The Active Lifestyle: Seattle, Washington

We have been on quite the expedition since the moment of Jennifer's arrival. If you were to look around our room, you would probably see some evidence of it. The windows are wide open, since we have been spending the free time that we do have sitting on the roof (Fat Tire/Blue Moon in hand). There are wet running clothes piled on the floor, broken ipods, wheat thins and humus from our late night snacking, opened going-away presents, and everything else related to international travel that you can think of. 

Our first venture in Seattle was to the famous restaurant Rays. Jennifer had been in Seattle for less than an hour, and we were already filling our bellies with shrimp, crab cakes, muscles, and fish while looking out over the the Puget Sound. We then made our way to Showshelf, where we took off our shoes and walked along the beach - letting our feet sink into the warm sand. I carefully counted every dead crab to Jennifer and my mother. They were not impressed. 

We stopped by Fred Meyers to grab some skewers** (see note below: apparently not everyone knows what they are) and hot dog buns, and then made our way home.

**skew·er  (skyr)n.

1. A long metal or wooden pin used to secure or suspend food during cooking; a spit.

Also, Jenn tried Kambucha, a fermented tea drink, which she loved. Just one more unique product that Hannah introduced her to! 

Once we returned home and settled in (aka tossing Jenn's suitcase and backpack on the bed to deal with later), we ventured outside to assemble our little grill. We are definitely not engineers, and there were a few washers and screws left over when we finished, but we managed to get it working. 

The instructions told us to add 30 coals- here we are dumping them in!

   

 

Hannah lighting the grill. Notice her intense focus!!

Sabina and Abilek enjoying the dinner. 

We quickly learned that it takes about 30 minutes for the grill to warm up and actually cook the food. Our lovely guests, Pablo, and 2 new friends from Kazakhstan were patient, however, and we ended up enjoying a wonderful meal of veggies, chicken, bratwurst, and salad outside in the cool air. We loved being able to put on sweaters and jackets! 

We went to bed early that night to prepare for the adventures the next day would bring. In the morning, we first cleaned up the kitchen as a surprise for my mother, and then quickly put on our running clothes and ran out the door! We first ran down to Gas Works Park and stopped at the top of Kite Hill, overlooking Lake Union. After taking in the view, our legs quickly found the Burk-Gilman Trail and we followed it, hugging the beautiful Lake Union, until we made our way to The University of Washington. We then ended up doing "hill work" (NOT on purpose!) up and down and around the campus, gasping in awe at the beautiful buildings, the framed pathways, the exquisite green that seems to line every inch of Seattle. We stopped for coffee at The Bulldog, thanks to the advice of an ASU alumni (who would have know!) and then continued on our tour of the campus. 


We continued to run through campus- weaving in and out of cold weather-clad students until we found the library, a stunning, old, stone building. We walked inside and immediately felt much more academic. The library is filled with UW history and spiral stone staircases leading to Hogwarts-esque silent study rooms. When we couldn't contain our laughter any longer, we headed out and started running again, this time heading for Frat Row. 


The Greek houses were amazing- each unique and beautiful. We admired the brick and stonework, gardens, and stretched our brains to read the Greek letters on the walls. Despite the gorgeous houses however, a closer look in the old windows revealed the usual not-so-classy messy lifestyle associated with the frat boys we know!


We completed our 7 miles by heading home, where we quickly prepared to head out on foot to the other side of Lake Union where we would start our kayaking trip. 

Lilac tree - smelled beautiful!

We walked about two miles to the Northwest Outdoor Center where we rented a two person kayak. The dorky guy with an apathetic attitude tossed us into the kayaks with little to no instruction and sent us out into the depths of Lake Union. It wasn't until we were in the water that we realized we had no idea the rules for a kayak on a lake like Lake Union. For example, what on earth should we do if a gigantic cruise ship headed towards our tiny kayak? I decided we would simply abandon ship and swim for our lives. As Dory's motto lives on, "Just keep swimming!"

We ended up choosing the direction "left" and kayaked past beautiful houseboats, baby geese, majestic sail boats, small paddle boats, large fishing boats, and under fantastic bridges. Both of us saw Seattle from a different angle - the angle of the water. It was like a whole new world we had never known about that lived, breathed, and survived out on the lakes and oceans surrounding the Pacific Northwest. House boats that drove across the lake, gas stations specifically for boats. It was a wonderful experience. 

That night we went to dinner at an elegant Italian restaurant called Cantinetta, down the street (yes, we walked again). After deciphering the menu, we ordered a fantastic meal of Italian pasta with a crab and butter sauce, halibut, and grilled asparagus. We then headed to Molly Moo's for lavender and honey ice cream, which was incredible. Afterwards, we drove home (finally a car!) to our warm comfy bed with the window open.