(blogger’s note: it all began one silly morning on AIM with my YD. YD said her bro, my OnlyS, is traveling that week. to which I replied “yes, he’s going to Shuttle.” (my brain said Seattle but my fast fingers typed Shuttle). my YD (ROTFL and LOL) rushed to OnlyS’s bedroom to tell him what had just transpired. the rest is history. and what is one without repeating itself? that is, until last week.)
YD and I left early wednesday morning and arrived in Shuttle at 1pm. after getting our rental car, YD drove us to Bellevue where we checked in at the Marriott Courtyard where OnlyS is staying. OnlyS was in Shuttle for work and play…..after work is over, that is. YD and I, on the other hand, were in Shuttle for play, a cruise to Victoria, Canada, more play, a land and water tour, shopping and more, more play. 
once in the room with our luggages lined up against the wall and after having decided which side of the bed goes to whom, we went out and explored downtown Bellevue. It was a bit chilly outside but a clear day, nonetheless. I was on a personal mission and kept count of Starbucks seen along the way. after eye-brewing 32 of them, I stopped counting. i couldn’t help but wonder how many more of this hang out there are in Shuttle.
on another thought, how many more are there of this type of hang out where you buy very expensive drinks that come in numerous attractive names and superflous flavors and additives which by the time you have finished ordering your drink you have somehow lost yourself somewhere between saying grande, add two of that, none of those, a little of this and no sweetener, please. or did you say that right after.. or was it before you said to make it extra foamy just before you asked for a triple whisk? As for me, you ask? I had my fave. Small, Vanilla Latte, unsweetened, please :)
we had thai food for dinner at a restaurant called thai grill which was located next to a waxing salon which was located next to a vietnamese restaurant called what the pho. (try saying it a few times, really.) YD and I disgustingly humored ourselves into wondering if the guy stir frying at thai grill was the same guy applying wax at the waxing salon and if, at anytime, did he ever confuse soy sauce with wax? salty or sticky? you decide!!!
we got up early the next day and headed for Shuttle’s most famous landmark, the Space Needle. we rode the elevator up to the observation deck which was about 600+ feet up from the ground. it was breathtakingly beautiful up there..and.. oh.. so… high…I .. hope.. I.. don’t.. get… sick..ohhh
after not getting sick and thanking God for intervening, we went on Ride the Ducks of Seattle ( err.., Shuttle), a land and water tour that was oh sooo silly and oh sooo funny it was simply great! It was a non-stop darn silliness from start to end of tour.
By Friday morning (very early morning, like 530am) I realized I was breaking my own record getting up as early as I have been the last three days. Under normal circumstances, my body clock registers wake up time at 11:00am, Mondays through Sundays, specially on holidays like I really deserve it!
By 700 Friday morning we were at Pier 69 in downtown Shuttle waiting for the 800am boarding time for a 2-hour cruise to Victoria, Canada, via the Victoria Clipper. A tour of the city and afternoon tea awaits us, Their Majesties, at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Our afternoon tea included petite sandwiches, soft sconces plated with mini jars of strawberry jam on the side, decadent sweets and
mini tarts that were all so pretty to eat. The Kahalea Pineapple and Orange tea we ordered was just the perfect complement.
YD and I slept-in Saturday morning, tired from the all-day cruise which ended at 800pm the night before. OnlyS had left the hotel very early that morning to catch a 9:00 flight back home. It was around noon when we headed for Pike Place Market, a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay. After having seen and captured in picture the infamous “flying-fish” tradition at the Pike Place Fish Market, standing in line with other folks at the very first ever Starbucks in Shuttle……………………………….
and snapping a photo of Rachel, a bronze cast piggy bank and the market’s official mascot weighing in at 600 lbs, we headed for other places of interests my YD had highlited on Shuttle printouts she carried in a folder inside her backpack. How so organized!
There was the Spice House selling spices I’ve never heard of before (adadaba? you heard of that before?). There were racks of different flavors of teas stocked up to the ying yang.
Crispy yummy warm mini donuts which we purchased a dozen of and inhaled a half of in record time. Crispy Kremes, bite me!
The Piroshky place offered ham, cheese, potatoes, raspberries, mushrooms, etc., etc., et. al. store. So many
choices.
Array of red, golden and sweet-smelling fruits; green and crisp vegetables everywhere.
Stalls upon stalls of fresh flowers and foliage ran by foreign speaking females all so vibrant and beautiful… the flowers, they were.
The cheese market with couple ladies cutting cheese (the room, off to the side, was enclosed in glass, possibly to ward off global warming) with a huge cheese processing machine made of long, jointed robotic arms for everyone to eyeball.
And the best yet, a mini tiangge right smack in the middle of it all! Am I in Greenhills or Shuttle? God help me!
To cap our day we headed to Snoqualmie Falls. After a few hundred photos of the majestic waterfalls, we headed back to the hotel where we ate all our delicious buys from the market: ham and cheese piroshkies, danishes, fresh fruits and meatball sandwiches from good, ol’ Subway.
We flew back Sunday morning, arriving in OC in the afternoon. During each flight segment, I was asleep (and hopefully not snoring) as soon as I got seated, unlike Meg, who was by all account ‘Sleepless in Seattle’? …err, Shuttle!
“A period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need.” ~ Anonymous
