Bridget's First Race in Seattle

Exhausting getting here, but loving it once we got some sleep. Kimpton hotel did not disappoint! Great location, fantastic modern decor and amenities that always appeal to us.

Thanks to not being able to adjust to the 3-hour time change, we got up early and headed over to Pike Place Market. We enjoyed little pastry puffs and cafe au lait at Le Pannier for breakfast while B enjoyed a coffee macaroon and hot chocolate (although she drank more of Greg's cafe au lait than her hot chocolate-that's my girl!).

Wandered around some shops, darted in Mountain Hardware for a rain jacket since MY rain jacket seems to have taken up temporary (or permanent) residence at Miami University. To escape the drizzle, we lunched at the Taphouse Grille and enjoyed a couple of yummy Pints from good pacific northwest brewers. This place had 160 craft beers on tap. Wow!

After lunch, we headed over to the Space Needle. What an amazing view! The Space Needle was originally designed for the 1962 World's Fair and has such an interesting history with the design starting out on a napkin. And besides, this was one of those must see sights while in Seattle.

After wandering around various neighborhoods and enjoying the cool vibe, we found our way back to the hotel for a short rest period (thank goodness because Seattle is very very hilly!). Dinner was supposed to be Brouwer's, but they have a 21 age limit so off to plan B. We shopped a bit while in the Fremont neighborhood (which actually reminded us of our own Tremont) and found the most amazing cycling lifestyle shop called Hub and Bespoke! There were SO many items I could have bought here! Dinner ended up being at Norm's, which is also known as a Canine Pub. Yes, owners and dogs. We had the best time petting dogs, drinking great pints, and I had the BEST CHILI EVER. They use cocoa powder and peanut butter instead of flour to thicken the chili. It had black beans, corn, tender chunks of chicken, stewed tomatoes. The bowl of chili and a pint of Manny's Pale Ale warmed me up nicely on this cold, rainy day. Bridget even told the waiter it was the BEST grilled cheese and she ate ALL of it. Back to the hotel to rest before Bridget's big race morning.

Although it was windy and chilly race morning, there was no rain-phew! The packet pick-up was easy and, while we waited for the race to begin, Bridget was beyond excited to play on the playground, which had one of the best zip lines. This year, we went as Vampires. Don't we look scary?

As we lined up at the start, the race organizers treated us to pre-race stretching and exercises set to fun music. And then we were off! The first quarter mile started flat, but that wouldn't last for long. About a third of a mile in, we were greatest by a really steep hill. Ouch! Ok, ok, I survived that one with a nice shuffle. I no sooner caught up with Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo, and Donatello (the best group of running Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles) that I had to tackle nasty hill #2! Ok, this will not result in a PR, but the scenery made it all worthwhile! Mile 2 flattened out as I passed a few super heroes, a family of explorers with their kid as a lion, and Wayne and Garth (who would pass me in the last half mile). The space between mile 2 and 3 was mostly along the water with some wicked wind, but amazing views. And then it was time for the final stretch to be greeted by Bridget and Greg at the finish line.

Next up was Bridget's turn at the Kids 1k Fun Run. Bridget was so excited to start her first race. When they said GO, she took off with lightening fast speed. I couldn't even catch up with her! My guess was she was clocking in somewhere between a 6:30-7:00 minute mile!

She finally stopped at the turnaround and I was able to catch up. She was so excited in the final stretch, but nothing compared to the look of pure joy when she received her finisher's ribbon! When she ran to Greg, she told him that she finished her first race and got her first ribbon! I love this kid to pieces! And that's how Bridget helped to check off our 47th state!

We were also treated to some very clever costumes, including:
Honey Boo Boo
Running of the Bulls (one guy as the bull and 5 others dressed as Pamplonians)
Wayne & Garth
Pac Man
Family with husband as dog on leash and jogging stroller
Popcorn kernel
Gangnam Style
Bane from Batman-scary!
Unicorn

Greg, who is the BEST travel explorer of them all, found us a wonderful Sunday brunch spot at Skillet. Afterwards, Bridget got her "promised" stuffy for being so good on this trip, I got a new Lululemon running top and a warm infinity scarf, and a cool scarf for Meg (who was stuck back in the dorm). Greg indulged us with a trip to another coffee house, then time to relax, have dinner, pack and return back to our day jobs.

Seattle, we will be back. Thank you for your hospitality and coffee!

Two Wonderful Days in the City

In 48 hours, I've visited some wonderful NYC neighborhoods, saw a show at Madison Square Garden, and dined at Mario Batali's amazing restaurant! Here's a recap in pictures as well as my own narrative :)

After landing, we checked into our hotel, Kimpton's newest hotel Eventi a couple blocks from Madison Square Garden (MSG). Greg had an hour or so before his first meeting, so we headed to Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. After gaining my bearings, he headed back and left me to wander aimlessly through boutique shops and yummy food places. I found a fab girly dress at Darling in Chelsea. According to Design Sponge, the shop is a frequent stop for the show What Not to Wear. Loved it. Went in and out of too many shops to remember or name, then came upon the Chelsea Market, a great spot for lunch.

One of the best salads from Hale and Hearth, a yummy cappuccino from Amy's Breads, and my Darling shopping bag!

Afterwards, Greg, Kim, George and I met up at Son Cubano to soak up the sunshine while sipping mojitos. Mmmmm...

Pearl Jam was amazing at MSG. It was one of Greg's "checklist items" (we all have those) and they played for a good 2.5+ hours. Well worth the experience!


I am notorious for making Greg take pics of us while we're out, but he actually surprised me by this one at the concert(sneaky guy).

Did I mention my wonderful dining experience our first night in town? No? Ahh...well, I had a street vendor pretzel for an appetizer followed by a hotdog slathered in mustard at the concert for dinner (yes, I know, a true culinary delight), then topped it all off with a wonderful dessert after the show of a big NYC-style grease-dripping pizza. Yep, indigestion at its finest! And to top off the evening, we fell asleep with this view from our room (the Empire State Building all lit up). Wow!

Friday could be called the "Day I've Never Been So Tired!" We got up at 6:30am and promptly began our trek to the Today Show studio to catch me some Al Roker! On our way, we hit up the most delightful breakfast spot, Magnolia Bakery, for the best (and I really mean THE BEST) Apple Walnut muffin. I'm still thinking about it! As luck would have it, security let us in to the taping grounds and both Greg and I actually got to shake hands with Al Roker! Talk about a "checklist item" - hello? Mission accomplished!

Friday was a true exploring day. We shopped Fifth Avenue because both my girls asked that we bring them back "beautiful dresses" and Bridget asked that we also bring her dolly back a dress (how cute!). Found just the perfect combination for Bridget and her dolly at the American Girl store. Poor Greg, he got a little "taste" of what to expect in the coming years (translation: years 4-8!). Found a wonderfully priced Marc Jacobs cotton jersey sundress for Megan at Bergdorf Goodman (primarily so I could get the BG bag!). Both girls were beyond excited when we got home! Oh, Greg and I stumbled across the neatest little shop called "Little Mismatched" which is shop that sells non-matching socks in groups of 3. This was soooo Megan because I can't tell you the number of times that I have noticed she's not wearing matching socks.

After shopping, we walked through Central Park, stumbled upon a great little late lunch spot called The Ginger Man, then headed back to our hotel for a nap! Our dogs were barking after walking/wandering for 4-5 miles. Later, we showered up and headed out to Greenwich Village for dinner at Babbo's. Wow, this may have been OUR BEST MEAL EVER! We didn't have reservations, but they are so acccommodating and kind. Babbo's truly does not push people away, but encourages them to come inside, have a drink, have a little conversation, and wait for either a walk-in table or a spot at the bar. We got lucky, after a short 45-minute wait, we were seated at the bar and had the great fortune to spend our evening with Teresa. She was knowledgeable, entertaining, witty and educational. We couldn't have been luckier. We learned about a new appertif that we will definitely have again! Best of all, we dined for 3+ hours! We actually enjoyed our meal, enjoyed our wine, all of it - amazing.

Two days is the perfect amount of time to spend in New York City because it ALWAYS leaves you with the need to come back. I told Greg next time, I will have another list of places to check out and, who knows, I might even try to squeeze in a race while there :)