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

[docsoliday1]

I think most tolerate me around here.

I cannot speak for "most"...only for me.
Definitely NOT the case.

 

[docsoliday1]

Well, sum of a gun.

You tell me to staaawwp and then you jump right back in with both feet.

 

[vamassey1]

I remember now.
I even remember how stunning
she was...
But I can't find the photos.

Thanks for the compliment.

so post 'em again!

They're on my old desktop. I'll try to retrieve them.

 

[franandaj]

Thanks to both of you for looking into it. I guess I didn't even realize it was a thing!

I was coming over here to report that they have them on Amazon as well but it looks like you guys beat me to it!

But since it's not your thing I won't worry about it.

 

[Kiotzu]

Whoa! Again... good for you!

Thanks, it will be a ton of work but worth it. I just want to nap for maybe 6 days.

I'd prefer a sight with
the Needle in it.

If you are not picky we have a street filled with needles! Plenty to take pictures of.

It is just much sadder, and even more sadder but still may meet your picture criteria.

On second thought, take a picture of Seattle's needle.

As long as I leave her at the otters with some ice cream she won't notice. Might as well just got on a plane to Disneyland and see if she notices.

How did I not know about the MouseMeet when it is so close to home :O

 

[pkondz]

I cannot speak for "most"...only for me.
Definitely NOT the case.

You tell me to staaawwp and then you jump right back in with both feet.

I'm the owner.
I can unlock the door
whenever I want.

 

[pkondz]

Thanks for the compliment.

Deserved.

They're on my old desktop. I'll try to retrieve them.

Yay!

 

[pkondz]

I was coming over here to report that they have them on Amazon as well but it looks like you guys beat me to it!

We're both very quick.


Which isn't always a good thing....

But since it's not your thing I won't worry about it.

Not worrying is
a good thing.

 

[pkondz]

Thanks, it will be a ton of work but worth it. I just want to nap for maybe 6 days.

I know that feeling.

If you are not picky we have a street filled with needles! Plenty to take pictures of.

oooohhh!!! pretty!!

It is just much sadder, and even more sadder but still may meet your picture criteria.

On second thought, take a picture of Seattle's needle.

Yeah, I knew what you meant.
And yet... it could actually
be a very impactful photo.

As long as I leave her at the otters with some ice cream she won't notice. Might as well just got on a plane to Disneyland and see if she notices.

How did I not know about the MouseMeet when it is so close to home :O

Now you do.
Next one is July 27.
Details:
PNW Mouse Meet

 

[franandaj]

We're both very quick.


Which isn't always a good thing....

 

[pkondz]

 

[Tracy161]

Well, sum of a gun.

<now wondering if I should tell
her that it's a toy bus...>

Do this.
Sit.


That's it.
Just...


sit.

I've already failed...

So glad someone understands
the value of a proper sashay.

Bit surprised you didn't ask
me to demonstrate.

I think you mean sumone?

Oh my goodness! How did I not ask for a proper demonstration!? EPIC. FAIL.

I seem to have a reputation around here. I don't mind...







much.

Don't worry, Liesa... we're all onto him

 

[pkondz]

I've already failed...

Okay... try this, then...


Lie down...

I think you mean sumone?

sumtimes.

Oh my goodness! How did I not ask for a proper demonstration!? EPIC. FAIL.

You had your chance!

Don't worry, Liesa... we're all onto him

 

[vamassey1]

As requested a few of Danielle's Cosplay pictures.

Steam punk Jasmine, her first ever Cosplay.


A couple of Anime characters.



Belle for Homecoming week in High School.



Ariel.



I don't have pictures of all the Cosplays she has done. But she has a Zelda and some more Anime ones.

 

[pkondz]

As requested a few of Danielle's Cosplay pictures.

Steam punk Jasmine, her first ever Cosplay.
View attachment 393730 View attachment 393731 View attachment 393732

A couple of Anime characters.

View attachment 393734 View attachment 393735 View attachment 393736 View attachment 393737

Belle for Homecoming week in High School.

View attachment 393738

Ariel.

View attachment 393739 View attachment 393740

I don't have pictures of all the Cosplays she has done. But she has a Zelda and some more Anime ones.

Thanks for all those!
I do remember them
except... I think you included
one or two that I hadn't
seen before.

Thanks!

She's really quite good!

 

[pkondz]

Passive Aggressive Market

Last day in Seattle
before heading North
and home again.

I still have three days
of driving ahead of me,
but for now...

Let's explore Pike Place Market
shall we?


I checked out of the hotel,
loaded up the car and headed out.
I arrived... oh, probably around
mid-morning or so.
I wasn't in a huge rush and
planned to just sashay along
and relax and enjoy.


And it was a perfect day for it
with nary a cloud in sight.


I found a not too exorbitantly
expensive parking spot,
grabbed the camera and
moseyed on down the road.

As I approached the market area,
I passed by this Starbucks.

What makes this particular
Starbucks unique is that
it is the first Starbucks.

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.


Then again, I'll drive 1,000
miles out of my way for
good ice cream, soooo...
who am I to judge??

The writer of this TR,
that's who.
So all those people
are nuts whereas what
I have done for ice cream
is perfectly normal.


Sashaying on, I stopped
to take in my first glimpse
of the market.

On the left there are stores lining
the street that sell "market" wares,
but the market itself is under and
beside the green roofed building
to the right and extending down
to the end of the street.


Pikes Place Market advertises
itself as a farmers and craft
market, but the first thing
I noticed when I entered
were the flowers.

Tons and tons of flowers.
All wrapped up and looking
for a place to go.
And the prices!!
I almost fainted when I saw
how cheap they were!​

You can see the prices on the
papers below the bouquets
in the above photo.
Large bouquets ranging from
$10-$15.
Back home arrangements like
that would run closer to $40-$80.

If I had some way of keeping them
fresh over the next few days
as I drove home, I might have
considered getting some...


The market had something
for everyone.
Ranging from crafts and clothes...

To fresh fruit.

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

There was live entertainment, too!
The Three Tenors were performing.
I caught them mid-aria,
before they were told
to cool it and were
put on ice.

And... more passive aggressive
signs.
You can just make it out at
the far left in the above photo.
It says "You Touch or Bite,
You Buy"

Bite?
Who is this person going
around biting the seafood?

More passive aggressiveness...

Apparently licking is allowed.

Afraid to accidentally
brush against some
pricey fish, I sashayed on.

I got pretty excited when
I saw this sign.
My Low Back has been
giving me trouble for some
time now and I thought
this place could help.

Turns out it was just a
butcher shop.

Disappointing.

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

Again... sadly I have no way
of getting it home and onto
the grill.


I think I'm hungry.

Let's see what else is
in this place to take my
mind off of food.

Yeah, okay.
That didn't work at all.


I eventually found myself
at the Pike Place Fish Co.

In 1986, this company,
founded in 1930 was
nearing bankruptcy.
They decided to get creative
and began throwing fish
and playing games with
their customers.
After appearing on
several media and TV shows,
they now attract up to
10,000 visitors daily.

While I didn't get a decent
shot of fish being thrown,
I did get to witness it.


See?
I'll stand in line for a
good fish throwing.
Not like those coffee
swilling weirdos.


Okay... I need something
to take my mind off of food.
The tinkling sound of ivory
drew me outside.

This guy was pounding the
keys so quickly and frenetically
that it was a blast to watch!
(and listen!)
His technique might have been
a hair on the messy side,
but it was entertaining
none the less.

But... I'm still hungry.
I know what I want, but..

The siren smell of doughnuts...
Wait... siren smell??
Wouldn't that be fishy?

Okay, the alluring aroma
of fresh cooked doughnuts
filled the air and called to me.

Like a siren's song.


There it is.


I followed my nose
and ordered up
these babies.

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


Holy crap were they good!


I resisted the urge to order
a couple of dozen more
and fled the sights and
smells that were weakening
my ability to flee.


Before I exited the building,
I spotted this interesting
ceiling display.

I sashayed back down the
street in the direction I'd come.

There were as many vendors
outside as there had been inside.

I bypassed all of them,
took a right down a side street
and came to a halt
in front of this alleyway.

I was on the hunt for a
very particular haunt.

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)

10. Curry Udon at Marukame Udon in Honolulu, HI
9. Lewellyn’s Fine Fried Chicken at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami Beach, FL
8. Uni Pasta at EMC Seafood & Raw Bar in Los Angeles, CA
7. Chargrilled Oysters at Acme Oyster House in New Orleans, LA
6. Crab Legs at Bacchanal Buffet in Las Vegas, NV
5. Wood Oven Roasted Pig Face at Girl & the Goat in Chicago, IL
4. Tea Leaf Salad at Burma Superstar in San Francisco, CA
3. Maine Lobster Roll at Neptune Oyster in Boston, MA
2. Pork Buns at Ippudo East Village in New York, NY
1. New England Clam Chowder at Pike Place Chowder in Seattle, WA

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

So... Pike Place Chowder just happens
to have the best dish in America.
I was not going to miss out
on this!!!

1. I love clam chowder.
2. I really love clam chowder.
Any time I go to a restaurant
and they have it on the menu
(or seafood chowder)
I always order it.

Always.

I arrived at the restaurant
and there was a line stretching
outside.

Hmm... a bit long, but not
too bad...

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:

Erk.

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

I'll wait.

Actually, the line moved
along at a fairly steady pace.
It wasn't very long before
I was peering in through
the windows trying to see
what people were eating.

The awards lining the walls were
a good sign.
Actually, the line of people
was a good sign.


People don't normally line up
for lousy food.


The menu was posted on an
outside wall.
Wait... they have more chowders
and soups available.
And I wanted to try them all!
(Well... except for the coconut one.)
But... I'd explode if I did that.

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."

Hello! Right up my alley!
Uh... while in line in an alley.


Rounding the corner
(getting close!)
I saw this.

Certainly sounds promising, no?
As I was snaking my way
through the line, I wondered
where I was going to eat my
soup (or soups, in this case).
The restaurant wasn't very large
and... so many people!

I noticed that each table had
a sign on it.
I didn't take a photo
(should have, darn it!)
but 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.

I got to the counter in what
didn't seem like an exorbitant
amount of time and...

I let my stomach do the talking.
"I'll have the 4 soup sampler.
New England Clam Chowder,
Smoked Salmon Chowder,
Market Chowder and,
Seafood Bisque.
Oh... and throw in a
Lobster Roll too."

(Spoiler alert. I didn't
come close to finishing it all.)

I was given my food in under
a minute (impressive!) and
turned to see if I could find
a table.
The moments-ago-full
restaurant had magically
caused a couple of tables
to be vacant.

If you want to come here and
sit and chat for a long while...
You've come to the wrong place.
This is serious business, people!
Come in, eat the best chowder
you will ever have, and get out.

If you're thinking that doesn't
look so good, you're wrong.
(Unless you really don't like,
or can't eat seafood, of course.)

And if you're thinking it looks
really good...

You're still wrong.
This stuff was far better
than just good.
It was incredible.

My least favourite soup
was the Market Chowder.
And that was far, far
superior to any chowder
I've ever had in my life.

However, when I tried the
other soups, I almost fainted
with paroxysms of ecstasy.
I've never had soups like those!
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.

It was that good.

Which was my favourite?
Oddly enough it wasn't
any of the chowders.

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

And as for the Lobster Roll...
It too was very tasty, but
while on a normal day, I
would be singing its praises,
it simply couldn't compete with
the soups.

I have to do some research,
and find out if there's any
kind of rule disallowing the
entry of soups into Canada...
Because they have two day
shipping anywhere in the USA.
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.


Tummy full, but extremely
happy, it was time to make
the two hour drive up to
my next day's launch point.

I could have stayed one more
night in Seattle, but I wanted
to get an early run at the border.
Plus, I had at least an eleven hour
day of driving ahead of me
the next day, so if I could knock
off a couple of easy hours today,
that would make the following
day that much easier to swallow.

Swallow...


mmmm.... chowder...


Sorry.


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

It was still light out
so I decided to wander around
a little bit and stretch my legs.

I liked these little cabins
for rent that dotted the
campsite.

I think if I'd known about them,
I would've seen if I could've
rented one.
I wasn't too sorry, as I was
quite content in my little tent
for a night or three.

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

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.

Happy with the sights,
smells and tastes of the day,
I settled in for the night
and fell quickly asleep.



Map over the last
few days:

In case you didn't see them
in the last chapter:

You had to have seen the
one with the signpost!

Did you see it in this chapter?


Coming up: A little whine.

Chapter 20. Where There's Smoke...​

 

[missjackiemcg]

What makes this particular
Starbucks unique is that
it is the first Starbucks.

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'd probably take a picture to prove I was there and keep moving on!! ...as you did!

I eventually found myself
at the Pike Place Fish Co.

In 1986, this company,
founded in 1930 was
nearing bankruptcy.
They decided to get creative
and began throwing fish
and playing games with
their customers.
After appearing on
several media and TV shows,
they now attract up to
10,000 visitors daily.

That's really interesting!! I'd known about the fish throwing, but figured that had always been their schtick!

5. Wood Oven Roasted Pig Face at Girl & the Goat in Chicago, IL

Well, I don't eat oysters, but I have heard amazing things about Acme in New Orleans when we've visited there.

On the other hand, I LIVE in Chicago and I've never heard of this!! Let's be honest, even if I had heard of it, that doesn't sound even remotely like something I would ever try! LOL

 

[vamassey1]

Thanks for all those!
I do remember them
except... I think you included
one or two that I hadn't
seen before.

Thanks!

She's really quite good!

You're very welcome. As soon as this semester is finished she'll start working on something new for the Cons she wants to go to this summer.

 

[vamassey1]

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'm not a big time coffee drinker but I can understand why someone who is one would want to say they had been there.

The writer of this TR,
that's who.
So all those people
are nuts whereas what
I have done for ice cream
is perfectly normal.

To each their own.

Pikes Place Market advertises
itself as a farmers and craft
market, but the first thing
I noticed when I entered
were the flowers.

They are beautiful. I image you were flooded with smells too.

Notice the sign above?
"You squeeze, you buy".

I did notice that. Keep your hands to yourself.

I got pretty excited when
I saw this sign.
My Low Back has been
giving me trouble for some
time now and I thought
this place could help.

Very funny.

I think I'm hungry.

I think you are too.

Yeah, okay.
That didn't work at all.

Such good looking food.

In 1986, this company,
founded in 1930 was
nearing bankruptcy.
They decided to get creative
and began throwing fish
and playing games with
their customers.
After appearing on
several media and TV shows,
they now attract up to
10,000 visitors daily.

I did not know that.

I followed my nose
and ordered up
these babies.

They look really good.

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

I have not. I do not like oysters. The girls like them.

1. I love clam chowder.
2. I really love clam chowder.
Any time I go to a restaurant
and they have it on the menu
(or seafood chowder)
I always order it.

I knew this about you from prior reports. This is just perfect for you.

This was the end of the line:

WOW!

The menu was posted on an
outside wall.
Wait... they have more chowders
and soups available.
And I wanted to try them all!
(Well... except for the coconut one.)
But... I'd explode if I did that.

As I was reading it I was wondering "how do you decide what to get? It all looks so good."

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 saw that and thought it would be perfect for you.

(Spoiler alert. I didn't
come close to finishing it all.)

That's a lot of food.

It was that good.

I'm glad to hear that.

And as for the Lobster Roll...
It too was very tasty, but
while on a normal day, I
would be singing its praises,
it simply couldn't compete with
the soups.

I'm sure it's much better than the lobster roll @ Columbia Harbor House.

I liked these little cabins
for rent that dotted the
campsite.

I like them too, they're very cute.

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.

I was thinking what a great picture when I saw it. I love it!

Did you see it in this chapter?

I did. Was he telling you where to go?

 

[pkondz]

I'd probably take a picture to prove I was there and keep moving on!! ...as you did!

Great minds...

That's really interesting!! I'd known about the fish throwing, but figured that had always been their schtick!

Apparently desperate times
called for fish throwing measures.

I wonder if someone got upset...
"We're going bankrupt! I hate fish!"
<throws fish in anger>
Customer: "Do that again!"

Well, I don't eat oysters, but I have heard amazing things about Acme in New Orleans when we've visited there.

I seldom eat oysters,
but... those sounded
interesting.

On the other hand, I LIVE in Chicago and I've never heard of this!! Let's be honest, even if I had heard of it, that doesn't sound even remotely like something I would ever try! LOL

I was kinda thinking the
same thing!
"Well... maybe I'd order it...
doesn't mean I'd eat it!"