Seattle's Grey Skies = Great Skin

So what does one do with 72 hours in the great Northwest? In my case, I slip on some walking shoes that have already been broken in and put all the hats my little sister has knitted for me to good use while enjoying the lushness that is Seattle, Washington.

Fashion sidebar: isn’t it funny how my outfit just camouflaged in with the building?

I know people hate drizzly weather when they’re visiting some new place, but I actually love the effect of rain in photography. Rain is almost expected when you head to the Pacific Northwest, but for all the talk of impending rainstorms on the radio there was actually very little more than an occasional sprinkling. So for that I am grateful. And as I tend to see the upside in almost everything, my mantra for Seattle is grey skies = great skin. I may not look 21 anymore, but the humidity in Seattle makes my skin feel like nine-days-old skin. Like buttah! Who needs a dermatologist when you could just live here?

And I certainly could see myself living here if just for the fresh seafood alone…here are a few shots from the famous Pike Place Market by the waterfront where they famously throw fish to each other.

Walking around all the stalls, I couldn’t take the power of suggestion anymore and had to cave in for some Dungerness crab cocktail. I know it was only 10am but it seemed like a good breakfast idea at the time…and then I had to wash out the seafood taste with some baked apple chips. These chips were so good I ended up buying 3 big bags to take home with me!

I only wish I had been able to buy all the fresh flowers in the market that day (so cheap compared to LA!). From the market you can walk down to the waterfront, where many cruise ships dock so there’s always plenty of tourist traffic in this whole area. But I think everyone ends up here to go on a pilgrimage to the original Starbucks location just a few meters away!

That line stretching ahead of me would have taken about 45 minutes for me to get inside, so I just took a quick peek from the front door and found my iced tea at another location. I lost count after running across the 20th Starbucks within the five-mile radius.

Downtown Seattle is one of the most charming places I’ve been to. I enjoy a lot of places, but there are very few that I could actually visualize myself living in. Seattle is one of them (Vienna is another) (Hong Kong used to be the other) (but I digress).

It’s just a great walking city. I could just loiter all day long–reluctant sun and all–looking at the buildings and window displays against a very green backdrop…

Speaking of green, I’ll leave you here for now at the Tulalip Indian Reservation just north of Seattle.

Until next time!

September 22, 2013