ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Front Street in downtown Issaquah is diverse, culinarily speaking. BBQ, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, pastrami and seafood restaurants are within easy walking distance of each other. And, of course, in a class by itself is Max's World Cafe. A friend and I were headed to Max's today for lunch when we spotted Coconut Thai Restaurant, across the street from... Continue Reading →
I love staring at jellyfish at aquariums. So do a lot of other people. They are among the most beautiful and hypnotic of creatures. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, has a terrific collection, among them these splendid sea nettles. The aquarium may not compete with some of the nation's more well-known and larger ones,... Continue Reading →
I've posted before that Noodle Boat in Issaquah serves some of the best Thai food in the Seattle area. The current special is called Rice 'n Spicy, which seems like deconstructed fried rice. What made it extraordinary was saucy and spicy rice, likely a combination of nam pla and sweet soy sauce, with plenty of tongue-searing heat (I... Continue Reading →
It won't win any prize for names. Chinese Seafood Noodle recently opened in Lake Hills Village. The former Lake Hills Shopping Center that used to host Paldo World, Liebchen Delicatessen and Wonton City, has been demolished and replaced by a fancier, mixed-use complex of housing, office space, restaurants and the Lake Hills Library. If the Village ever gets completed—it's... Continue Reading →
As the season for the Issaquah Farmers Market draws to a close in two weeks, I wanted to write about my favorite food vendors. These are businesses that I consider to be first among equals, so to speak, businesses that sell uncompromisingly good food that I look forward to every time I'm visiting the market. Summertime would not be the same... Continue Reading →
I enjoy the drive through the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon side, not only for the waterfalls but because it's a beautiful drive along one of America's mighty rivers. Another revelation, as I discovered on this trip, is noticing the transition between the climate zones on either side of the Cascade mountain range without having to drive over a mountain pass.... Continue Reading →
Mount Rainier is a majestic part of the Seattle skyline. That's, of course, when you can see it through the precipitation and heavy cloud cover that characterize our weather most of the time. But, this year has been different. We've had almost uninterrupted warm and clear weather since May, for us an unimaginably long dry period... Continue Reading →
Among the many sea stacks that are found along the Pacific Coast, Cannon Beach is famed as much for iconic Haystack Rock as for its art galleries, boutique shops and restaurants. It's natural to think that Cannon Beach has the tallest stack along Oregon's coast, maybe because of the town's unverifiable claim ("third largest intertidal monolith in the world"), but the one... Continue Reading →
The day was perfect for exploring at Cape Kiwanda. From the rocky shore, it's natural to look out to sea.
Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose has found a home in the most unlikely of places in McMinnville, Oregon, housed in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, having made its way from southern California. Originally built as a World War II transport aircraft, made entirely of wood, it retains the record of having the longest wingspan (almost... Continue Reading →
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