Market Street Musings

We made it back to Denver and have survived the first week in civilization.  The trip was a glorious one and we are both feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to take this extend time to travel the west coast.  But I’m sure that you are all anxious to hear about the rest of the trip.  It was all a bit of a blur, but this is how it went down…

Day 19 Continued

As you might remember, we spent the morning tooling around Seattle, taking in some of the sights.   Then it was back in the car for the drive to Ash & Bridget’s in Spokane.  A short 4 hour trip and we were done driving for the day (a pleasant break!)   Ash and the Visla with boundless energy Hogan, greeted us at the driveway.  (you really should read about their adventures at www.homesweethomme.com )  We enjoyed some wine on the patio catching up a bit.  When Bridget got home, we all headed off to dinner at Bennidito’s Pizza.  The food was great and the beers were good.   The girls made friends with the drunk frat boy who was there “representing” some beer company and holding a raffle for Tshirts and pint glasses.  We tried to sneak out while he was “busy”, but he chased the girls down and made sure that they received a “special” gift of pint glasses, just from him.   With that drunk boy in the rear view, we headed to Bridget’s office downtown to check out the new space, and then over to The Elk Public House for some Red Stripes, before heading back.    Now, De Ann and I were excited for sleep, as the Bennidito’s Pizza is rumored to give some crazy, hallucinogenic dreams…. But alas, we slept soundly and without craziness…

Day 20

A quick breakfast at Frank’s Diner with Ash (great homemade gravy and salsa were both awesome additions to our traditional breakfast of eggs and bacon! J), and we were on our way to Yellowstone National Park.   To get there, we leave Washington, drive through Idaho and into Montana.  I should mention that we’ve been geeks about crossing the state lines.  We’ve been taking a picture of each one of the “Welcome to…” signs.   So, we are driving out of Washington, I’m on the phone and driving and all of a sudden, the Now Entering Idaho sign shows up.  We have no camera ready, we weren’t really paying attention until it was too late.  So, we did what anyone would do with 8 hours of driving ahead of them… we got off at the next exit, drove back into Washington, turned around and headed back to Idaho!   With the picture taken and our collection intact, we headed off into the hills of Idaho.

About an hour outside of Yellowstone, where we have reserved a campsite, it starts to rain… a lot.  The closer we got to the Park, the more it rained.   Being our last stop and being exhausted from this journey, the last thing that we wanted to do was set up a tent, in the rain, and deal with all of the associated headaches.  So, we found a nice lodge with rooms available, changed our clothes and decided to see what West Yellowstone, MT has to offer the world.    For the record, we found out that the answer is…. Nothing.   Small town, lots of flea bag motels and quite the interesting collection of locals at the bar at the hotel.   We grabbed a beer, watched a little basketball, got a bite to eat and crashed early.

Day 21

With the anticipation of being home and the prospects for rain for the next 48 hours, we made the decision to see a little bit of the Park this trip, but to high-tail it out of there and do the marathon 9 hour drive home today.    We joked about “poor Yellowstone”, the unfortunate last stop on this trip, equating it to the 5^th day, 23^rd church that you see in Europe and say “this is nice… let’s go.  And if I have to look at one more beautiful church, I think I’m going to hurl.”    So, we drove through Yellowstone, stopped at Old Faithful and took some pictures.  Did a lap around the parking lot to see if we could add to our state license plate collection (coming along nicely, thank you!) and then took off for Denver.  9 short hours later, at 8:30p on Friday, June 5^th, 21 days and 5372 miles after we started, we pulled into our parking garage and let out a big sigh of relief.

It was an awesome trip!   We got to see a ton of friends, family and colleagues.   We had a ton of new experiences and a great blend of travel and enjoyment of a great number of cities in the West.  Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Victoria, BC, Washington, Idaho, (Washington, Idaho again), Montana, Wyoming and back to Colorado.  Whew!   I know that De Ann has another post on the rest of “her” experiences, but I hope that you have enjoyed the journey with us! J    We will be continuing our posts on the adventures in Denver in the coming weeks and months, so make sure that you stop on by when you can!

Until then…

We had many good meals on our road trip. But we enjoyed a very special treat in Seattle, thanks to the power of Facebook. My Facebook friend, Larry Monaco, is the Executive Chef at Queen City Grill in Belltown. Since we would only be in Seattle one night, and I knew nothing about Seattle eateries, I contacted him and told him we were coming to town and wanted to dine at his restaurant. Turned out to be an exceptional idea, and as we decided earlier that day to start a food blog we’re starting with Queen City Grill.

Chef Larry greeted us and asked if we had any dietary restrictions (we do not) and if rare or medium rare beef is okay (it is). Satisfied with our answers he whisked away our menus and announced that he would make us a little of everything. And he did not disappoint! What followed were eight courses of culinary delight.

Wine: 2006, Molly Dooker, Blue Eyed Boy (Shiraz)

First Course: Kushi oysters
These small, locally caught oysters were quite tasty on their own and the bit of horseradish gave them a lovely zing.

Second Course: Salad of yellow watermelon, locally grown Miners’ greens, pancetta and Humboldt Fog
This refreshing salad provided a great mix of flavors and textures. Chef Larry regaled us with a humorous story about his friends who pick the greens for him, and the trouble he goes to is well worth it – they’re lovely.

Third Course: Grilled shrimp with sea salt, coarse pepper and baby corn, with shallots and leeks
Put shallots or leeks on just about anything and I’ll eat it. Paired with perfectly grilled shrimp and baby corn, it’s a masterpiece!

Fourth Course: Seared ahi with Spanish chorizo, peppers and baby bok choy with soy vinaigrette
Oh my! Delicious ahi and excellent chorizo created a unique – and wonderful – combination. The soy drizzle was excellent on both and the bok choy was dee-lish!

Fifth Course: Lemon sorbet
Nice, refreshing palate cleanser!

Sixth Course: Oregon prime beef with sea salt, mashed potato, asparagus and 50-year aged balsamic vinegar
Wow! Just when I thought the ahi was the best dish, Chef Larry delivered this simply seasoned dish. Although a classic dish, there was nothing ordinary about it. The potatoes were the creamiest I’ve ever had, and the aged balsamic was pure heaven! Special thanks to Chef Larry for treating us to a taste of this $150-per-bottle elixir!

Seventh Course: Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Nemesis with Raspberry Glaze and Lemon Whipped Cream
Easily the best Key Lime pie I’ve ever had – super smooth and creamy with a perfect, thick graham cracker crust. Heavenly! The Chocolate Nemesis was amazing – perfect texture that wasn’t too mousse like or too thick. The raspberry glaze and lemon whipped cream put this chocolate pie over the top.

Eighth Course: Cheese platter with St. Agur Triple Cream Blue, Bethmale, Camembert and San Joaquin Gold
Served with blue cheese stuffed raspberries (yum!), honey comb and other accoutrements. A wonderful end to a fabulous dinner!

We’ve become foodies. We love dining and analyzing the subtle flavors & textures of our meals. In January 2009, one of our favorite restaurants in Denver, Rioja, began offering a weekly sampling of food & wine pairings called Sips & Snacks. We instantly became fans and attended nearly every week until it ended in April (rumored to be coming back in the fall!). For the first three weeks I mistakenly called it Tastes & Toasts, so we decided to name our new food section in honor of our friends at Rioja. Cheers!

With such a short time in Seattle scheduled, we decided to stick to the classic touristy stuff. Walked through the Public Market, which was amazing. I’ve never seen such beautiful and exotic flower arrangements – and they were so cheap! Like, $5 cheap for a nice bouquet with no carnations in sight. Also saw a bouquet of sweet peas, my favorite, which you never see at a florist’s. Fresh fruits & veggies that were the brightest and most attractive I’ve ever seen, and also for cheap! We continued along the Puget Sound waterfront admiring the shops & boutiques before heading back to the room to get ready for dinner at Queen City Grill (read about that on our new Tastes & Toasts section).

The next morning, we made the obligatory trip to Starbucks for breakfast then headed to Seattle Center for a stroll among the museums. We rode the bullet-speed elevator to the Space Needle’s observation deck and took something like 360 pictures. It was another gorgeous, cloudless day (yes, we were still in Seattle!) so the views were amazing. Although it was a very quick first visit (for me) to Seattle, it was a great introduction to the Emerald City (formerly nicknamed the Queen City, hence the grill).

Off to Spokane for a visit with Ash, Bridget & Hogan! Happy belated birthday, Hogan!

Victoria is a beautiful, relaxing city. Getting there this time, however, was anything but pretty. Lots of cursing, sweating, yelling, cursing and fist waving. There are tons of quaint little towns along the alternate route (US 101 around the Hood Canal to Port Angeles), none of which I enjoyed because the speed limit would drop to 30 or 35, and we had a $#@% ferry to catch! More cursing, fist waving and shouting at leisurely drivers who let cars pile up behind them. In three weeks of travel, the ferry is absolutely the only time-sensitive reservation we had and I was not going to miss it because the state of Washington thought it a great idea to renovate a major bridge in late spring. Can’t they do that stuff in January when no one is traveling? Anyway…

…WE MADE IT!! With upwards of moments to spare! I nearly wept and hugged the ferry booth attendant when I heard the glorious words, “Pull through to lane 7.” Crisis averted. Heart rate immediately restored to normal level. Okay, still sweaty and a touch jittery, but still.

Safely arriving to our hotel-slash-brew pub, we immediately dumped our luggage and headed to the brew pub section for a pint of nectar. About three minutes later we were off to dinner at a great tapas place, cleverly named “The Tapa Bar.”Great food, but I think someone forgot to tell them the part about small plates, as the portions were much, much bigger than expected. But, we had the best olives ever, very tender and tasty, and hands down the best garlic shrimp. We started looking around the table for things to drag through the garlic sauce. Then back to the brew pub section of our hotel for a nightcap before returning to the hotel section.

Our full day in Victoria was the best vacation day in recorded history. I’m serious, look it up. Great breakfast in the pub section followed by a walk along Victoria’s inner harbor. This is the really peaceful and beautiful part, not a shred of the previous day’s anxiety in sight. We rented bicycles and toured the residential section of the coastline. The nice rental guy overestimated my athleticism judging by some of the hills on his suggested route, but we powered over them. (Eventually, in 2 cases.) It was a gorgeous & exhilarating ride. The seaside homes could have been in any American beach city. After the bike tour, we headed back to the harbor for a light lunch & a refreshing pint of ale at the outdoor Milestones café.

That afternoon, we boarded a tiny float plane for a stunning aerial tour of Victoria. The pilot was about 15 and had moved back to Victoria just 3 weeks earlier (probably from boarding school). Normally I would have questioned such a thing – a pilot/tour guide who had been in the city literally days longer than I – but I was so excited about getting into the co-pilot seat of a sea plane I forgot to prod. On a previous visit I saw Butchart Gardens (stunningly beautiful), which looked absolutely dinky from the air. How in the world did it take me four hours to get through some rich lady’s garden? Anyway, the float plane tour was just amazing, worth every penny and I would do it again in a second. Maybe with an adult pilot next time.

We skipped (really, we were pretty giddy) back to the hotel section for a quick rest before dinner, which was a horrible meal with service to match. We’ll let part of The Best Day Ever slide. We promised that on our next visit to BC we’re splurging for the whale watching, too. Up early the next morning for a quick breakfast before heading back to the ferry terminal for interrogation by customs agents (so distrusful!) and some sniffing by a customs dog. Returned to the US without incident, and off to Seattle. Right back through those quaint little canal side towns, which I still had a hard time enjoying.

Oh Hi!  There you guys are.  I’ve  been looking everywhere for you!   Okay, truth be told,  we were having WAY too much fun  (I’ve really embraced this vaction thing) to be blogging.   I know, it’s hard to believe, but it is true, I tell you.   But I’ve been thinking about you guys, I really have.  So, what have we been up to, you ask.   Let me see if I can get you caught up!

Day 16 – Epilogue…

We made the ferry.  It was nuts, traffic was ridiculous.  There was screaming, there was more than a little bit of swearing, but in the end, De Ann came through like a champ, balancing the speed with the avoidance of Johnny Law that was crawling all over those god-forsaken little towns…but we made it with a few minutes to spare.  We cleaned our shorts, boarded the ferry and asked “Where’s the bar?”   No bar on the car ferry, though if we wanted to buy some duty free booze, we could do that.   We thought about it, but opted for caffeine until the truck was safely parked at the hotel.    A one hour ferry ride later, we got off of the ferry and got interrogated by the customs agents… do we LOOK threatening?  No, we look thirsty.  Outta my way!

We booked a room at the Swans Hotel.   A great place with a brewpub on the first level that has live music 7 nights a week.  We spent some time in that little brewpub before and after dinner, and again the following night.   I would highly recommend that hotel, as it is in a great location, offers affordable accommodations, full kitchens in every room and the aforementioned brewpub.   We received a great recommendation for a tapas restaurant from our server at the pub, so off we went.    The Tapa Bar lived up to the local’s recommendation.   Small plates were anything but small, but everything was absolutely amazing – I’ll let De Ann tell you about the menu and what we had, she’s got the eye, nose and memory for that kind of thing.   But we left full and very happy.  Before we drifted off to sleep, we mapped out what would prove to be one of the best single days of our journey.

Day 17 – A day of fun and firsts…

Breakfast at the Pub and we were off to the wharf.   We decided that we were going to splurge and take a Sea Plane tour of Victoria.   Though a bit pricey, it was something that we have both wanted to do and never had.   We went to the Hyack Air office and booked ourselves on a 3:15 tour of Victoria.  30 minutes of air time proved to be enough for us to see much of the island and have a blast… but I’m jumping ahead.    With our 3:15 reservation, we had about 3 hours to do some other exploring and wandered over to the bike rental office.   Armed with some new street bikes (yes, bicycles, not scooters, though we thought about it), a map and some suggestions from our rental office chap, we headed south to the coast and took a scenic ride on the southern coast, over to Oak Bay Village and back again.   The ride was challenging, due to the hills, but we survived our 90 minute ordeal and were pleased with our biking proficiency.    I guess those Denver Cruiser rides have really paid off!

With some time and a little hunger, we went to a restaurant right on the water.  Milestones Cafe had patio seating available and the weather was perfect!    We enjoyed some time basking in the sun and having a little lunch, before checking out some of the street vendors on the walk to the plane.   We arrived and were escorted to a 7 seater seaplane, built in 1964 or there abouts.   We were the only passengers on the tour that day.  Our pilot, born approximately 30 years later than the plane was built, assisted us onto the plane.  With De Ann seated in the co-pilot’s seat and Doogie Howser at the stick, we fired up the single prop and drifted into the bay.    My general fear of heights, mixed with my propensity for motion sickness did not bode well as we travel to the edge of the bay for take off.  But, I’m happy to say that all of that fear evaporated and was replaced by sheer exhilaration as the plane picked up speed and lifted out of the water.   I joked with De Ann that I took a picture about every 30 seconds of the trip, but it’s not too far off.  With the camera in one hand and the phone camera in the other, I snapped and snapped… we saw many of the places from the air that we had seen from the ground.  The expansive Butchart Gardens appeared below, looking tiny from above…  and before we knew it, we were heading back to the bay.   The landing was smooth, just as Doogie has practiced so much on his Xbox I’m sure.   Both De Ann and I were smiling from ear to ear, as our day of fun continued.

With a stop back at the hotel for a chance to relax a bit, we headed out again for the last event of the day.  The Ghostly Walking Tour of Victoria took us on a 90 minute tour of most of the major buildings in Victoria, complete with “scary” ghost stories and interesting facts.   Content that we had seen much of what Victoria had to offer, we stopped for a late dinner (crappy restaurant, not worth discussing), before heading to the pub for a nightcap and the end to a magical day in Victoria.

Day 18

With a quick breakfast and a pack of the truck, we were off to the harbor to catch our ferry back to the USA.  Same interrogations from the customs agents and we were through the process and traveling to Seattle.  Now, remember from Day 16, the “easy” way to Seattle is over the bridge that is currently closed for repairs/expansion.  So, I got the joy of driving the same route that De Ann took us through.  Quaint towns and idiotic drivers seem to be all that you will find on Hwy 101 from Port Angeles to Olympia.    “Hey buddy, nice mini van and I appreciate your desire to be cautious.  However, did you happen to notice the 25 cars stacked up behind you because you won’t pull over??”    We finally made it through the canyons and through Olympia for our 3^rd time in 3 days.  On to Seattle…

We checked into the Fairmont Olympic Hotel (another shout out to the good folks at Travelzoo, a last minute deal resulted in a great room in a gorgeous hotel for next to nothing.)   And kudos to Seattle and the Fairmont, as I was informed that the $36 overnight parking fee was waived because we arrived in a Hybrid.   Their little thanks for keeping the environment a bit cleaner.   Nice work.

With some time to kill before our dinner reservations, we headed on a walking tour of downtown.  We stumbled upon Pike’s Market and were amazed at the fresh fish and produce deals at this farmer’s market.   We walked past the very first Starbucks, and meandered through stores.  Back to the hotel to get spruced up for dinner.   An old friend of De Ann’s, reacquainted through the Boo (Facebook for those not “in the know”), is the executive chef for the Queen City Grill.   Upon hearing that we were coming to town, he extended an invitation to be his guests at the restaurant.   A nice place with good ambiance, the Grill experience was an amazing one.   With a few questions for us, Chef Larry took our menus away and let us know that he would just bring us a great meal.  8 courses in all, which De Ann will go through with you in good detail, I’m sure.   We left there, having had a wonderful meal and great conversation.  As things were a bit quieter on this Tuesday night, we had the pleasure of having the Chef bring us each course, discuss it with us, and visit for awhile… just like we like it!   Thanks for a great time Larry.  Everyone should be so lucky, as we’ll look forward to the release of the cookbook later this summer!

An early night, as we prepared for our departure from Seattle in the morning.

Day 19

It’s Wednesday.  We will be back in Denver in just 3 days from today.  The trip has been amazing and there is still more to look forward to.  The remainder of the trip consists of a visit with Ash and Bridget in Spokane, WA.    (Shout out to Ash and doin’ it “bloggystyle”, our web host and guide to this wonderful world of blogging.   You can check out Ash’s adventures as a work from home husband with no kids at www.homesweethomme.com )   Tomorrow, we head to Yellowstone for some camping fun and checking out the sights and sounds of this historic national park, before doing the marathon drive back to Denver all day Saturday.

But before all of that, we had a couple of hours to spend in Seattle before heading out.   So we got some Starbucks (had to, it IS Seattle, after all) and headed out to the Seattle Space Needle.    The Needle, for those that don’t know, has an observation platform just 520’ above the ground and was built in the 60’s for the World’s Fair.   We took the tour to the top and the views were amazing.   The weather has been great, with temps in Seattle of 86 with not a cloud in the sky.  We have been very fortunate, and today it made for a great viewing of the city.   With the pictures taken and the views taken in, we wandered around the grounds a bit before hopping in the car.   We are about 100 miles outside of Spokane now and looking forward to our time with A&B.   We’ve got some driving to do tomorrow, so De Ann will likely be sharing with you pictures from the last few days, as well as a detailed look at the food we’ve been lavished with.   I hope you all are having a great day, and we’ll check in with you later!

Until then…