The Everywhereist

We stayed at the Harbor Court Hotel during our last trip to San Francisco.

Every afternoon they had chocolate chip cookies and popcorn in the foyer. I didn’t really notice much else, because come on – free popcorn and free chocolate chip cookies? I’d sleep in a Ford Pinto and give it five stars if you handed me a collection of treats provided by Messrs. Orville Redenbacher and Otis Spunkmeyer.

(more…)

There’s an old Cary Grant movie called People Will Talk. If you haven’t seen it, go do so now. I’ll wait.

…

Wasn’t it amazing? I know. I love it, too. I have a weak spot for Cary Grant. Actually, I have several weak spots for Cary Grant, and they’re all located around my knees, or thereabouts.

And in that movie, he kind of reminds me of Rand.

Oh, STOP rolling your eyes. I need none of that nonsense. A girl in love is entitled to see things how she wants. If I want to think that cake is reasonable breakfast food and that I can pull off skinny jeans and that my husband is Cary Grant-like, I can. A little self-delusion never hurt anyone. Without it, Madonna would have never tried acting and JLo would have never tried singing. THINK ABOUT THOSE GEMS OF ARTISTIC MERIT, why don’t you, before you knock it.

(more…)

Rand and I were in Palo Alto for work.

Well, he had work. I had things to eat and photos to take. Which is the closest thing I do to work.

Holy crap. My life rules.

Anyway, I digress. We were in Palo Alto, and we carved out some time to stop by the Facebook offices. We have friends who work there, and we were lucky enough to get a tour from them. Unfortunately, photography is forbidden inside the Facebook offices.

(more…)

I know I shouldn’t keep complaining about the freezing weather in Seattle, especially when the rest of the country is spontaneously combusting as a result of heat (also, “combusting” is probably not a word). But when I woke up this morning, is was FIFTY-EIGHT DEGREES.

FIFTY-EIGHT. Let me tell you, that number has no business describing any part of summer, unless you are stating how many gelatos you’ve had this week, or how many times you whimpered at the fact that none of your summer clothes fit (No, I do NOT think that one has ANYTHING to do with the other. Those shorts shrunk while sitting in a drawer for six months, thank you very much).

Sigh. So while I drape myself in a blanket and sip hot tea, you enjoy these links. And if you are somewhere besides Seattle, try to stay cool.

And for my fellow Emerald-city-dwellers: stay warm, kids.

—————

First, a little shameless self-promotion (sorry, guys). I’m incredibly honored to have been featured on two blog’s this week. First, fellow-traveler and blogger Nomadic Matt included me on his list of favorite travel blogs (thanks, Matt!). And secondly, I was quoted on the USA Today‘s travel blog about tourists visiting Seattle to see locations from Fifty Shades of Grey (I was not kind to the book. AGAIN).

—————

Totally digging this xkcd comic about other improvised lines in Star Wars (besides Harrison Ford’s now famous “I know”.)

(more…)

The San Francisco Ferry Building.

-

The other day, I read a post about a woman having breakfast at the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace.

And, oh, if it wasn’t the cutest thing ever.

(more…)

While wandering around Palo Alto, I spotted this toy hanging from a rack at a grocery store:

Do not stare directly into the bride’s eyes, or you will succumb to her dark power.

-

(more…)

It’s grey in Seattle. And chilly. I’m sitting here in my office, contemplating grabbing a sweater.

For the record, I’m already wearing jeans and a t-shirt. But it’s in the high sixties in here, and I have goosebumps. It’s out of sheer stubbornness that I don’t grab a cardigan, because it is July, and that sort of thing is just not acceptable for this time of year.

Indeed, it hasn’t been the most summery of summers.

Supposedly Memorial Day weekend was nice, but Rand and I weren’t here for that. Instead, we popped down to Oregon, and spent that weekend in Portland and Astoria, where it was – you guessed it – chilly and grey.

But I don’t need the sun to have fun. These pictures are proof of that.

They are also proof that my husband in the cutest thing in the world. As though there was any doubt.

1. Driving to Astoria (road near Longview, WA).
   

   Fact: there is sunshine right up until you get too close to Astoria.

   -  (more…)

View of Astoria from The Hotel Elliott.

-

I’m such a sucker for old things.

Whether it be grey-haired octogenarians or day-old pastries, I find myself smitten. Sure, they’re sometimes a bit crustier than you’d like them to be, and you can’t help but think of what they were like when fresh, but they’re still fun to nibble on. AND THAT GOES DOUBLE FOR THE PASTRIES!

(Rereads previous three sentences. Sighs heavily.)

Back to my original sentiment: I like old stuff.

(more…)