The University District

Unfortunately I had to return to Waltham yesterday morning (via overnight red-eye) after an all-too-short vacation; Seth is spending one last week in funky Seattle.  Tomorrow I return to FSU and Olin College!  For the rest of the day, however, I will just remind myself of the lovely U District... 

The Burke Gilman bike path seemed to go pretty much everywhere, including through UW and to Ravenna Park

A mini sculpture honoring the hummingbirds (Black-Chinned) of Ravenna Park

Ravenna Park, where we would go running.  As beautiful as Prospect Hill Park, but a bit smaller and sketchier

 

 

A wall of blackberries made for a long distraction at the end of our runs

 Lamppost art along The Ave

 Cafe Allegro, the oldest continuously operated coffee shop in Seattle 

 Full Tilt ice creamery was an awesome find!  Fairly cheap, huge scoops, and lots of crazy flavors

 Lavender and vegan Mayan chocolate (made with coconut milk)

 After  2 months of picking blackberries, Seth was able to fill 6 32-oz containers worth of daily "leftovers".  This was the equivalent of 5 cobblers and a pan-full of compote, which later exploded in my backpack during my flight back to Boston :o(

 University of Washington campus

 

 The exquisite Suzzallo library, where we spent quite a few hours (Seth is probably there right now...)
 

The "Harry Potter Reading Room" of the Suzzallo

 
 The bizarre and fascinating Monkey Puzzle tree--a living fossil!

 

 

 

 The nearby Catholic Newman Center, where we attended mass and had the BBQ movie night (unfortunately I didn't get a picture of University Lutheran Church, where we went the following week)

 The path to Husky Place, Seth's apartment

 Tight quarters, especially with two people!

University Way NE, aka The Ave.  Gritty, grungy, and full of punk street kids and delicious places to eat.  Think of UNC's Franklin Street, only The Ave is longer and dirtier  

Here are some pictures Seth took with his new camera

The mountain (Mt Rainier) "comes out" only a couple months of the year

Hummingbirds were everywhere on campus!  I miss those cheeky little guys (we don't have them near us in Waltham, since there's so little vegetation)

Like any good college town, the U District is known for its cheap international cuisine.  Of all the exotic restaurants, we couldn't help but go out for phở, twice.  The extra-large at this restaurant was the biggest I had ever seen... and we cleaned our bowls. 

A barista showing off his talents (Capitol Hill)

One can't possibly live in Seattle without having lots and lots of tattoos and knowing a thing or two about kayaking (Alki Beach)

Swedes and Salmon

I am not sure why, but for some reason I was really looking forward to the events on Sunday (although at the same time I was bummed out that it was my last full day in Seattle).  Just like how I get excited by Vietnamese culture, I also get excited by anything Swedish, and on Sunday I had my fill. 

We started off by going to a Lutheran church service.  The week before we had attended the Catholic Newman Center mass and the following Tuesday went to a BBQ and movie night at the (Catholic) church.  The social event was sponsored by their pro-life group, which put an interesting spin on things, but it was still a fun night with lots of good food and friendly people (mostly college students).  The Lutheran service was really cute and familiar, and it was especially noteworthy because on that particular day they combined with a Methodist congregation.  This was followed by a joint potluck, which we attended.  If we went back to Seattle I could see myself returning to that church--they were an older group, super friendly, and seemed very active in the community.  They even had a hiking group!

After the potluck Seth and I took the bus to Ballard, a nearby Scandinavian town west of the U District on the edge of Puget Sound.  Our first stop was the Nordic Heritage Museum, which was hosting the annual Viking Fest. The homemade aebleskivers looked mighty good, but I had eaten too much at the potluck to bother waiting in line :P

The Nordic Heritage Museum hosting Viking Fest.  The museum was interesting, interactive, and well organized, but it was in serious need of air conditioning!

Some sword fight that reminded me of the Renaissance fair the day before

 

The adorable viking ship mascot

After leaving the museum we walked down to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks down by Salmon Bay.  This area is also home to the peaceful Botanical Gardens.

Follow the fish!

Lots of people (visitors and locals) come out to see the boats queue up at the locks

A fish ladder to help spawning salmon make it past the locks

We waited in the viewing area to watch salmon jumping up their ladder.  We waited and waited and only saw one *non-jumping* salmon.  I am almost certain he was asleep. How disappointing!!

A train crossing Salmon Bay

Ballard Locks

Ballard's artsy downtown

Ballard Centennial Bell Tower

Girls Gone Renaissance (Faire)

Last weekend Phuong noticed a Renaissance fair was going on and was very eager to see what it was like.  Neither she, Que, nor I had been to one before, so we decided to make a half day out of it.

The Renaissance Faire in Bonney Lake, WA.  It wasn't hot in the shade but it was scorching in the sun, and there was a lot of sun!

One of Robin Hood's risque performances

Our brave knight chatting it up with the ladies and having a drink before the joust.  No wonder he fell off his horse while trying to (literally) pick up a maiden soon after.

 

 

This lady had a troupe of acrobatic rats.  Phuong and I were disappointed that we missed all the rodent tricks because we arrived a bit late

The sheep quietly watching the arms demonstration

Life in Renaissance England wouldn't be complete without turkey legs, banh mi, and iced tea :o)