Prepare yourself for a long update. There is so much to do in Seattle...and so much caffeine to keep you going.

It took me the better part of a day to get my bearings and clean laundry in my car but through that, I met Jens and got into the nerdiest conversation on this trip about Black Jack and probability...I will spare my readers from this since you would likely overlook it anyway and consider it some foreign language. My afternoon was spent primarily at the zoo and figuring out the bus system. I checked out Pike Place Market and waited in line at the first Starbucks. I had to! The place was too charming to pass up and I wish Houston had something like it. I got ahold of some chocolate linguine pasta and I'm very much looking forward to serving that with two other women I highly admire back home: get the martini glasses ready! I ran into Jens later at the hostel and we decided to go back to Pike Market for some drinks. I couldn't decide so I ordered a sampler of six different beers...didn't like too many of them and can't remember the name of the one I did like.

I had been told Seattle has an extremely efficient public transportation so it was nice to get out of my car...but still had to put up with the parking fees. Houston could learn a lesson or two, I am still impressed with the public transportation.

Sunday morning started off much better. Maybe from the constant moving around, but it took me longer than expected to get my bearings let alone figure out which way I was even pointed. As soon as I realized how big Seattle is and how much there is to do, I booked an additional night at the hostel. My bunkmates are fairly cool. I say that because I have a slight issue with only one of them...a foreign girl traveling with her boyfriend. No they are not staying in the same dorm but I did walk in on them in the afternoon when I needed a quick nap. Nothing major was going on but the fact that there was someone I did not know in my dorm...keep in mind everyone's stuff was out as this hostel is very safe...I locked up my bag in the storage compartment in front of them both. She never spoke to me again, let alone smiled...tell your cheap boyfriend to book a private room next time.

Other than that excitement, I spent the morning admiring the view from the Space Needle...going up reminded me very much of those plane rides from Skydive Spaceland, very cool feeling. I did the whole touristy thing and rummaged through the local museum displays...most interesting to me was the Music/Sci-Fi one. The Sci-Fi display was a huge explanation about the most recent tv series Battlestar Galactica. I've been able to watch only the first two episodes and was completely lost, until now. It's all on Netflix so that's also next on my queue. The musical part was all about Hendrix guitars and the history of Nirvana, highly informative even though I never listened to their music...the only exposure I had to them was a CD cover with a naked baby boy swimming. What, I grew up in a very sheltered household and that kind of music was frowned upon...thank goodness those days are no more.

I had the Aquarium, Argosy Harbor Cruise and an evening Space Needle visit planned for later but my second hiccup was about to happen. I get in my car to realize the battery is completely dead...cabin lights were on. Can you say AAA? Within an hour, I was good to go but too late for anything yet way to early for the Needle. Add to that a Chinatown parade about to start and yeah...when I got back from charging my battery with a drive, I wound up parking 6 blocks away. Two of my bunkmates from Asia and I went to the Needle later...way better than in the morning. That's us on the cover image.

Monday morning comes around and instead of heading right into Portland to check it out, I spent most of the day wandering around town. Cheap early bird parking was a relief and I hit the Aquarium and Argosy Cruise. Neither was really great, but fairly good time fillers. Seeing the orcas in their natural habitat has spoiled me in consideration to animal exhibits. Those lion seals don't belong in a tank.

The local stuff was way more fun. When am I going to realize that the cheap and/or free stuff is almost always better than the or pricier touristy stuff? Lunch was at Ivers...when they advertise world famous clam chowder, they freaking mean it! That was off the chain good!! Thank you to Liz and Blake for suggesting that. From the cruise, I learn all about Smith Tower and its 35th floor which is dedicated to some Chinese Empress who married a local. It houses the Wishing Chair; according to legend, any girl of marrying age sincerely wishing marriage and sits in that chair will be a bride within 1 year. Yeah, I just had to check this out! Come on, I'm not getting any younger and it would be nice to finally meet the guy I'm going to grow old with and stop wasting time on jerks. Or maybe it could help speed up the maturity process on a certain ex. Either way, as a solo road trip diva, I hiked through the Seattle rain just to sit in that chair. There was definitely a romantic feel in the air during that walk and now, we'll see what happens in the next year.

Half wet, I made my way by foot to the public library...wow! This is a reader's paradise: ten floors, huge reading room, amazing views of downtown, what more could the Paperback Travelers ask for? I even found a thermal bottled with "On the Road" on it and Jack Kerouac underneath...the price tag was the only reason I did not buy it. Up next, and last, was to find Top Pot doughnuts, another local suggestion. Good thing I did, my Portland host and I had the best doughnut and coffee breakfast ever the next morning.

I will definitely be back to Seattle. The locals are super nice to tourists or anyone needing help, and this is a big city I wouldn't mind living in the middle of despite the usual noise. I found it calming and felt very safe walking around at night, even alone. My caffeine addiction would know new levels here...there's kind of a romantic feeling I get here. Not sure if it's the whole arts and music scene or the Wishing Chair from earlier or the multitude of cute guys but it's definitely in the running as a potential relocation city. For now, I'm off to Portland!