Sometimes, it's nice to have a weekend getaway. My family in Washington invited me up and it's actually been a while since I've been to Seattle. Things have changed, so visiting this time would mean a new set of perspective.
For the first day, we drove to a little town called Snoqualmie, about thirty-minutes from Seattle. It's the kind of town where all the residents are active, and they all own a large dog that they walk twice a day. The most scenic attraction, though, is the Falls.
In the evening, I visited my cousin who is attending the University of Washington. The campus is gorgeous and better yet, we saw it during sunset, so the sky was perfectly pink. They have spectacular view of Mt. Rainier by the fountains. It reminded me of how my college was so close to the Pacific Ocean, that sometimes, walking to class was a scenic adventure in itself.
One of the newest attractions in Seattle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. I heard a lot of good reviews from people coming back from their visit to Seattle, so I just had to see it for myself. As nervous as I was being surrounded by glass, it was easy to get lost in it. Everything seems ethereal and seems to create movement with how the colors and light reflects onto the glass surface.
After the museum, we had lunch at Ivar's by the piers. I instinctively ordered the fish and chips, since it was a classic on the menu. My flight back to Sacramento was in a couple of hours, so we quickly headed to Pikes Place Market to pick up flowers for my mom and grandmother.
It's a different experience going to the market with a mission, rather than going for the sights as a tourist. In a matter of minutes, we made our way through the crowds to assemble our massive bouquets. The flowers were from local farms so it was definitely a treat to take them home.
Washington is just a great place for farmers. We stopped to visit a family friend and explored their backyard garden. I'm sure you can grow anything here. Perhaps I would like a garden of my own someday.
Nature is probably the best theme from the weekend. It has the power to restore and grow again under nurturing environments; being with my family was just that for me. By sunset, I packed my bag with flowers and headed to the airport to resume my life back in California.
