For more on Seattle and Seattle Restaurants, see our Seattle web page.
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10/27/08 - A Quick Trip Into Seattle

We made a quick trip into Seattle and flew Kenmore Air. It was a great flying day, and we had window seats, so here a couple of pictures from our flight, and one picture from Seattle proper. It seems that summer is over in the city as well.

Dungeness Spit

The Dungeness River - Can you see Dungeness Valley Creamery down there?

A city scene

Keywords: dungeness, dungeness spit, flying, seattle, autumn, kenmore

10/07/08 - Enterprise Rent A Car Park, Follow Up

We wrote to Enterprise about their little park near Seatac airport, and here is the response we received:
Thank you for your inquiry. Officially, we call our park a Japanese Rock Garden. We wanted to beautify the un-useable area infront of our business, so we developed this area into the garden about 3 years ago. Thank you for noticing our efforts improve the Sea-Tac strip, and I hope you continue to enjoy it!
It was nice to get such a good answer so quickly. Then again, we've always had good luck when dealing with Enterprise Rent A Car. We won't suggest taking a trip to Seattle just to see this park, but it is worth a peek if you are in the area.

Keywords: seattle, flowers

10/04/08 - Enterprise Rent A Car Park

When we stay near Seatac airport in Seattle we often walk by a small vest pocket park on International Boulevard near 190th Street. There is a big Enterprise Rent A Car sign, a driveway and this park surrounded by a high metal fence. International Boulevard is the main airport strip, so it is mainly hotels, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, long term parking lots and the like. None of this is much to look at, but Enterprise has this peaceful looking little park, right on the main drag. In fact, their main operation is a half a block down that driveway, which might have something to do with this little park. Granted, we have never seen anyone in this park, and we can't figure out how to get in ourselves without the key or climbing the fence, but it still offers an oasis of calm and peace, right along the main frenetic drag.

A place of peace, kind of

Keywords: seattle, flowers

09/09/08 - Seattle Flight

We often fly into Seattle on the local airline Kenmore Air. They fly little nine seat propeller airplanes from Fairchild Airport (CLM) a bit west of Port Angeles to Boeing Field (BFI) a bit south of Seattle. They are awfully convenient, and we often get spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. We took these on a later afternoon flight, heading home.





Keywords: seattle, atmosphere, flying, kenmore

08/04/08 - Volunteer Park In Seattle

As part of our long term project to explore Seattle, we recently visited Volunteer Park and climbed the early 20th century water tower which serves as a centerpiece. There were some pretty nice views of Seattle, Lake Washington, and the area.

This red brick and iron work style dates from the late 19th century and early 20th century, and epitomizes a golden age of civil engineering.

The Seattle skyline

Guess

Keywords: seattle

07/15/08 - Seen In Seattle

We aren't really sure of what to say about this sign. We didn't see any squirrels, but clearly someone has a squirrel problem.

Drivers Stop for squirrels

Keywords: seattle

05/23/08 - Seattle and Txori

We have just returned from a lightning trip to Seattle. It was an odd trip. If nothing else, our cellphone died. On the upside, we made it back to Txori and had a wonderful meal, just when we needed it, and we checked out the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park. The sculpture was very 60s evoking Claes Oldenberg and his giant lipsticks, but more witty. We were impressed by this steel tree, or is perhaps aluminum. We were also impressed by the field of lupines at its feet, all natural, and mostly in bloom.

Keywords: seattle, restaurants, art

05/08/08 - The Space Needle

We've been in Seattle the last few days. Here's the view from our room. That's the Seattle Space Needle, one of the great retro-future artifacts of our time, and it still looks wonderfully futuristic.

Keywords: seattle, art

05/08/08 - REI's Gardens

We were shopping for portable water purification gear, so naturally, we headed over to REI. They even have solar powered UV water purifiers. We use UV to purify the already rather pristine waters of Lake Crescent, so we were attracted to this. REI closed the deal with a special sale price, even lower than the version without the solar panel.

The photo is of the REI garden, which is a great way to get out of Seattle and into the country for a few minutes. It isn't quite the real thing, but it's a great conceit.

Keywords: seattle, shopping

03/19/08 - Tamarind Tree Reviewed

We really liked Tamarind Tree, a great Vietnamese place in Seattle. We haven't explored the International District all that much, and we have been disappointed in Vietnamese food in the past. Now that we've found Tamarind Tree, we are planning to do a bit more international exploring and to eat a bit more Vietnamese food. For more details, read our review.

Keywords: restaurants, seattle

02/02/08 - UPS Waterfall Park In Seattle

We are fond of urban oases. They are the mark of a real city. Last November we noted the Seattle Art Museum exhibit of a nurse log on life support. This month, we noticed UPS's Waterfall Park near Pioneer Square. It's on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Main Street, and if you are looking in the wrong direction as you walk by the gate you might miss it. Walk through the gate and you enter another little world of water and moisture and greenery. OK, Seattle has water and moisture, but the park is its own little world.

Apparently, this was the site of the first UPS office, back when they were called American Messenger Service. The park was built in 1977 by one of the founders of UPS. For a tiny bit more info, and perhaps a picture or two, try here or here.

An urban oasis - waterfall park

Keywords: seattle

01/12/08 - Seattle: More Kaleberg Reviews

We have lately been amazed at Seattle as an great food town. Restaurants have been opening at a good clip, and our list of places we just have to try keeps growing longer. We took advantage of the holiday season, and some Kenmore Airline flight discounts to get into town and try out a few new restaurants.

We've posted FIVE new reviews, and that took some serious eating. Three of these are in Pikes' Place Market, which is just riddled with dining options, so it was high time we checked a few of them out. Which was our favorite? It might have been Quinn's. After all, we are suckers for meat, but Matt's and Chez Shea are up there as well.

Chez Shea - a romantic and elegant restaurant with romantic and elegant food in Pikes' Place Market

The Local Vine - a stylish champagne joint in fashionable Belltown

Matt's in the Market - the classic hole in the wall is worth looking for, even if they've remodeled

Quinn's Pub - more than a neighbor hood eatery, a true meat city

Steelhead Diner - a promising contender, a tribute to the 1980s

Keywords: restaurants, seattle, kenmore

12/10/07 - Seattle Christmas

We were in Seattle the other day and had to admire the Christmas decorations as the shopping season gets into full swing. The gingerbread cookie decorations are from the recently remodeled Sheraton Towers lobby. We always check their Christmas display which was as much fun as ever.



Keywords: christmas, seattle, shopping

12/10/07 - The Remodeled Bus Tunnel

The first time one of us visited Seattle they were building the downtown bus tunnel. It was our introduction to "Welcome To Seattle - Sidewalk Closed". While New York City has its share of frenetic construction, the sidewalks are kept open. You might have to snake your way through an array of girders and pillars and hanging utility lights, but the street is open. Seattle, in contrast, allows developers to simply close the sidewalks. Seattle is not the most pedestrian friendly town. The bus tunnel was closed again more recently, but it has now reopened. Interestingly, we never actually saw the original tunnel, so we will have to assume that things have changed. In any case, the newly remodeled tunnel is quite pretty and well appointed. Now, we have to wait for the airport light rail connection in 2009. It's nice to see some serious public works in this day and age.

The new bus tunnel

Keywords: seattle


Roll over for a close up

12/10/07 - Green Bean Lizard

We noticed this little feller at one of the produce stands at Pike's Place Market.

Keywords: seattle, animals

12/10/07 - Welcome To Seattle

We often fly to Seattle on Kenmore Air. They have regular service to Boeing Field from Port Angeles. The views of the Olympic Mountains, the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, and Seattle vary with the weather. Since Boeing Field is just south of the city, we often get a nice view of town on our route. Check out the view on our last trip.

Click for the Quicktime movie

Keywords: port angeles, seattle, kenmore


An urban nurse log

11/17/07 - A Taste of Home

We were exploring the new Seattle Art Museum sculpture garden and were suprised to find a taste of home. Inside the concrete building down on the corner of Broad and Eliot was a nurse log. Since this was the middle of the city, they had the nurse log on life support with all sorts of humidifiers and temperature controls. Most of the nurse logs we see tend to manage on their own, but downtown, they need a bit of help.

According to the docent, the original tree fell in the Tacoma area and was collected, along with lots of mosses and little undergrowth plants, to comprise the Neukom Nurselog exhibit. They did a nice job, though we aren't sure of what the museum people are going to do when the young trees growing from the old log start getting tall. We'd like to think that they'll have a fund drive and grow the building. Why not a taste of artificial rain forest in downtown Seattle?

Keywords: seattle, art, science, tacoma

10/22/07 - Pink Elephant Carwash in Seattle

We were in Seattle recently on a shopping expedition and we couldn't help noticing this pink elephant not far from Seattle Center. Apparently, this is a chain of car washes. We saw another one down near Safeco Field. If you keep your eyes open, there is still lots of great neon signage around.

Keywords: seattle

08/05/07 - Black Douglas Cod - A Northwestern Treat

We'll admit that isn't the best picture there, but we have discovered a great way to prepare black cod. Black cod is an oily fish, and there is a temptation to blast it with flavor. We often marinate it in mirin and soy sauce, but this time we took a more subtle approach. We marinated a two pound filet overnight in two or three tablespoons of Clear Creek Douglas Fir Eau de Vie, a quarter teaspoon of wasabi powder, a quarter teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper and two pinches of sea salt. We stared roasting the fish in the oven, but we wanted to render the fat so we popped it in a frying pan until it was nicely flakey and just starting to brown.

This dish was suggested by a dish we had at Coupage, a Korean fusion restaurant in Seattle. They served arctic char marinated in fir eau de vie, and it was quite good. This dish has a slightly stronger flavor, and the light green notes of the fir buds come across as rather bright and fruity. No, it doesn't taste like wood pulp.

You might want to check out Clear Creek Distillery, the folks who make the eau de vie, or check out the Washington State Liquor Board for availability.

Not the best picture, but it sure tastes good.

Keywords: fish, seattle

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