AHH, The Swedish

So we just want to take the chance to thank everyone who have been following our blog, its great to know we have the support that we do.

It has been a while since the last posting so hopefully I can fill in some good details. For everyone that casted votes on places we should live, we have decided on Seattle. The decision of course involved many factors and staying in the northwest seemed to make sense. Anyways, with that fact now stated, we ventured into IKEA a couple of weekends ago so Katie and I could finally sleep in semi-real beds! This was also a special event since it was Katie's first time in an IKEA and was it a hoot. As we weaved through crowds of parents and their college freshmen, we remembered when that was once us. After about an hour of meandering through mock rooms and miscellaneous knick knacks, we found ourselves at the cafeteria. Swedish meatballs were definitely happening today, please don't hold the lingonberry and gravy. After IKEA we then proceeded to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond to find a cereal tuber-ware. After using one at Vu's in San Francisco I wondered what I would do without one. After the BBB, Brian was adamant about purchasing a leather jacket at Wilson's Leather that he had been eyeing for some time. Now if you think we are going to steer this blog towards fashion tips think again...or at least until the next posting.

Sunday was Brian's company party. Katie and I figured we would attend to meet a few more local professionals. Tons of food and a few lawn games made the relaxing day. On a side note: Katie quickly noticed that she has not seen one dress worn by a female since we been in the state of Washington, and she is determined to be the one to change that (Again, fashion will be discussed later). The pinnacle of this gathering was the great 100m dash. This was the accumulation of weeks of trash talking between certain co-workers (eckhmm Brian) and it was going to end here. 4 were willing to race but due to a pulled calf during the warm-up jog there were only 3. Brian and 2 of his co-workers stepped up to the starting line, on your mark...get set...GO! They were off, 40m in, the first guy bails out and it was only Brian and a former HS track runner (now 35). Elbows were flying, I felt like I was watching chariots of fire...why is this race still going....they tied at a blazing 14 seconds. Both men looked like they were about to pop something.

menu updates and other stuff

Tuesday, we had a night of soul food, oh yes, mac 'n' cheese, fresh tomato and onions, and fried zucchini. I have to say that this was needed for some mental health comfort and just because it tastes so good. Earlier that day, Katie and I checked out some part-time opportunities and found ourselves right next to Pho 38th, so we had to stop in and try! It was the best pho we have had thus far. And to top it off, the fantastic Vietnamese-Pop music and 'authentic' decor set the whole tone. But seriously, if you find yourself in Tacoma and you crave some pho then you should try this place...drinks, 1 appetizer, and 2 entrees for under $20 is hard to beat. After a short food coma break we went to Point Defiance. This is a historic and very scenic spot just northwest of downtown Tacoma which would be an excellent picnic venue.

Wednesday, Katie got the full experience of public transit using to the bus system to get from Tacoma to the University of Washington in Seattle. I stood by to be her on call GPS. It was definitely a warm day here in Tacoma, I was glad to see the sun go down and the breeze to come in. Tonight, we had some delicious Orzo-Stuffed Peppers compliments of our host, Brian, and it pretty much taste like it sounds...delicious!

Victory

This past weekend we went back packing northeast of Seattle. Joseph and Meredith led the way on one of their favorite easy hikes up to an alpine lake with Dan, Brian and myself in tow. It was a great entry level packing experience (necessary as we have not trained all summer). The hike was really diverse considering it was only three miles (six miles round trip). We used logs to cross a stream, passed through creek beds, meandered alongside low elevation lakes, took a break at a waterfall, and hugged a GIANT tree. The best was yet to come though. Due to sworn secrecy I will not divulge the location of the lake we were at, but we were the only ones up there and enjoyed some amazing views and really good times. Thanks again to Joseph and Meredith for taking us.

Time for victory beers and margaritas

Lasagna for dinner

Our bid for an REI advertisement

The most photographed campfire ever

Good Morning!

On the way down

When we got back on the road, the only intention was to find a good breakfast spot since we quickly evacuated from a bug invasion that morning. The first stop was at the Pub and Eatery, which had that eerie feeling that we should have not stopped in the first place. After one refreshment we quickly moved onto the next stop which was in Everett. At this point it was lunchtime. Afterwards, we parted ways. That evening with one last ounce of energy Dan with Brian as sous-chef cooked up a dinner of grilled flank steak, a salad with sauteed sausage bits from a local market, Dave's Meat and Produce, and a starter of grilled chilies stuffed with fontina, monterrey, and queso con seco cheeses wrapped in bacon and a soy-lime dipping sauce. This week, the job search continues as we hang out in Washington a little while longer.

Some Extra Pictures of Washington!!

amazing wall mural in modern art museum.

richard serra's art close-up.

wall of gum.

floor in Seattle library.

Katie and Brian in library.

Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Library.

Homemade Poutine!

A Few Minutes.

After spending a day @ Brian's sending emails and recuperating from the extensive 2 hour drive from Portland we were ready for some more fun. After a spaghetti dinner we at Brian's headed over to Doyle's (a neighborhood Irish sports bar) to watch the Sounder Vs. Barcelona. To say the least, it was a ludacris performance by the Sounders, who lost 4-0. Props to the Sounders though for becoming MLS and also to Barcelona for having Thierry Henry, Katie's personal pick for hottest man in soccer (Ladies I highly recommend the link). Talented, conscientious, attractive athletes aside we had a great time and got to meet some more of Brian's friends here in Tacoma.

Thursday, Dan had a meeting with the firm that Brian works for, unfortunately they had no current openings but it was just nice to get in the door and talk to people in the industry. Thursday also happened to be Joseph's 30th birthday, so we went that afternoon to Seattle. It was a fabulous introduction to the Seattle scene as Joseph, Meredith, and their good friends. The friends blog for their neighborhood, so they have a good eye on where to go for a great time. We started off at a new speak easy called Knee High Stocking Co. All things seemed to imply that we were about to have a good time: door that does not look like an entrance to anything, cozy atmosphere, daily punch selection. We had some very delicious drinks and Dan and I split the Chicago "style" Dog, who no relish, cucumbers and peppers on a hot dog could be so good? After that we transferred to Dinette, a local eatery up the street with some very local color (Tranny with a head scarf, makeup, and mens clothing). The best thing about this place was the Herb Frittata Toast. For all of the Colorado readers imagine Larkburger's Parm Truffle Fries... but better and in toast form.

Friday was spent back in Tacoma on the job hunt path again. Nothing interesting to report there of course so straight to our evening entertainment... We met up with Brian after work for his monthly emerging leaders happy hour. It was held this time at a relatively new bar called the seven oh one. Great happy hour as they had $3 Martinis until 6 pm, which was a really good deal considering the Martini selection and quality. I was the only one of our group who actually got a martini so I figured I would need to get two in order to take advantage of the cost and get to try new things. My first was the Thanksgiving which was a cran- ras concoction and pretty good. The second was a dirty gin martini and was probably the best gin martini I have ever had. That night some of the friends from happy hour met us back at Brian's for a fire. Dan and I recreated our poutine from Portland and it turned out pretty good for a first try.

Friday ended up going into the wee hours of Saturday for Brian so we had a bit of a late start on our plans that day to meet up again with Joseph and Meredith. After some restorative pho from What the Pho (we had to go just to say we had been) we made the rest of our way up to Seattle. We figured a little sight seeing must be in order since I hadn't done that yet. First we headed to Rem Koolhaas' masterpiece, the Seattle Central Library,

followed by Pike Place Market. We watched the obligatory fish fly, passed by some incredible flower stalls, and then high tailed it out of there. Saturday afternoon in summer is not the time to see the Market. It was crowded to the point of not moving and I was overwhelmed. I do look forward to returning on a weekday morning when it is not so over wrought. We then headed to the waterfront and walked to the Olympic Sculpture Park where we saw a super cool Richard Serra piece and some other notable work. If you are in town it is definitely worth a meander.

That evening we met up again with Joseph and Meredith, this time for Meredith's birthday. We grabbed drinks at Havana, another wouldn't have known it existed without well acquainted guides location. The bar tender was super friendly and helpful, really some of the best service at a bar I have ever had. We were there early so he put on our music request, made Meredith a tasty birthday beverage, and set up dinner reservations for us. After some drinks and conversation we then headed to said dinner reservations at our illustrious guides' favorite pizza restaurant, Via Tribulani. The pizza was really good, and surprisingly enough Meredith's pepperoni was my favorite, proving that high quality, local sausages rein supreme. After dinner we returned to Joseph and Meredith's pad for some Wii Resort Sports and lots of laughing.

Sunday had Dan and I returning to Seattle to meet up with J and M for a hike in the Cascades. After 4.5 mi and 3500 ft elev, gain we summitted McClellan Butte. Being at such lower elevations was a a definite benefit to our lungs, being in the car traveling for over a month was no help to our muscles. Dan summitted just fine, I however was sorrily lagging behind. I am proud I made it to the top (sans scramble to the top of the rock outcropping). After the descent and an obligatory post hike beer we headed back to Brian's to recreate Bill and Alba's carne asada tacos. They were delicious and were quickly followed by an early bed time.

So what's next? Some home cooked meals at Brian's, what I am hoping will be the best oyster happy hour I have ever been to, and much much more!

En Route to Tacoma.

Slight traffic and heavy hearts leaving Portland but luckily clear roads to Tacoma. We arrived right around dinner time to Brian's house and did a quick turnaround for taco tuesday at the Corner Bar about 3 blocks from his place. It should be a fun time in the state of Washington. Hopefully, we will be seeing Katie's cousin Joseph and Meredith as well as our friend Ely while we are here. This is Katie's first time in the Sea-Tac, so we will have to see some fun sights like the troll, the first Starbucks, Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Library, Gehry's Museum of Rock n Roll and maybe... just maybe even La Push/Port Angeles/Forks for all you Twilight fans out there. Not to worry though, all reactions will be documented.

So now we are in the final "planned" stage of our adventure. Over the next week some executive decisions will have to be made.

How will this story continue? Will it be...

a. the Northwest

b. San Francisco

c. Denver

d. moving back East

Cast in your votes now!

More of Portland.

After some record high temperatures (104-106 degrees) here in Portland, it was time to explore more of the city. This takes our travelers to Sauvie Island, 20 minutes outside of Portland proper. Sauvie Island is an agricultural treasure chest of fresh organic produce and is highly recommended for any visitors. We picked about 10 pounds of blueberries and 7 pounds of raspberries and marion berries (blackberry / raspberry hybrid). After Sweltering in the heat, we headed to the beach to cool off in the water. After a few hours of lounging we headed home to make some fantastic cobbler with our freshly picked berries as well as some marion berry mojitos to wash it all down.

A pleasant surprise, we found out that we had another SCAD friend in Portland, it's Porter! Not only was he in Portland, he lived in the adjacent neighborhood to where we were staying with Anna. We met up for a glass of wine in his neighborhood to catch up that night. Thursday was designated as girls' day meaning Katie and Anna spent the day taking the dogs for a hike in the gorge, getting a much needed hair cut and wedding dress shopping. Before the girls left the boy, we all met up for breakfast at Voodoo Donuts where you can get everything from a normal glazed donut to one that is shaped like a doll with needles in it. What did Dan do all day? Well, first he spent some time on the internet sending more resumes out at the library, laundry, and finally meeting up with Porter for a drink at Amnesia Brewery in the Mississippi District. Dan and Porter followed up the beers with a mid afternoon snack at a local oyster bar, EaT. That night everyone met up again for Alberta Street's Last Thursday which is an event where artists, musicians, and food vendors set up on the street extending several blocks for an evening of festivities. We all had a late dinner at Mississippi Pizza Pub and listened to a bluegrass band perform.

Friday we grabbed some Dutch Tacos at the delicious Flavour Spot. We then walked to the Rebuilding Center, where we could have wondered for hours looking at all the old windows, doors, beams, hardware, fixtures and more that had been salvaged from area homes.

On Sunday we all decided to head to the coast to try our luck at clamming. Waking up at 6:30-ish we drove to the coast with much enthusiasm. The first spot we arrived to was in Netarts Bay. After digging for a good hour and no luck we decide to head further south to Pacific City. After grabbing some lunch at a little beach shack of a restaurant called Fat Freddy's. We took the dogs out onto the beach where they were allowed to be off leash and let them have at. With a serious case of food coma, we decided to go sit on the beach and watch the surfing competition which evidently led to all of us passing out on the beach. Waking up with one thing on our mind we headed to another clamming spot just north of Pacific City. This time, we had a new weapon...a clamming gun. To say the least, we hit the jackpot; collecting 8-10 pounds of varnish clams, cockles, and gaper clams. That night Katie started the long process of cleaning the gaper clams as Anna and Dan prepared the varnish clams. Dinner was varnish clams poached in a garlic butter white wine sauce with a loaf of sourdough to scoop it all up with. Absolutely exhausted we all collapsed after dinner for a much needed sleep. The following day Katie (with some help from Dan) continued to clean the rest of the gaper clams for clam chowder, made blueberry pie with Anna's delicious homemade pie crust, and had some much needed beer. Sadly, by the time it was all done, we were just so clammed out that we had ramen instead....and of course, the pie was delicious, a la mode. Chowder for lunch the next day though!

Drink of the Day: Vodka Tonic w lime twist and splash of berry syrup over ice...shaken not stirred.

Next on the agenda: Tacoma-Seattle, Brian here we come!