July 24-26, 2008 - Seattle

St. Edwards Summer Concert in the Park/Bashyr University was really quaint. Jill warned that we would not be seeing a cool reggae band as her and her friend had seen before, but the rock band was okay. The park was filled with families and although I was obviously supposed to bring my own food (as there were only 2 food options), the kettle corn was worth fighting over...as toddlers did that evening! The playground here is amazing...as, apparently all their playgrounds are! It's kind of difficult to not have a great time with all the things to do and having a natural setting makes it aesthetically pleasing as well. Seattle's northern suburban surroundings are definitely for outsdoorsy families.

Pike's Place was like an overcrowded Navy Pier (Chicago), but with farmer's/seafood market flair. The were tons of fresh produce, fish and flower stands, as expected from the Food Network overview I saw, but to my surprise there were also fresh preserves (jams, jellies, honey and the most incredible blueberry syrup) stands. Johari liked the free samples almost as much as I did, but the book stores, clothing stands, ethnic novelty and candy shops were also a draw. Stopping at the roasted corn stand took me back to Partigras in Toronto's Distillery District.

Seattle Premium Outlets didn't disappoint. If you're an outlet mall enthusiast this is the place to shop in Seattle. There was another area we went to prior to that that was a lot more posh...out of my price range but it had a Jamba Juice and I was great with that.

All in all the best part of my Seattle time was bonding with Jill and Johari and their friends and family. They are delightful. Johari is a truly creative soul...her little jokes and antics made me feel better when the stresses of home were weighing down on my mind. Her joy brought me joy. Thanks, Lil Dawa! :-)