries stuck in my ginormous purse). And then we saw this:

Yeah. That's pretty sweet. That rainbow was real, not a fancy photoshop effect, by the way. The fountain was pseudo-set up to music and reminded both me and Dad of the fountain at Centennial Park in Atlanta. Tons of screaming kids running around, but it was oddly relaxing to listen to the music and get spritzed by the water in the breeze.

So it's been a bunch of touristy wandering for my first few days here. But I've seen some really cool things, and I can only hope that continues!