U.S. Cities – thosecoolkims

KimTrippin: Pacific NorthWest — Day 9 (Seattle)

We had a big day in Seattle today – so much ground was covered! We needed our coffee fix to kick off the action, so we went to Capitol Hill to check out Victrola Coffee Roasters — the same shop we fell in love with on our last visit 10 years ago. The shop – and most importantly, the coffee – was still great!

We couldn’t wait to get to the EMP Museum. Not only is it the coolest music museum ever, it has a Sci-Fi branch attached to it that had a Star Wars Costumes exhibit currently on display. Needless to say, Daddy + Daughter had an all out geek-fest checking things out.

Equally as geeky for me, Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses was on display. So many pieces of iconic memorabilia were there, including Kurt Cobain’s guitar from the Smells Like Teen Spirit video, the cardigan he wore at the MTV Unplugged show, early demo tapes and so much more.

Finally, even more fun was the What’s Up, Doc? The Animation of Chuck Jones exhibition. Ruby got a kick out of the old cartoons, especially the classic What’s Opera, Doc? with Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. I was excited to see this original sketch from what I remembered of the cartoon as a kid:

Since the EMP is right next door to the Space Needle, we took some time to take the obligatory shot.

We knew we couldn’t blow off Pike Place Market, and decided it was today or never. We didn’t make it in time for Ruby to see the fish throwing and what-not, but we caught the vibe and went to Steelhead Diner for dinner.

There were shrimp & crab tater tots on the menu and Cioppino that was like Seattle in a bowl. It was a solid 100 Things to do in Seattle… recommendation.

Last stop — Kerry Park. We had the selfie stick in hand and we were determined to get the family shot with the Seattle skyline and Mt. Rainier in back. It didn’t work out as well as we wanted, but we still got some cool shots.

This time tomorrow night, we will be in Anacortes, WA. After spending the night there, we’ll be getting up early to take the car ferry to San Juan Island. We might see some Orcas …

KimTrippin: Pacific NorthWest — Day 8 (Seattle and Bellevue)

Not too many photos to share today — we kinda took it easy. We slept in and headed to the Fremont Sunday Market in the early afternoon. It was a lot like the Farmers Market and they even had food trucks!

The Fishbean truck was really unique – they made savory and sweet fillings to go inside fish shaped waffles! I thought it was super random, but Ed says its a traditional treat. The twist the food truck gave was all the unique fillings, in addition to the classic red bean paste. Ed got the K-Pop, filled with bulgogi, kimchi & cheese. Ruby and I shared the Gimme S’mores with chocolate chips, marshmallow and crumbled fortune cookies. They were super tasty!

We saw a sliver of Fremont — a cool neighborhood in Seattle that’s known best for the music scene. Ed had a specific plans in mind for this photo op with the giant Lenin sculpture in Fremont, so we made sure to squeeze that in. :) The statue is quite controversial.

Ruby had been begging us to take her to see Inside Out, the new Pixar movie. We opted to head to the Seattle ‘burb of Bellevue, thinking they’d have a more family friendly theater. We all loved it and want to see it again!

Bellevue is gorgeous – and quite yuppie – its where all the Microsoft people live. We only got a very blurry photo as we crossed the river into Bellevue though, unfortunately. :(

Ruby got some time in the pool before bed (that’s what she’s most interested in doing – swimming in all the pools at each hotel!) and we turned in early for the night. Tomorrow will be a fun day at the Experience Music Project museum and the Space Needle!

KimTrippin: Pacific NorthWest — Day 7 (Seattle)

We spent most of the day en route to Seattle. Ed + I have been most excited about this leg of the trip because we have loved Seattle ever since being here 10 years ago in 2005. On that trip, we bought our wedding bands, we stayed at our most favorite hotel and we had several epic meals we still remember — how could this not be our city? Too bad the houses in Ballard we’d want to live in today are like $800k. (Yep, we already looked) It only took about 30 mins. and we’d decided that our feelings about this place hadn’t changed.

I asked the author of 100 Things to do in Seattle Before You Die if she’d be willing to send me a book and I’d document my #100ThingsSEA excursions in exchange. I got the book and we hit the ground running — we headed straight to Mr. Gyros for lunch to start checking things off the list. Mr. Gyros’ Falafel (and the hot sauce) were definitely list-worthy.

I happened to notice that Sonic Boom Records was across the street, so we checked it out to get it checked off the list as well.

However, the real magic happened across the street at Bop Street Records. We were looking around, and Ruby somehow managed to find the opera and orchestral section (!!!). She spotted a Don Giovanni record that was pulled out to the front of the rack. She started asking Ed lots of questions about it, and a guy working there overheard them talking. He was so surprised to see this little kid talking about the opera Don Giovanni that he started talking to Ruby and Ed! We found out that this record was a special “blue back” edition and is highly collectible. Each side of the record had a 1P on it too, which meant both sides were part of the 1st pressing and adds to its appeal for collectors. He wanted Ruby to have it though, so he discounted the record for us to make sure she’d end up with it. :) Ruby has the 1st album in her collection now and we swear — she picked this record out!

We had a cute dinner in Queen Anne and walked to the park to let Ruby blow off some steam in the playground. Sunset wasn’t until 9:11pm tonight — it stays light out so late here and she wants to stay up!

Wrapping up Week One, our trip computer in the car tells us that: We’ve driven 1737 miles (from Lakewood, CA to Seattle, WA) and we’ve spent 35h 23m in travel time. Fremont and Capital Hill in the city tomorrow.

p.s. I fixed the comments issue, so feel free to let us know if you’re reading!

KimTrippin’: Pacific NorthWest — Day 5 (Portland)

There can only be one word to describe today’s adventures: EPIC.

To kick off the day, there were two things to check off our mandatory Portland list — coffee and doughnuts. Ruby got to try her first Voodoo Doughnut and Ed + I got properly caffeinated thanks to Stumptown Roasters. (Ruby enjoyed a cup of milk ;))

Ed did some research before we got to Portland and found out we could rent bikes — and an awesome bike trailer seat for Ruby! — from Waterfront Bicycles. He made us a reservation so we could get our sedentary butts moving and take advantage of one of the country’s best bike cities. Admittedly, I was intimidated at first, but it ended up being the best day ever! Ruby loved being on a bike ride and said several times during the trip, “I’m so happy doing this!” We thought it was a great way to see Portland, and definitely made for an authentic experience.

This was a general overview of our route:

Biking over Hawthorne Bridge

Carrie’s lovely Linus bike (want!!!)

The bike shop even had some pretty sweet helmets for us to borrow.

It was 90+ degrees in Portland today and we thought all of our biking across town justified a stop at one of Carries favorite ice cream shops on earth — Salt & Straw. Salt & Straw opened a location in L.A. this year and we’ve been several times, but we’ve never visited where it all began in Portland. As usual, they had some very interesting flavors — including a street food flavor called “Kimchi & Rice“! (Seriously, click that link for the ice cream description — INCREDIBLY creative!!!). Salt & Straw is generous with the samples before buying and we usually aren’t afraid to taste anything concocted by their geniusness, but I guess we just weren’t as adventurous today. Doesn’t mean we don’t still have a ton of love + respect!

We rode those bikes from 10:00 am when the shop opened until about 4:30pm when Ruby completely crashed out. We got our money’s worth.

After heading back to the hotel for a little downtime and a quick dip in the pool (it’s HOT), we topped the evening off with our favorite meal of the trip so far at an Indian Street food joint called Bollywood Theater. The food was so good, we didn’t even get any pictures of it.

Tomorrow we’ll get out of the city for a bit and explore Multanomah Falls and the Gorge. Looking forward to some hiking!

KimTrippin: Pacific NorthWest — Day 3 (Bend, OR)

Today brought us to Bend, which appears to be mecca for the outdoorsy, adventurous types. Our thoughts were, “When in Rome …”, so we got outdoorsy too and rented a canoe.

About 30 minutes in, Ruby said she was “bored,” so we went back to get her a kid-sized paddle!

After getting some sufficient exercise with 2 hrs. of canoeing, Ed had another brewery on his list. We headed straight to Deschutes Brewery. Because he couldn’t decide, Ed ordered another sampler!

We walked through Downtown Bend (which is super adorable, by the way) and found a cool shop with Ruby’s favorite character, Totoro inside. The shop owner loved her so much she gave her a tiny Mei figurine! (Ruby dressed as Mei for Halloween this year).

We also stumbled upon a gorgeous park after dinner with a fantastic view. I think it’s safe to say we like Bend!

Tomorrow ends our nomadic streak – we’re headed to Portland, where we’ll be staying for three days. Can’t wait!