Canadian Buffoon's Back to Front Vacation - Update! 05/18 - Falling Down

[natebenma]

Port Land

Wow, that Japanese garden was gorgeous! You have to love when the stand-by queue sthands out on its own

The landscaping was beautiful and the view of Mount Hood is impressive.

This does look fantastic, but like you, I would have been taken aback by the color of the bisque. Snobby New Englander who thinks chowder and bisque need to be dairy, not tomato, based.

 

[pkondz]

That’s only like 5 days! Will there be a TR?

One week and five days.

TR? I hadn't thought of that...

I think so.

 

[pkondz]

Hello there! I'm back and catching up on trip reports! (reading, not writing…though I really need to do that soon!)

Hi!
Welcome back!

The Disney meet looks like so much fun and how great that you got to see Liesa again! Although after your description, I'm a little scared to meet her in a few weeks

Just stay on guard
and you'll (probably)
be fine.

That market looks amazing…I would love to spend a few hours in there, and it actually looks like something Mike would love to do too…if he would only fly. Someday when we make our cross-country car trip we will definitely check it out.

And try the chowder!!

And I'm with you…I would never wait in that line for Starbucks coffee since it's

Yay! Another coffee-non-drinker!

 

[pkondz]

Well... if you insist

I do! I do!

 

[pkondz]

Well, the falls at the park may have underwhelmed you, but you got some really nice pictures.

Thanks, Dee!

I love this one.

Thanks again.
Took my time on
that one.

Stunning view!

I really enjoyed that
part of the drive.

Muuuch better.

 

[pkondz]

Wow, that Japanese garden was gorgeous! You have to love when the stand-by queue sthands out on its own

The landscaping was beautiful and the view of Mount Hood is impressive.

I loved it.
It's now back on
the list of places
to see... again.

This does look fantastic, but like you, I would have been taken aback by the color of the bisque. Snobby New Englander who thinks chowder and bisque need to be dairy, not tomato, based.

I agree with you.
While I was surprised...
and it's not as good...

It was still quite tasty.

 

[mustinjourney]

One week and five days.

April 30-may 4?

*ETA—I’m guessing you mean you leave in one week and five days? I was saying you’re only going to be there five days. I. Figured you’d go for 7 given the long travel days.

 

[natebenma]

Looks like you made an excellent choice for dining in Seattle. The dim sum, the noodles (WOW, that was quite a portion) and even the green beans looked yummy.

Your pictures from the Chihuly displays and garden are fantastic. His artwork, large and small, are all real masterpieces.


My family visited Seattle for the first time a couple of years ago before our Alaskan cruise. We toured the day before and the day after the cruise.

We did one of the discounted packages, the City Pass, where you pay for a few experiences.

CityPASS Admission Includes

· 1 Space Needle (2 same day visits)

· 2 Seattle Aquarium

· 3 Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour

· 4 Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) or Woodland Park Zoo

· 5 Chihuly Garden and Glass or Pacific Science Center

We went up in the Space Needle, visited the aquarium, we passed on the harbor tour (too tired and we had just been on a boat for a week, but I'm sorry we skipped it), MoPOP (because the Zoo was too hard to get to) and the Science Center (because teen boys)

For your reading "pleasure" here is the report of our time in Seattle.


Seattle

Seattle, Monday August 14 Part 1

Seattle, Monday August 14, Part 2

Seattle, Tuesday August 22

********************************************************************************************************************

Although we didn't visit the Chihuly Gardens, we have had the opportunity to see some of his work "in the wild"

His chandeliers have been on some of the ships we have cruised on.

He also has a few sculptures in the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.



One of the first things you encounter in the hallways is this crystal sculpture. We were passing by when a tour guide was explaining that the sculpture was valued at $1,000,000.

The Crystal Gate

Next up is the Casino, featuring two crystal sculptures:


Temple of the Sun

Temple of the Moon

There's this one, too, The Seaform Chandelier- I couldn't find a picture in my files so this one is from the interwebs

 

[vamassey1]

Mine are usually for fun stuff.
I figure that I have to pay
for something, that can come
out of the "general revenue".
But not this year.

Sorry your refund wasn't for fun stuff this year.

Noted.
Seriously no clue if/when
I'd ever make down there.

My problem is that NOLA is
high on both mine and DW's
bucket list.
So I can't really go without her.
And if she comes along...

Well... she's
1. not keen on meeting people. and;
2. allergic to sea food

That's a tough call. Is she does come down I'm sure she'll find lots she likes without eating seafood and meeting us.

You know the compromise would be to make 2 trips.

So you're saying you'd
do a crawfish boil if a
certain Canadian
came for a visit?

Maybe. You need a group for a true crawfish boil. Of course lots of local restaurants serve it by the pound along with seafood shops. For just a few people we just buy it by the pound already boiled. If we're having a true crawfish boil we buy it by the sack.

So now I'm wondering...
How many crawfish do you
need for a boil?
Like... what's the average
number per person?
5? 50? I have no idea.

@mustinjourney did a good job answering this.

I know you didn't ask me -- but the general consensus is you buy 3-5 lbs of crawfish per person. I don't mess with eating them b/c it is way too much work for such a small piece of meat, so I focus on the potatoes and corn that are also thrown into the boil. OMG those are so good.

I do not know how many crawfish are in a pound though. From a quick google search it appears that they only weigh about an oz (which I find hard to believe), so you'd be looking at practically 16 crawfish per pound -- meaning about 50 per person.

Good answer! It's amazing what people put in the boils now. When I was growing up it was basically corn & potatoes and that's what you get in restaurants too. But I've seen mushrooms, artichokes and sausage to name a few. Whatever you put in the boil soaks up that seasoning.

 

[mustinjourney]

Good answer! It's amazing what people put in the boils now. When I was growing up it was basically corn & potatoes and that's what you get in restaurants too. But I've seen mushrooms, artichokes and sausage to name a few. Whatever you put in the boil soaks up that seasoning.

I would be all about sausage or brats in a boil. Hell, I bet some cut up chicken thighs would be amazing -- or just a bunch of chicken wings!

 

[pkondz]

April 30-may 4?

*ETA—I’m guessing you mean you leave in one week and five days? I was saying you’re only going to be there five days. I. Figured you’d go for 7 given the long travel days.

Ohhh...

Well... it's mostly predicated
on Elle's schedule.
While she's out of school,
she's still teaching until
the end of May.
She's taking a few days off,
but even that is iffy for
her this time of year.

 

[pkondz]

Looks like you made an excellent choice for dining in Seattle. The dim sum, the noodles (WOW, that was quite a portion) and even the green beans looked yummy.

I came nowhere near
eating all those noodles.

Your pictures from the Chihuly displays and garden are fantastic. His artwork, large and small, are all real masterpieces.

Love his work.
I missed out on his
displays in Asheville,
but otherwise...
I'll seek them out.

My family visited Seattle for the first time a couple of years ago before our Alaskan cruise. We toured the day before and the day after the cruise.

We did one of the discounted packages, the City Pass, where you pay for a few experiences.

I saw that, but knew I
wouldn't have the time
to do all that you guys did.

we passed on the harbor tour (too tired and we had just been on a boat for a week, but I'm sorry we skipped it)

I get that.
Both statements.

One of the first things you encounter in the hallways is this crystal sculpture. We were passing by when a tour guide was explaining that the sculpture was valued at $1,000,000.

Holy crap!

I need to get into
glass blowing.

Temple of the Sun

Gorgeous.

Temple of the Moon

Also beautiful,
but I prefer the sun one.

There's this one, too, The Seaform Chandelier- I couldn't find a picture in my files so this one is from the interwebs

Amazing! Really incredible.

I thought I quoted the line where you
gave me the links.
I did read them.
I found it interesting the things
we did in common
(especially the chowder place.
we got almost identical meals!)
as well as what you did, that
I did not.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hi

I hope it's ok if I join in the trip report fun! I've seen your reports on the boards over the years but was too intimidated to join in previously.

I have a weird thing about reading things in order so I, of course, had to go back and read all the old trip reports first (it's normal I promise).

I've enjoyed reading about all the adventures, Disney and otherwise. I have to thank you also because your Harley chip collection has given me ideas for future gifts for my dad!

(Apparently you can't use the words poker and chips in a phrase on the Dis? Who knew?)

 

[pkondz]

Hi

Well, hi there Courtney!
to the TR!

I hope it's ok if I join in the trip report fun!

On my TRs, it is officially
never too late to join in.
Everyone is welcome!
At any time!

I've seen your reports on the boards over the years but was too intimidated to join in previously.

Oh dear.
Don't let these
reprobates
(you know who you are)
intimidate you.
Just jump on in
and tell us a tale!
(Or don't! No pressure
either way! )

I have a weird thing about reading things in order so I, of course, had to go back and read all the old trip reports first (it's normal I promise).

Good grief!
Are you okay?
Did I melt your brain?

And... especially sorry
about that first one.

I really need to go and
fix all those links some day.

I've enjoyed reading about all the adventures, Disney and otherwise. I have to thank you also because your Harley chip collection has given me ideas for future gifts for my dad!

(Apparently you can't use the words poker and chips in a phrase on the Dis? Who knew?)

pokerchip works,
but poker(space)chip
does not.
So weird!

Your dad a Harley man?

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Just stopping by to wish you a great trip! I'm just busy planning trips for old and new "friends" and working. Heading to Hawaii while you are gone. I hope to do some live shares in Facebook and come back here soon!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Good grief!
Are you okay?
Did I melt your brain?

And... especially sorry
about that first one.

I really need to go and
fix all those links some day.

Brain is still intact ! I work overnights and they gave me some much needed laughs while I worked a million shifts the last few weeks.

pokerchip works,
but poker(space)chip
does not.
So weird!

Your dad a Harley man?

How strange!

He is and for some reason I never thought about the Harley store as a place to shop for gifts for him. I’ve pretty much exhausted the sports memorabilia options through the last 29 years. When you’ve gotten to grill tools that leave the team logo on the burgers, you know you’re pushing it.

 

[franandaj]

OK, I don't know how many times I have read and multi quoted this particular post! I've had it disappear on my computer, I think I forgot to "Insert Quotes" on my phone, so I better make this time happen!

And I haven't had time to read any of the chatter, so if I make jokes that others have made 1000 times, don't shoot me!

Let's explore Pike Place Market
shall we?

I like that idea! I enjoyed my time there 4 1/2 years ago!

Now, I'm not a coffee drinker,
so maybe I'm wrong, but...
I can't see myself standing
in line just to say I've had a
coffee there.

I AM a coffee drinker and I wouldn't wait in that line just to say I'd had coffee from the original Starbucks.

Large bouquets ranging from
$10-$15.
Back home arrangements like
that would run closer to $40-$80.

Huh. I've never really bought flowers before, and I don't really receive them either so I have no idea what they cost. I would much rather be taken out to dinner than spend the money on something that is just going to die.

I quickly found that it
was a passive aggressive
market.
Notice the sign above?
"You squeeze, you buy".

Huh. What kind of person goes around a market squeezing fruit?

Turns out it was just a
butcher shop.

Disappointing.

Oh no! That's Uli's Sausage! They ship, at least to the US. Do you remember back when Fran ordered me like 12 lbs of sausage that was overnight delivered? That was the place. You could only order in 3 lb increments, in addition to the 3 lbs of Merguez, she also got that Chedddar Gold Bratwurst in your picture, and several other kinds of bratwurst. We have finally almost finished all of them.

Back in 2014, we went to the Pike Place market when I visited my Sister over Thanksgiving. We stopped at the market on the way to the airport. We had a late flight. That shop had Merguez (a difficult to find sausage made from beef and lamb) and so I bought half a dozen along with a few other sausages. We stuffed them in our suitcase before we got on the plane. That's how I knew to order from them several years later.

Then again, I was impressed
by the selection on offer.
French Onion Bratwurst?

I wish she would have ordered that one! It sounds really good!

I got one plain sugar doughnut
and one...
I had to, it sounded too out there...
One maple bacon doughnut.

Actually Maple Bacon donuts have been all the rage on the West Coast for quite a few years now, a number of places feature them. There is even a Wikipedia page about them and some of the first places known to serve them.

Pike Place Chowder

Last June, Yelp put out
a list of the best dishes in
America.
From a list of over 155 million
entries, here are the top 10*.
(Cue David Letterman)

That is quite a list!

(* so tell me... have you
tried any of these? Let me know!)

I'm not sure that I want to (other than that I have had Pike Place Chowder.) The one here in LA, is Uni Pasta. I can't even bring myself to try Uni, much less in pasta.

I went to what I thought
was the end of the line and...

Kept going.

What I thought was the end
of the line was merely
the break in the line so people
could get through.

This was the end of the line:

Yikes! That is crazy. It was nothing like that when we went!

Well... I wasn't in a rush...
And... Best clam chowder
in America, people!

I'll wait.

OK. If you're not in a rush.

But right in the middle
of the menu I saw
"Make it a sampler!
Customer's choice of 4
(or 8) 5-oz servings of
any chowder."

I would have liked that too, if almost all of them didn't have salmon in it.

it essentially said that
tables could not be occupied
unless you had food.
The turnover was rapid
and no one seemed to go
without finding a spot.
I don't know how... but it worked.

Sounds like a solid plan. That's probably new since I was there. We sat at that table in the middle of the room where the Asian family is sitting.

Come in, eat the best chowder
you will ever have, and get out.

I can't emphasize enough how
good these were.
When I got back home,
it was one of the first things
I would tell people about.

I'm glad it had such a lasting effect on you. We enjoyed ours, but it didn't make nearly as big an impression.

But look same sign!



This is what we got. I can't figure out what the reddish one was, maybe the seafood bisque and I was ready to look past the salmon.

While I would probably order
the sampler again,
the Seafood Bisque was
the champion, narrowly edging
out the Salmon Chowder.

Huh. I can most likely say that I liked the Clam Chowder the best.

I could have it sent to an
address just an hour south
of home, across the border...

And lemme tell ya...
It's darned tempting.

Go for it! And order some Uli's sausages while you're at it!

A couple of hours later,
I was set up at the
Lynden/Bellingham KOA.

I'm still amazed that you camped for these nights on your trip.

I wandered down by the river
that wound through the grounds
and took a few shots.

Nice pictures!

I was particularly pleased with
that last shot.
I'd taken shots of ducks at a
couple of spots along the way
and hadn't been overly
pleased with the results.

And you got your ducks in a row.

Did you see it in this chapter?

Yes, I did. I couldn't tell if he had beef with that lady or was just staring blankly into space.

 

[pkondz]

Just stopping by to wish you a great trip!

Thanks, Tammie!

I'm just busy planning trips for old and new "friends" and working. Heading to Hawaii while you are gone. I hope to do some live shares in Facebook and come back here soon!

Busy girl.

Off to Hawaii again!
Very nice!
Which island
(or islands)
are you going to?

 

[pkondz]

Brain is still intact !

it's a miracle!
An Easter miracle!

I work overnights and they gave me some much needed laughs while I worked a million shifts the last few weeks.

Oh, I know just how
you feel.
I just finished a swing
of working 22 days straight.
Actually worked 25 8-hour
shifts in that period.

He is and for some reason I never thought about the Harley store as a place to shop for gifts for him.

They have tons
of cool stuff in there.
Get him a metal sign
for where he parks
his bike.

I’ve pretty much exhausted the sports memorabilia options through the last 29 years. When you’ve gotten to grill tools that leave the team logo on the burgers, you know you’re pushing it.

 

[pkondz]

OK, I don't know how many times I have read and multi quoted this particular post! I've had it disappear on my computer, I think I forgot to "Insert Quotes" on my phone, so I better make this time happen!

8th time is the charm!

And I haven't had time to read any of the chatter, so if I make jokes that others have made 1000 times, don't shoot me!

Oh, Alison.
You know I'd never
do that!

I like that idea! I enjoyed my time there 4 1/2 years ago!

I definitely want to
re-visit it.

I AM a coffee drinker and I wouldn't wait in that line just to say I'd had coffee from the original Starbucks.

I can see how that would
be different for different
people.
I guess if you're a Starbucks
fanatic, then you'd be more
inclined to go.

Huh. I've never really bought flowers before, and I don't really receive them either so I have no idea what they cost.

You don't receive them?
Okay... either you're telling
me that no one's ever got
you flowers (perish the thought!)
Or you say no when given to you.

And?

I would much rather be taken out to dinner than spend the money on something that is just going to die.

Well... I can see that.

Then again... Dinner is
over in a few hours
and flowers (usually)
last for a week or so.

Huh. What kind of person goes around a market squeezing fruit?

The same one that goes
around touching all
the seafood.

Oh no! That's Uli's Sausage! They ship, at least to the US. Do you remember back when Fran ordered me like 12 lbs of sausage that was overnight delivered? That was the place. You could only order in 3 lb increments, in addition to the 3 lbs of Merguez, she also got that Chedddar Gold Bratwurst in your picture, and several other kinds of bratwurst. We have finally almost finished all of them.

Oh!!!
I do remember that!
Well, I'll be!
I was there and didn't
even know that was the place.

Back in 2014, we went to the Pike Place market when I visited my Sister over Thanksgiving. We stopped at the market on the way to the airport. We had a late flight. That shop had Merguez (a difficult to find sausage made from beef and lamb) and so I bought half a dozen along with a few other sausages. We stuffed them in our suitcase before we got on the plane. That's how I knew to order from them several years later.

Yes, I remember the Merguez.
I even asked you about it
if memory serves.

I wish she would have ordered that one! It sounds really good!

Right????

Actually Maple Bacon donuts have been all the rage on the West Coast for quite a few years now, a number of places feature them. There is even a Wikipedia page about them and some of the first places known to serve them.

Yes, Liesa mentioned that.
It took me by surprise...
but was very good.

That is quite a list!

The fried chicken jumped
out at me.

I'm not sure that I want to (other than that I have had Pike Place Chowder.) The one here in LA, is Uni Pasta. I can't even bring myself to try Uni, much less in pasta.

I've had see urchin before.
I won't say I particularly
enjoyed it.
But... I'd try it as a pasta.
Never know. I might get
a pleasant surprise.

Yikes! That is crazy. It was nothing like that when we went!

I guess word's gotten out.

OK. If you're not in a rush.

Yep.
I was having a very
nice, relaxing day.

I would have liked that too, if almost all of them didn't have salmon in it.

Oh? I don't think I knew
that you didn't like salmon?

Sounds like a solid plan. That's probably new since I was there. We sat at that table in the middle of the room where the Asian family is sitting.

Ah, okay.

I'm glad it had such a lasting effect on you. We enjoyed ours, but it didn't make nearly as big an impression.

I really enjoyed it.

But look same sign!

This is what we got. I can't figure out what the reddish one was, maybe the seafood bisque and I was ready to look past the salmon.

It looks like the bisque.

Huh. I can most likely say that I liked the Clam Chowder the best.

And that was really good!
Don't get me wrong...
Just because it wasn't
my favourite of the bunch,
it was still better than any
clam chowder I've had.

Go for it! And order some Uli's sausages while you're at it!

I'm not sure if I can legally
bring that into Canada since
it's not cooked.
(unless... it is.)
I'd have to check what the
rules are.

I'm still amazed that you camped for these nights on your trip.

It was fun. I haven't done
that in a while and thought
"why not"?

Nice pictures!

Thanks!

And you got your ducks in a row.

Yes, I did. I couldn't tell if he had beef with that lady or was just staring blankly into space.

Probably both.