Seattle by night - limited time engagement

Once the family was well worn out from swimming, we grabbed some dinner and then went back to the hotel room. I got everyone settled and then went back into the city to meet up with a friend from high school.

Plans called for starting the evening with the Underground Seattle Tour, but traffic had different plans! I got there in plenty of time, but my friend wasn't able to make it before the tour started. So Plan B called for the Hard Rock Cafe, then a walk along the wharf to watch the sunset.

On the way from the Hard Rock to the wharf we stopped and poked around at the shops near Pikes Place Market, and I took the obligatory tourist photo in front of the first Starbucks.

If ever there were something to make a coastal girl living in the middle of the country homesick, it would be that sunset. Unbelievable. Words can't even begin to describe the pulling at my heart as we watched the sky turn pink and the sun melt into the ocean.

Once the sun was gone and the air had cooled, the three of us turned our attention to hiking back up to the car. When we turned and saw what was behind us, it was as though we had been missing a postcard shaping up. The Seattle skyline was nothing short of breathtaking. It made me so glad I had ventured into the city for this me-time!

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Seattle by day - Pike's Place Market

On the way into Seattle today we had the unique treat of seeing the participants in the Rock & Roll Marathon. They walked, jogged, and ran in the closed down express lanes of the freeway, and we rolled down the windows to cheer them on! It was really inspiring to see the athletes.

We drove around downtown to check out the tallest buildings in the city, trying to decide which would give us the best view of the entire area, but the clouds were rolling in, so we decided to start at Pike's Place Market instead. It was a good decision, because no sooner did we park than the sky opened and it started to pour.

With not an umbrella in sight (apparently I am not a Washingtonian anymore), we made the Pike Street Hill Climb and ducked into the market, soaked but invigorated. What a hill! And with four children in tow (one strapped to my chest), it felt like a serious accomplishment. A network of staircases that climbs from the waterfront to

The children and I had a great time poking around the market, leisurely strolling the halls. We stopped to rub Rachel the Pig, feed her some money and "check in" on Facebook, then had to visit the fish market. The kids loved watching them throw the fish around, especially Cameron, who had seen previews of the Fish! motivational videos. After the show, the girls ran up to get their photo taken with one of the fishmongers.

One of the best parts of a visit to Pike's Place is the hidden shops in the multi-level maze that is the market. It's like discovering a wonderful secret when you wander into a bead shop or book store or discover bags and knick-knacks at the end of a winding hallway deep inside the market. By then you are far from the crowds that dominate the upper levels, and feel as though you are privy to a little bit of magic. It was quite the treat to bring my children in on this memorable piece of my childhood.

Our exploring done and our legs tired, we finally crossed the skywalk and took the elevator back to our car. The rain was really coming down, so our original plan of Seattle Center would have to be tabled for another time. Someone asked where Bill Gates lived, so we decided a drive was just the thing. I set the GPS on my phone to take us to Lake Washington Boulevard and we schlepped through the city.

Despite the weather it was a fun drive through the city, and we soon found ourselves on the shores of a volatile Lake Washington. We drove to Seward Park, where we had a snack and watched the waves for a while. What a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon, it was really too bad it was raining!

Next we drove over the bridge to Mercer Island so we could see the lake from that shore before heading back to the hotel for dinner and a dip in the pool.

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Seattle, Washington

Today's objective: Cameron's passport. Cameron, Jeff, Cara, and I met up at the passport office at 8 am and commenced the hours and hours of waiting. At times it was kind of nerve wracking, but by 3 pm we were in line to pick the magic book up from will call. Phew!

Government bureaucracy took up the bulk of our day, but we did manage to see a few of Seattle's sights. We drove by the Space Needle and the Boeing fields, which the kids were pretty excited about.

Since we were already bogged down in errands, we drove across the city to get my international driving permit, and along the way we saw the Seattle waterfront, including the ferries and Pike's Place Market, which we plan to check out tomorrow, along with the tallest buildings in the city, because Cameron is especially interested in finding out about that.

Our day included a few interesting new food experiences, too. For lunch we ate at a little Hawaiian place around the corner from our hotel, and for dinner we went to Chinook's in the Fisherman's Terminal.

We tried the mixed shellfish appetizer, to mixed reviews from the kids. Maia and Bria were definitely not sure about that one! But the rest of us loved it.

Bria looked out the window and wanted to know which boat was "mine," and was not super impressed we couldn't go for a ride.

The atmosphere was wonderful, as it always is at Chinook's. I love the feeling that it is a nice place, but you feel totally comfortable bringing your family.

The kids were totally in love with our waiter, too, and for the rest of the trip, every time they didn't care for the service, one of them would say, "I want Oliver back!"

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