Wanted: Computer Generated Friends

Yesterday was a Big Day for the adult Grasshoppers...  I had a chance to meet a bloggy friend (or, as Tate says "a computer generated friend") IN REAL LIFE.  The fabulous Rebecca, who blogs at High Maintenance Aspirations, flew all the way across the country with her husband Paul for vacation.  

Could I come down to Seattle to get together?  *Ahem*

Could wild horses drag me away?

Welcome to Seattle - it's raining.  And I decided to bring my good camera.  Therefore pics are somewhat random.  And by random, I mean, I didn't want to get my camera wet, so I didn't take very many.  Except inside.  Like at Starbucks.  And since there's a Starbucks on nearly every block in Seattle (It's possible I'm exaggerating, but not much) we ducked into one down in Pioneer Square.

I think we needed a break - at least a sensory break - after three galleries.  My favorite was Glasshouse Studio.  Not only was the store a visual feast...  

... you could watch the artists working in the back.  We'll have to bring the boys by sometime.

Wouldn't it be fun to bring home a few of those for the yard?  Oh... I kid... (ka-ching!)

But hey... the Chihuly exhibit probably runs about twenty bucks, and here you can look all you want for free :D  They were really friendly, didn't mind us taking pictures, and when Rebecca chose some pieces to buy and they were all made by the same guy who was ringing her up I think it worked to both of their advantage!

The patient and long-suffering husbands :D  And, PS, Kerry is holding a bag, because I saw something small, and dropped some broad hints about Mother's Day :D

We spent more time walking around Pioneer Square,

... observing building details (Kerry)

... and enjoying Seattle's trademark rain...

But mostly we just wanted to hang out.  Which mostly meant laughing.  And talking.  And laughing some more :D

So I'll tell you a story about going out to dinner.  Apparently it's Seattle Restaurant Week, which means that participating restaurants have a fixed price menu - you choose an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, and it's the same price everywhere.  Fabulous!  And Paul and Rebecca insisted on treating us, which was double-fabulous :D

But we had to decide where to go.  We'd thought of eating at their hotel, because the smells wafting out of the restaurant were oh-so-enticing (nobody was actually drooling but it was close).  Bad luck, they were booked until eight.  And I confess, I'm so not a night owl, especially with the drive home afterwards.  So we asked the concierge to point us somewhere nearby.

Well, good grief, Rebecca and I were having a great time, joking, batting ideas around, and the concierge wasn't exactly icy, yet not entering into the fun.  Y'know?  But we made our choice and he called and booked us a reservation.  Great.  Thank you.  He very cautiously described the place as "offbeat" and "funky".  Okay, granted he seemed a bit formal (stodgy?) but this being Seattle we both kind of wondered if by "funky" he meant "disturbing".

Not so.  We had a great time at Icon Grill.

And the concierge may have liked us better than he let on, because he apparently called and added an extra appetizer to our dinner.

Then when it got added to the bill we wondered if we had been right the first time ;D  But our waiter sorted it out.   Out waiter, Edward.

If you ever find yourself in Seattle with an overwhelming desire to eat somewhere a concierge would describe as "offbeat and funky", get yourself down to the Icon Grill and make sure you ask for Edward.

Edward was very personable.  He sat right down and visited awhile.  Rebecca asked if he minded us taking his photo.  And apparently he gets that a lot - he told us - because he looks like Zachary Quinto.  So there you go.

When she said she'd put his photo on her blog he brought her a card with his email, so she could send him a link.

It occurred to me later that he might have thought maybe we were really foodies, with fancy food blogs and even fancier photography, and with heaps of readers hanging on our every word.

I hope he's not disappointed.

If I'm a food blogger, then major FAIL.  Because I have zero pictures of our food, which was delicious.  As evidence, I give you this:

You can tell it was good because all the dishes are scraped clean ;D

But I digest...

Meanwhile, while the minions are old enough (and trustworthy enough to leave home alone, Grandpa and Grandma Grasshopper took them out to dinner while we were gone.  And Grandma even brought them a movie to watch.  So a good time was had by all.