The (Almost) 26 hour Olympic Experience

This was a long (but fantastic) day.......Below is an actual recorded timeline of Michelle and My adventures at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

T-1 day: Packing up the Bumble.  For those of you unaware, my Ford Expedition is nicknamed "The Bumble" after the abominable snowman in Rudolph.  It's massive, it's white, and it bounces (except for that one time on the 520).

20 February 2010

3:something; Get up, stumble into shower. Got to double check for passports, tickets, and PILLOWS! Can’t forget the pillows! Oh, and then check again for passports and tickets. And again in the car, check for passports and tickets.

4:29 on our way!

5:37 No road trip can commence without the obligatory drive through McDonald’s breakfast. Today’s addition brought to you by Burlington, WA

6:10 Driving through Bellingham; we can see the lights at the ski runs on Grouse and Cyprus Mountains in North Vancouver from here, no joke, an hour away it’s like UFO's in the sky.

6:37 We’re here at the Peace Arch – Can’t believe it, we’re driving straight into the customs booth. This guy is a bit gruff, “when was the last time you were here?” What? No idea, but whatever I told him got us across the border.

7:17 Following our google maps, we find the Bridgeport light rail station in Richmond, BC with it’s parking garage (shared with the River Rock Casino). Perfect back-in spot, against the wall, flat and good for sleepin' later. At only $2 a day, it’s an unbelievable bargain for parking at the Olympics.

8:05 After a short light rail ride, we’re in downtown Vancouver. Skytrain is easy as can be, and at this hour barely requires any standing passengers. Now here we are, early morning sunshine in our faces; what’s next? A quick bobsled run, zipline? How about first things first, where’s the Starbuck’s?

8:50 We discover a Japadog location; there are a couple, this is the restaurant. We'll hold out for the hot dog cart at lunchtime. Saw this on Anthony Bourdain when he was in Vancouver, it’s been getting a lot of press this week.

9:30 Walking, Enjoying the sunshine and the building crowds. The color is out today, flags, painted faces, what a fantastic setting. The exhibits at Canada live area doesn't open until 11 though, don’t think we can stand in line for an hour and a half.

10:06 crepes! OK, tims for brunch, second breakkie, whatever you want to call it. mmmm banana nutella crepe.

10:47 Walk into The Bay; can you believe there is a 2 hr wait just to get into the Olympics store in the Hudson's Bay store??? That is crazy. If this were in the US, every empty storefront in downtown Vancouver would be rented out for the month to sell souveniers.

11:25 Finally make our way to the Olympic Cauldron near the Vancouver Convention Center on the waterfront. Large fences, large crowds, and we’re looking to meet Brian and Terri. This should be easy; Where is the white guy with the Asian girl? Uhhhh.

11:34 It’s the Carlsons! And their friends! BC actually sprung for the international phone call (which means I did too) to find us. Many joyous hugs and handshakes follow, along with the obligatory group photos with the Flames in the distance.

12:14 Japadog Time! I’ll take the #1 please; Kurabota pork, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, seaweed…..Something wrong about this, but oh so right. After finishing this interesting concoction, I was introduction to Fireball! Canadian whisky infused with cinnamon. Yeah, this is good; warms the throat and then the belly. As BC informed me “Tastes like Heaven, Burns like Hell”. A stop at the duty free on the way home may be in order.

1:15 Back on the Skytrain; did I mention how easy this is? We waited on maybe 2-3 trains leaving downtown Vancouver, a total of about 10 minutes. Things are getting a bit more crowded now, downtown starting to fill up with flags, songs, and people people everwhere.

2:03 We arrive at the Aberdeen Station in Richmond A mile walk to the venue, the Richmond Oval. This is a beautiful facility on the riverbank. What an amazing day, when we arrive to the venue, there is a sea of Orange, the Dutch fans take their speedskating VERY seriously. This is going to be fun!!

2:15 The line is now moving, we’re going in! It's all a piece of cake, a model of efficiency, a polite but excited crowd, a beautiful day and a beautiful arena. Can't believe how well everything has gone so far...

4:15 The Richmond Oval is an amazing place, humongous roof beams constructed with reclaimed wood, seating is intimate and close to the ice all the way around. We start with 19 pairs of skaters (actually 37 guys total, one went alone). The guys race in pairs, but rankings are done by the clock. Each competitor gets one run, 3.75 laps around the track 1500m in all. It will all come down to the last couple of groups. The Dutch fans are out in force, with Orange suits, wigs, flags, horns, and beers in hand. There are plenty of Canadian and American fans as well, but it looks like a Tennessee football game in here!

5:50 Shani Davis comes to the line. It’s the last pair, currently a Dutchman is in the lead, Shani Davis of the USA is the pre-race favorite. No joke, in 2006 he became the first African American to win an individual medal at the winter Olympics. “The Incredibles” character “Fro-Zone” is modeled after him and his “Super Suit”. He looks ready, here we go!

5:51:46 Silver medal for the USA; The Dutch fans erupt as the (2) appears next to Davis' name, awarding the Gold to their man. The “recognition ceremony” is nice, kind of like when they used to award the medals right after the events. Now of course there is an opportunity to sell tickets to an “Award Ceremony” so we don’t get to see them get their medals and hear the anthems anymore. Oh well, was nice how they still got to be acknowledged together by the crowd.

6:25 We’re back into the cold night; another mile walk to the Richmond “O-Zone”, following the jovial mostly Dutch crowd.

6:54 Huh, this looks like a high school football field. It is! The Richmond “O-Zone” has food halls, a music stage, big screens showing the games, and the Heineken Holland House!

7:07 HUNGRY! Find a Greek stand in the food tents. Lamb donair for yours truly; Yum!

7:14 Mich ops for the Shu Mai, dumplings, and I add some spring rolls. It’s decent, got something in our tummies anyway. This is a really nice setup, really gets the locals involved and a great place to enjoy watching the games with the community. We stick around for a bit for the short track semifinals. JR Got Robbed! Apollo on to the finals! Should we stay or should we go? This event finished a lot earlier than we thought….we can make it home by midnight and skip sleeping in the truck. Let’s go for it.

8:50 After another short light rail ride back to the Bridgeport station, we make a quick stop at the Casino for a look around and to catch the Short Track final (Go Apollo!). Alas, only a bronze for Ohno and the USA, but a record setting achievement nonetheless (his 7th Winter Olympics medal).

9:15 I like to shop at the duty free shop; Fireball and Absinthe!

9:40 Get into line at the border crossing back to the states. It’s a short line, but as always I pick the wrong one and become infuriated when the other two lanes move so much faster than us! Dangit!

9:53 Back on American soil! 13 min total, amazing! USA! USA! USA!

10:30 Can't....keep....eyes....open. Rest Stop sign, time for a nap in Skagit County. Just a quick nap, an hour or so and we'll be home by 1am. Just a few minutes…..

4:31 Woke up in back of truck. Well, so much for a quick nap. Snoozed for a bit, restroom break, and get back on the road. Btw, what kind of volunteer is selling cookies at a rest stop at this hour? Probably the folks I don’t want to be buying cookies from.

5:42 Another pit stop at Starbucks in Marysville; A chance to get rid of some more Canadian money

6:28 home sweet home. It’s been 25:59 hrs total garage door-to-garage door. Back to bed.

The Hemby_Licious Guide to Seattle

So, happily in response to a request from a friend from back home (Alabama) for "what to do / where to eat in Seattle", I decided to share the long winded email response here. Just in case the question comes up again because I'm too lazy to pull these web pages and type all this over.....

This will serve as the first experimental blog....the first entry in my documented "Observations from the Top Left Corner".  Read, ignore, comment, dispute...whatever.

If you are planning a trip to the great Northwest (aka Top Left Corner), consider spending a good bit of time and hitting not only Seattle, but Portland and Vancouver as well.  All amazing cities with fantastic dining and outdoor attractions.  In this post, I'm going to focus on my new (as of 11.5 years) hometown of Seattle.

SEATTLE MUST SEES/DO:

1. Pike Place Market, Downtown Seattle. Nothing even close folks, this is an authentic, fantastic farmers/crafts market, all local, and most telling; as many locals shop here as tourists. It's a great place to wander, people watch, and most importantly to snack.  The first ever Starbuck's is here with musician's out front (including the legendary Spoonman of Soundgarden fame) , there are lots of other coffee shops/bakeries, food stalls, street musicians, etc. This is really close to and between the Seattle Waterfront and the Downtown retail district which has Nordstrom, Fox Sports, Hard Rock, Westlake Center, Pacific Place, etc.

2. Get out on the water!  Seattle is a water-town.  Lakes, Sound, Rivers, (and Rain) no shortage of the blue stuff here.  There are several cruise tour companies, such as Argosy Cruises, etc. My favorite budget option on a nice day is just to walk on to one of the State Ferries and sit up on the roof deck watching the city and mountains go by. It's only about $5-$10 to walk on and go over to Bainbridge Island which is a nice little waterfront town, but you can just as easily stay on the boat and take the immediate return trip. Good bargain for an hour or two on the water. If you're with kids, Ride the Ducks!

3. Go see a mountain. Other than water, the most obvious characteristic of Seattle is the overwhelming beauty of the mountain views.  Cascades Range to the East (sunrise), Olympic Range to the West (sunset) , and Mount Rainier (aka Tahoma) towers above all to the Southeast.  Both Mt Rainier and Mt St Helen's (yes the same one that blew it's top) are fantastic day trips, but are quite a drive. If you have a few days here and can reserve the time plan to spend a day at one of these peaks.

4. Snoqualmie Falls. Nice peaceful place about 45 minutes from Seattle, huge waterfall you can hike down to the bottom or just enjoy the view from the top.  There is an amazing brunch at the Salish Lodge adjacent to the park (but I'm digressing into the next topic).

5. Lots of other markets, neighborhoods, etc.

Pioneer Square, Seattle's "Old Town".  Lots of great restaurants, pubs, bars, architecture, and home to many of the local art galleries in Seattle.  Home to a monthly "art walk" where folks open up their galleries and studios to the public.  Can get a little sketchy late at night, but during the day and dinner time it's just fine and really interesting.

Ballard Farmers Market, Ballard started as a Scandinavian Fishing town.  Now it's a great neighborhood that still feels like a small town, with a retail core, fun restaurants and bars, and a fantastic Sunday Market.   In Ballard there's also a set of locks that connects Elliot Bay (Ocean) with the local Lakes via the "Ship Canal".  One cool thing about the locks?  There's a salmon ladder to not disturb the yearly migrations!!

Green Lake: Semi-Urban Park with running trails, coffee shops, fish n chips, etc.  It's about 3 miles around, you can run, jog, walk, walg, ride, blade, or just hang out on the grass watching the scenery.

Fremont: Self-proclaimed "Center of the Universe", Seattle's version of the Paris "left bank".  Home to great restaurants, shops, bars, etc. Also has a Market like Ballard's on the weekends.  If you're here for the summer solstice (June 20?), there's even naked bicyclers as part of the yearly Solstice Parade.

Bellevue/Kirkland: Upscale shopping (Bellevue) and lakefront suburb (Kirkland) on the East Side of Lake Washington. This is about 15 minutes from downtown Seattle, an easy drive across the lake via floating bridges.

FOOD:

Now on to the important stuff.  Namely, time to explain how I've gained 30+ pounds since I moved here in 1998.  This is a mix of fine dining, greasy spoons, and everything in between.  Good food done right is independent of menu price and dress code, so I'm just going to put some random places out here based on what our favorite places are at the moment....

1. Steelhead Diner. It's probably our favorite spot in town, and we've become friends of the chef/owner here. It's an upscale diner (affordable, nice menu) located in the Pike Place Market. Phenomenal food based on NW seafood and some Cajun dishes (chef from New Orleans). Just about all his produce and ingredients are purchased from locally, and from the same sources that provide the bounty of goodness to the market.  The best seat in the house is at the "Kitchen Bar", which is just what it sounds like.  You get to sit next to the main service station and chat with Chef and his staff throughout the night.  Also a great way to take a look at the full menu in living color on a plate before ordering.  If it's full or you don't want to be on top of the action, sit at the tasting bar.  No wait for a dinner table and you can still keep an eye on everything happening around you.

2. El Gaucho. Best steakhouse in America, IMHO. And priced like it. If you want to splurge a bit and remember the meal forever, you should go here. This place never fails to impress, from the tuxedo clad waiters to the bananas foster prepared tableside, to the 1940's Shanghai classy feel of the place (think beginning of Indiana Jones but without all the shooting, and with more romantic lighting).  I can truly say that while I haven't been here as often as I'd like (like every week), I've NEVER had so much as a bad bite.  As an option, you could cheat and just hit the fantastic happy hour for the ambiance without the big bill.

3. Wild Ginger. There is one in both downtown Seattle and Bellevue. Pan-Asian food, which is the Seattle trademark. It's a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Polynesian, Thai, etc. and Northwest ingredients. This is a must if you enjoy Asian food at all.  If you don't, you may just change your mind after having the Duck.
3a. As a cheaper option with really good Thai food, try Thai Ginger; Several locations but most convenient would probably be in Pacific Place.  For a relaxed atmosphere with sports on TV and the same food on the regular menu, sit in the bar and hope Jessie is behind it.

4. Red Mill Burgers. Awesome spot (x2) for custom burgers, chicken sandwiches, real shakes/malts, that's right MALTS! made with care and to order. The bacon is stellar, and you won't believe the stack prepped and ready to go.  If you like onion rings, you'll love these. Oh, and no cell phones allowed.  It's just rude, dude!

5. Kauai Family Restaurant. A local favorite for the Hawai'ian ex-pats, and those of us that want a mental escape to our favorite place during the long dreary winters. True Ohana/comfort food such as Kailua Pork, Saimin, Musubi, Loco Moco, etc., served on "Hawai'ian time". If you know what that means, you know to get comfortable and plan to stay a while.  Also, to speak to it's authenticity it opens for BREAKFAST at 9:30am.

6. Quinn's Gastropub. Pub Food, but High end pub food in Capital Hill (this is the fun, freaky neighborhood. It's safe, but very diverse).  Wild Boar sloppy joe = Insanely good.
6a. Restaurant Zoe. Same owners as Quinn's. It's more of a Higher end restaurant in the Belltown neighborhood.  They also have a wild boar dish on the menu, but serve it as a bolognese sauce over pasta.

7. Tom Douglas' restaurants. I would recommend any of them. Most acclaimed is Dhalia Lounge.  He's kind of a local legend and these are really nice restaurants, all in the Belltown area. You can see menus for the places (I think 5 now) on his central website linked above.

8. Pizza: Serious Pie (Tom Douglas) is good, another really fun place is Via Tribunali (grown from 1 to 4 in like 3 yrs), whose ovens have been transported from Italy brick by brick and rebuilt here. My personal favorite neighborhood slice is in Ballard; Veraci Pizza. They also have portable ovens and sell slices at the Ballard and Fremont markets.

9. Chinatown. Should really venture down into this neighborhood for a good taste of Seattle. There are several dives that we frequent, but not knowing how comfortable you would be I would suggest Jade Garden. There is usually a line for Dim Sum (this is the brunch time menu 10-1 where they wheel the carts of food through the restaurant and you just pick what you want off them). The wife's family frequents Sun Ya. A bit less mainstream/touristy, but cheap and filling and they are one of few places down there with parking.

10. Red Hook Brewery / Wineries. In the town of Woodinville, there are several wineries that do tastings and sometimes concerts. Also over there is the fantastic Red Hook Brewery (moved from original spot in Fremont years ago) that has a large equally fantastic pub, does brewery tours, and even shows outdoor movies on the huge deck in the summertime.

11. For spectacular views back to the city and outdoor dining, try Alki Beach or enjoy the patio over the marina at Maggie Bluff's on Magnolia.

12. Other Seattle institutions for fast food, etc. are: Teriyaki (too many to mention), Pho Soup (Than Bros our fav), Fish n' Chips (Spuds, Ivar's, etc.), and Dick's drive-in (cheap burgers).

All this of course is secondary to the best spot in town; my wife's cooking in my own home.  But she deserves to be taken out now and then....

COFFEE:

Now, we have a bit of a reputation up here and I guess based on the hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars I've spent on the stuff over the years this reputation is well founded.  Of course there are Starbuck's everywhere, but to see how it SHOULD be, you really need to venture into some of the smaller local places like Uptown Espresso (which we frequented for 7 years in the first floor of our apt building in Belltown), Caffe Vita, Caffe Ladro, Caffe D'Arte, Espresso Vivace, etc. They are literally on every corner.


OTHER STUFF:

Not knowing your specific interests, there are several Ski Resorts within a couple hours' drive, Golf even in the winter, Kayaking, Rowing, Biking, etc. are all very popular. Major League Baseball (Mariners) and Soccer (Sounders) will be starting soon, with the NFL (Seahawks) back in the fall.  All three are a blast with fantastic outdoor stadiums.

Gosh, this is making me hungry. I think I am going to post this, it was a bit of work!  Now I'm out, the wife just got a new deep fryer and she's making home made potato chips.