Archive | June, 2019

What Do We Do Now?

22 Jun

After saying goodbye to M2, we left Portland and headed for Washington Square to check out Dick’s Sporting Goods. There I found a box of matte fluorescent golf balls which I had to buy. I’ve never seen a purple matte golf ball before. Pretty cool.

So colorful

We hung out at the mall and the Tesla showroom caught our eyes. There were two cars – the Model 3 and the Model X. The X was way, way cool with its super huge double iPad touchscreen panel and wing doors.

The super cool Model X

Checking out the Model 3

The 3 has its appeal too with its super minimalist look and equally huge iPad-like touchscreen panel which controls everything. So clever.

We left the mall to go get an Earl Grey boba tea at Bubble N Tea en route to TopGolf golf range for some fun. The weather by then was beautiful to be semi-outdoor, so we ended up spending an hour and a half there, hitting balls into targets. Quite a good workout!

But the day went by slowly as we waited to hear from M2 which we did when she finally arrived at Atlanta in transit to connect for the next flight to Ireland. Feeling assured that she’s safely on her way, we made our way back to Corvallis, had a home-cooked meal and prepared for an early good night’s sleep to recover from today’s trip.

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A Heavy Heart

22 Jun

This morning we sent M2 to the airport. She returns to Ireland to continue with Summer school. I felt a sense of heavy heart but thankfully no tears.

And now that there’s just the three of us, we will do some winery tours and play some golf.

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The Final Stops

21 Jun

It’s a chilly morning (how else would the weather be?) and this time, we were fortunate to find a good street parking spot and we didn’t have to walk too far.

Today we explored Chihuly Garden & Glass situated to the left of Space Needle. Now I have been to many galleries and museums all over the world and nothing moved me—maybe except for Monet—but this one totally blew my mind!

The glass sculptures were simply amazing. The pictures I took of the exhibits are an injustice to their actual beauty, precision and effort. Even the cafe decor was totally awesome. Highly recommended for anyone planning to visit Seattle, this is a must-see destination not just for art lovers but everyone.

Next stop: MoPop or the Museum of Pop Culture, right of the Space Needle. Our CityPass also covered our entrance to these two attractions.

It was very cool to see all those movie props and costumes on display. There was also music tribute to various musicians and groups, like Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Totally fun indoor sights today and the weather was nicer by noon when we came out.

We met up with M1’s friend over dessert which turned into lunch because we got hungry. After the goodbyes, two final quick stops to buy some stuff and by 2.45pm, we were leaving the city.

We thought we made it out in good time but traffic was heavy, not just heading towards the city but outbound as well. It took us an hour to clear the crawl. We arrived back in Corvallis slightly after nine.

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Goodbye Seattle

20 Jun

We leave our Airbnb host this morning as we wrap up the remaining sights to see and leave Seattle before the evening rush hour. It has been interesting to experience the city, which reminds me somewhat of San Francisco because there are some similarities.

2R/1B yet very practical

Lovely Welcome pack

Stairs coming down leads to Living area

Our home the last two nights has been really homey too. It’s at the basement of the home of the host. A little smaller than the one in Portland we stayed in, this place however is really thoughtful with practical gadgets and space usage. Although only two rooms, one bath and a tiny kitchenette (no stove though), there’s a living and dining area to be used. And oh, the bed’s much better for my back and the comforter excellent to stay warm.

When we first arrived, the lovely host left a welcome note, a bottle of wine and chocolate! How much more welcoming does one need? Excellent host. So we leave with a heavy heart but full of nice memories of Seattle.

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What To Do in Seattle

20 Jun

The day did not start out well. The problematic rear passenger tire became a big problem when we got ready to go exploring at 9.00am. It was almost flat! Oh no…

A quick start of the engine showed that the PSI reading was down to 10. Uh oh… M1 had to call the car company, put on hold for the longest time, rerouted to several other phone numbers before we were told it was okay to drive to their Seattle branch to exchange the car. So we gave up the XT5 for a Dodge. There was no other choices.

The little problem caused us to be delayed by two hours. Oh well… we got going after that. It was hard to find parking in the city. It took us sometime before we found one. Parking is expensive too.

First stop: Space Needle Seattle Center. The CityPass was a good thing to purchase earlier as we enjoyed much savings compared to purchasing at the ticket counter. The queue to go up wasn’t that long; so up we went and had wonderful views of the city from all directions.

Next stop: Pike Place Market. We shared a quick on-the-go Chicken Masala Naan before walking within Public Market towards the Gum Wall. After all the photo ops, we went for our Harbor Tour.

The hour long cruise was enjoyable as we saw a spectacular view of the city skyline and the interesting things within the harbor.

After we disembarked, we headed for Seattle Aquarium which was nearby. The most enjoyable creatures (at least for me) were the octopus and utterly adorable otters.

By the time we got done, we were famished and decided to do a crabby dinner at the Crab Pot. We ordered two servings of The Alaskan and a cup of clam chowder and ate to our fill. Burp.

Reenergized, we made our way to the original Starbucks at Pike Place to buy some collectible mugs before heading back to Space Needle for the evening round to see the city. And it drizzled. Brr…

It was late when we got back to our Airbnb.

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We are in Seattle

19 Jun

We got into Seattle late because it was hard to part with my old friend after lunch and also because traffic was heavy. The other reason being the car. Twice today we had to look for a gas station because one of the tires was losing air pressure and we didn’t want to end up with a flat unexpectedly.

And each time when we looked for a gas station with an air pump, we had to pay for air! We were like ‘What?!’ This thing is free back home in Malaysia and here, it cost a dollar fifty each time in Oregon (& 1.25 in Seattle) for about two minutes or so! Goodness gracious.

Approaching Seattle

So far we have pumped air into right rear passenger side, once each day and twice today over three days. Hrmph… Tomorrow we will have to call the car company to see if we can change the car in Seattle because everytime we do this, it changed our plans a bit.

As we have a packed itinerary tomorrow, this little issue needs to be resolved so that it won’t be a hassle and disrupts our plans.

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Goodbye Portland

19 Jun

It sure was nice to sleep in despite the bed being too soft for me. Our Airbnb was very cozy, a little apartment with two rooms, two baths, a kitchenette and living room area. The property looked like it was purposely renovated to be an Airbnb host.

The only thing was the floor was cold even with socks on. And this is Summer! And the upstairs creaked loudly too when someone was walking around. But generally the overall comfort and convenience made up for the slight discomfort and little disturbance.

Too bad we can’t appreciate it more because today, we will check out to explore Portland as much as possible and be on the road thereafter. There simply isn’t sufficient time to cover the city unfortunately.

I met up with an old friend from my internship days when I was in New York City. She was one of the many mentors at WBMG, Inc. where I learnt so much. We did a Peruvian lunch while hubby and the girls went off exploring more sights and tastes, and gave us almost two hours to catch up.

It really was so good to see her after all these years, and after saying our goodbyes, we left Portland for Seattle by mid-afternoon.

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Hello from Portland!

18 Jun

We got into Portland in the late afternoon and the must-do included taking pictures of several iconic places. The weather here feels more like Summer.

Our precious box of doughnuts

The choices we picked

One of the stops included Voodoo Doughnut and we got got our good things that came in a pink box! Yum…

Next was Powell’s Bookstore. I felt so overwhelmed with so many books and categories, I didn’t know where to begin. M1 suggested for us to explore in pairs otherwise we would be lost. By eight, hunger got the better of us and we headed off for dinner at Washington Square. We had to have Xiao Long Paos!

It was ten by the time we checked into our Airbnb. Tomorrow we will sleep in!

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The Oregon Coast, Part 2

18 Jun

The good night’s rest did the trick. We headed out of Seaside where we stayed to cover today’s planned itinerary with the first stop at Fort Clatsop.

At Fort Clatsop, we hiked two short trails, admiring nature, appreciating the serenity, and be as one with nature. It was very relaxing. Pictures that I took could give those calendar photos a run for their money.

My calendar worthy picture

Fort Stevens was the next stop to check out the ship wreck. I am constantly amazed at how low the clouds come down to, to be with the surface. Very mysterious yet soothing somehow.

Love this clouds meeting the sea

Astoria feels like a much bigger city than Newport. It was here that M1 did her first internship; we drove by the house she stayed at after lunch at Buoy; the jelly dip was so good. The spread was rather filling and enjoyable with a couple of beers for hubby and I.

Ladybug does not like its picture taken!

Next stop: Portland!

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The Oregon Coast

17 Jun

Last night was tiring, I couldn’t wake up early. This morning we left at 9:45am, a little bit off our intended departure but we weren’t in a real hurry. The first stop: Newport.

When we got out of the car, we could smell the strong seafood stench in the air. Well, it’s a fishing town after all. The wind was quite strong and the air was very chilly. Brr… isn’t it Summer? Why is it so cold?!

Newport

Next stop: Yaquina National Park. Here we hiked quite a bit. And the place was much more windy thus, colder. I had to zip my jacket up all the way to just about my nose and kept my hands in the pocket as much as I could to stay warm.

Yaquina National Park

From Yaquina, we headed to the Visitor Center and then hiked to the lighthouse. Dang… it was even colder. Brr…

Dramatic clouds in the background

Next stop was Devil’s Punchbowl where we had lunch at Mo’s. We tried the Oyster Stew which was basically milk with butter and oysters. Unusual. The chowder and fish tacos were good. After lunch, we hiked to see the Punchbowl, which was like a crater in the rocks except that there’s water below that connects to the sea.

Lunch at Mo’s

The Devil’s Punchbowl

After this, we headed towards Depoe Bay to see the world’s smallest harbor. And this place was super cold with strong winds. Brr… for the umpteenth time.

We headed inland a bit to Tillamook–no more coast and wind (phew)–to see the creamery and its cheese production line. There we sampled all the cheeses (there goes my tummy as I know the Endometriosis pain will spike later tonight) and decided to eat dinner too, consisting of ice cream, fries and a kale pizza.

Tillamook cheese production line

The Oregon coast was very scenic and unusual. Along the way, towards evening, the clouds were so low, descending to the ocean level, it was as if we were driving amongst the clouds.

People having BBQ on the beach with the clouds

By six, we left Tillamook for our last stop, Cannon Beach to see the Haystack Rock before heading towards our motel for the night. What a day!

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