Weekend time = my favorite time! So, so glad that the weather was absolutely phenomenal this weekend for me to get out and enjoy beautiful Seattle. And man is it beautiful!! Every day was in the 70s with the sun shining and a light breeze, it was so pleasant. Almost too pleasant because I didn’t want to stay inside for a minute and felt guilty whenever I was.
Friday night was my first night out in Seattle and it started with a bang. It was for a colleague’s 25th birthday and was fun though not at all what I was expecting. The bar we went to was in Magnolia and it was his choice but not one I would ever pick for a birthday. It was the diviest bar I have ever been to in a large city. I like dive bars but this dive bar was seriously in the middle of nowhere, except down a giant hill from his apartment. It was fun playing pool, hanging out with my newest best friend and not having to pay for a single drink! I was introduced to the Washington apple drink which is Pucker and something else, I don’t know what, but it is a delicious shot and probably a great introductory drink to Seattle.
Saturday I was lucky enough to have scored the company’s box tickets to the Mariners vs. Devil Rays day game. It couldn’t have been better weather for baseball. Again, I went with Ashley (note: not her real name but what I will refer to her in my updates). It was fun seeing the Devil Rays play again (2x in 2 weeks who would have guessed) and Safeco is a gorgeous stadium. They also have amazing eats. Ashley recommended I try their ever-so-popular garlic fries and I’m sure glad I did. An entire carton of fries doused in garlic (I’d say at least ½ a bottle equivalent of the chopped garlic you get in grocery stores no joke) and complimentary apple slices (also in the garlic). Yummy!!! I think my stomach was burning with the overload of garlic though, especially after Ashley had like 3 fries total when we were going to split them. What??? We also caught up with three guys from the office for a drink in this indoor/outdoor restaurant at the field…but I just wanted to be in the sun. The rest of the day included listening to bagpipes in Pikes Place along the water, chatting with Mom and Dad by Green Lake (gorgeous!) and buying some very nice new Red Wings composite (much lighter than the steel toe) boots for work.
Sunday I partook in reading and crosswords along Green Lake over church but just because of the weather. Ashley and I spontaneously decided to cook dinner so I headed over to her apartment in Northgate to be taught Shrimp Oliver, a Cajun dish of angel hair pasta with shrimp in a white wine and garlic butter sauce. I contributed a salad. The dish was really good and actually very simple. I was in charge of cleaning the shrimp somehow but that wasn’t bad. Being from New Orleans, Ashley knows her seafood, especially shrimp. She informed me that she always buys shrimp with their head on at the market because her dad told her these are always the freshest because when shrimp age they first lose discoloration in the head so then the market de-heads them and then the shell discolors and then the market peels them. Fun fact that I am now grateful to know. The heads did not make me queasy actually, neither did the deveining which I had never done before either. She made sweet too and it was so fun cooking, chatting and eating together for a linner type meal on a Sunday. We are aiming to do it once a week. I went to a meeting Sunday night which was good to get to and honestly just like the meetings back home.
The rest of my night was putting together my room slowly, panting my nails for the new work week and catching up with a Glee episode. The weekend was perfect and am already looking forward to the next one which I already have plans for!!! And so far my Monday has been great. I was immediately given a few tasks at work, though this one is making my head spin because it is confusing me. And I did ride my back again which I love actually. I found another route that has virtually no incline amazingly and runs right along Lake Union. The thing I love about biking in Seattle is it makes you feel like you fit right in because everyone is doing it. It is fun riding behind a line of 10 bikers (and believe me I am in behind with me unconditioned and on a mountain bike vs. road bike) and everywhere has marked trails or very good bike lanes that make it feel like you are on a bike race or tour every day. I think it is very cool. The little over 4 miles takes me about 30 minutes, which would be the same if I rode the bus and having the bus pass allows me to just board my bike if I don’t want to bike home (most often the case) or if it is raining. Perfect scenario!
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 