Today was Valentine's Day, and I spent the day with Jennifer. We went to Seattle and had a great day together. The weather was comfortable, neither hot nor cold, neither sunny nor rainy.
I picked her up at around 9:20am, and we got onto the 99 southward. We arrived at the border at around 10, and had to endure a 2 hour wait before crossing the border. Aghhhh.... I took the opportunity to take a a photo or two:
Once we finally got across the border we took the I5 through Bellingham, to the Fairhaven Parkway Exit. We followed the signs to the "Chukanut Drive" (Route 11), a scenic road that winds along the northwest coast of Wasthington state. This highway actually reminds me of the Vancouver-Whistler highway (minus the construction!), but on a smaller scale. The road is not as wide and windy, and the views are not nearly as spectacular. Still, a lovely alternative to the concrete jungle that is the I5!
We rejoined the I5 after about a 30 mile drive on the Chukanut, and dropped in at the Outlet Mall in Marysville for an hour. I went to my usual favourite stores, and ended up buying a pair of running shoes. Jennifer, on the other hand, bought a dress. I hope I get to see her wear it one day.
After our quick little shopping excursion, we continued our drive south, arriving in Gasworks at around 4pm. One of the things that always strikes me about the US is how big everything is there. Seattle's a bigger city than Vancouver, for sure, but judging by the sheer size and quantity of "things" - highways, cars, buildings - in Seattle, you'd think Vancouver's a dinky little town.
The first thing we did after parking our car was check out Essentials Bakery. We were both starved, and I'm glad we stopped by there because they make great sandwiches!
After our quick little shopping excursion, we continued our drive south, arriving in Gasworks at around 4pm. One of the things that always strikes me about the US is how big everything is there. Seattle's a bigger city than Vancouver, for sure, but judging by the sheer size and quantity of "things" - highways, cars, buildings - in Seattle, you'd think Vancouver's a dinky little town.
The first thing we did after parking our car was check out Essentials Bakery. We were both starved, and I'm glad we stopped by there because they make great sandwiches!
I'd never heard of Gasworks until Jen suggested we go there yesterday, and I'm glad we did. Gasworks is basically an old (rusty!) refinery that the city has managed to make into a tourist attraction. Right beside the refinery there's a small hill that offers great views of downtown Seattle.
It was approaching 6 o'clock and we were debating what next, when we ran into a woman who suggested that we check out Fremont, a nice little neighbourhood within 15 minutes walk. We followed her advice and ended up being glad we did, because we were pleasantly surprised by what we encountered there. I'd probably describe Fremont as a mix between Kitsilano and Commercial Drive (although leaning more towards the former). Lots of ethnic restaurants, boutiques, and some eclectic stores.
We ended up having dinner there, at Jai Thai, although not before returning to the Gasworks hill for some nightshots of downtown Seattle.
We left around 10pm, tired. In fact, I was so tired that I had to stop at a rest area along the highway on the way home, I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I napped for about 30 minutes, before waking up (cold), and driving back to Vancouver.
We didn't have any hassles at the border this time, which is nice, because the last 3 times I'd crossed the border coming back into Canada I had to pay duties on my purchases. This time I didn't have to.
All in all, it was a very good day. There were two disappointments, however, one for Jen, and one for me. The major disappointment for Jen was that we didn't go to the restaurant we'd hoped we would for dinner. After driving around for close to an hour before finding the Kingfish restaurant, she was very disappointed to find out they had a two hour wait for dinner.
My disappointment wasn't a biggie, but nevertheless worth mentioning. Jen slept the whole way home. It would've been nice to have company on the drive home, but as it was, it felt pretty much like I was the only one in the car. Upon hitting the highway northward, she didn't even last 5 minutes before she conked out. She says she "couldn't help it."
We didn't have any hassles at the border this time, which is nice, because the last 3 times I'd crossed the border coming back into Canada I had to pay duties on my purchases. This time I didn't have to.
All in all, it was a very good day. There were two disappointments, however, one for Jen, and one for me. The major disappointment for Jen was that we didn't go to the restaurant we'd hoped we would for dinner. After driving around for close to an hour before finding the Kingfish restaurant, she was very disappointed to find out they had a two hour wait for dinner.
My disappointment wasn't a biggie, but nevertheless worth mentioning. Jen slept the whole way home. It would've been nice to have company on the drive home, but as it was, it felt pretty much like I was the only one in the car. Upon hitting the highway northward, she didn't even last 5 minutes before she conked out. She says she "couldn't help it."
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