Thursday, July 30, 2009

of tourist traps and strip mall sushi

I think we should officially declare 2009 The Year of the Visitor. Long-lost friends, in-laws, nieces and nephews, cousins and children have all trekked up the Oregon Trail to Camp Cactus recently, and we couldn't be happier. It's given us an opportunity to go places and see sights we wouldn't ordinarily take the time to visit.


Matt and I drove up to Seattle on a warm and sunny Saturday with my sister in law Martha and niece Lily. We got there just before lunchtime and drove around looking for a cheap place to park. Cheap is a relative term. Let's just say, if you're used to parking in a small to medium sized city like Portland, when parking in Seattle it is advisable to be accompanied by either a platinum credit card or a briefcase full of money.


Our first stop was the Public Market, where we waded into a raging torrent of tourists and were swept along past stalls selling dazzling flowers, luscious fruits and vegetables and tacky souvenirs of every description.

It's a throwback to another era, and it's packed because public markets like these are few and far between.




I'm not sure what the pigs were doing there, though.



After lunch we strolled past the original Starbucks location.


It was packed with Japanese tourists holding up their cell phones to take pictures, so we skipped our afternoon caffeine fix and walked up the hill to the museum.

It's a good thing, because the caffeine might have sent me over the edge like the drivers of these cars.


On the way home, we stopped for gas and food at an outlet mall in Centralia...were we found a kick ass little Japanese restaurant that served the freshest sushi I've had in ages, as well as a really great Korean dish called bulgogi.


It was so good, I ate it before I remembered to take a picture.

3 comments:

mo.stoneskin said...

First of all, now I'm hungry.

Also, regarding parking costs, if you're ever trying to park in England make sure your credit card has lots of available credit, especially if you're, say, parking at a hospital or something, 'cos those suckers will rip you off!

Glennis said...

Love, love, love, love the Market. But isn't it really hot right now?

My favorite place to eat in the market is back there down a narrow hallway behind the fishmonger, a little place called Place Pigalle. It has a view of the bay to die for.

foolery said...

First burritos, now sushi. Next time I swing by Camp Cactus I'm going to make sure I'm well-fed first.

Off to your next post, because surely dessert follows . . .