Seattle

After an entire year not traveling, I was excited to GET OUT and go somewhere new. Even if it wasn't in Europe.

I ventured to the West Coast for the first time. My mom's family generally holds family reunions every other year. This year we met in Washington state since 2 of my mom's sisters live in the Seattle area.

My family took the opportunity to sightsee in the city before heading to the reunion. It didn't take long for all of my pre-existing Seattle stereotypes to be proven. It was overcast and rained a little bit every day, and there were TONS of trees, liberals, and Starbucks locations. 

We started our day with a cruise around the Seattle harbor- very relaxing way to start the trip.

I still get confused about Seattle geography and which body of water is where (Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Pacific Ocean...). My dad solved the problem by proclaiming "IT'S THE PUGET SOUND!" every time we were driving around and saw water. Works for me.

After the boat ride, we started walking along the boardwalk towards Pike Place Market. Imagine our surprise when my dad drove by riding a rickshaw. Still can't believe he found  someone who could pull all 6 of us tall (besides my mom) adults. It was a fun surprise and a nice ride but I felt bad for the guy.

I liked the market because the food was delicious and because crowded markets (as opposed to spacious grocery stores) remind me of being in other countries. I didn't really like watching people throw fish, however... because you can smell the fish.

Thankfully my mom wasn't feeling fish vibes either, so we split up while everyone else got seafood. We got crepes and pasta instead. A Marissa dream world.

We worked off some of the food by walking to the Space Needle for the next obligatory tourist stop. 

Before going up, we went through the Chihuly Glass Museum. If glass-blown modern art is your thing, then this is the place for you. I thought it was really cool and loved taking pictures there. In one room, my mom asked us what our favorite sculptures were. My dad replied "The bench," and David replied "The exit sign." So I guess it was not their thing. 

Finally, it was time to ride to the top of the Needle. I am not a big fan of heights but am generally fine if I'm inside a building. The views were great but I did not super appreciate the REVOLVING GLASS FLOOR. A little disconcerting, to say the least.

All in all, it was a pretty good intro to Seattle and Washington State. There is more to come about what we did the rest of the week.