Iceberg Dead Ahead!!

Prior to entering the waters of Alaska and especially the fjords, two ice pilots board all cruises to help the captain navigate the waters. So once our pilots got on board and discussed ice conditions with the captain, we were headed to Sawyer Glacier!  On our way to the glacier, we saw icebergs (fortunately nothing as big as the one that took out the Titanic), waterfalls and incredible scenery.

I managed to wiggle my way through the five deep crowd to get to the railing at the front of the boat.  Once I got there, I stayed for three hours...I think I was as cold as the glacier by the time we turned and headed back to the Inside Passage to make our way up to Skagway.

The icebergs were everywhere!  The icebergs were everywhere!  Keep in mind when looking at these pictures they were taken from the Deck 5 of a very large ship.  I can only image how big they really are! 

Some of the icebergs reminded us of animals...like the polar bear on his back and a swan...

After about an hour and a half of navigating the fjord and the ice, we made it to the glacier!  We were actually able to get closer to the glacier than they had all season which was very exciting.  While the temps were in the low 50's, the wind coming off the glacier made it feel like the upper 20's.

What a great day...next stop...Skagway and the Yukon!

Fun Day at Sea

Today was nothing but sea as far as the eye could see...while I've always thought it would be cool to do a transatlantic sail, I'm rethinking that as I was going nuts not seeing land.

 

Being on the Fun Ship does have it's advantages as they always have something going on.  Daddy signed up for the Master Mixologist contest and was selected as one of the five contestants.  While his drink didn't win, he did get a snazzy medal and had fun!

 

 

 

Tomorrow is when we go through Tracy Arm Fjord and see the glacier...can't wait to see land!!

Next stop...Skagway, Alaska!

A few pics from the ship of Seattle as we set sail.  For the next two days, we'll be at sea.  When we wake up Thursday morning, we should be surrounded by glaciers!

 

 

 

 

 

Eating our way through Pike Place Market

Let's just say it is a good thing we had an 8 block walk from our hotel to Pike Place Market because we ate our way through the market today!  We took a tour with Savor Seattle that began at the famous gum wall and concluded at Etta's with crab cakes.

 

In the early '90's, the Market Theatre put in new carpet and told patrons they couldn't chew gum in the new theatre so folks put their gum on the wall outside the theatre and placed coins in it.  The preservation society asked the theatre to remove the gum so they did...and the patrons put the gum back.  So the preservation society asked again and the theatre removed the gum again...and the patrons put the gum back.  When the preservation society asked the theatre to remove the gum for a third time, the theatre told the society if they wanted the gum removed, they could remove the gum...gum is still there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 First stop was Daily Dozen Donuts for some sugar and cinnamon donuts

 

Next stop was Market Spice for their Market Spice Tea.  It was a delicious blend of black tea, cinnamon, orange and clove.  We'll definitely head back on our return trip to pick up a box or two to bring home!

 

With a cleansed pallet, we then headed to the famous Fish Guys of Pike Place Fish Market for a little smoked salmon.  We tried three different types and our fav was the one our tour guide called the "gateway smoked salmon drug".  It was marinated in garlic and black pepper.  People will gather around the stall to see the fishmongers throw fish.  We'll head back on our return trip as my pics of them in action didn't come out so great. 

 

 

 

At two spots in the market, you'll see to giant bronze piggy banks.  Visitors are encouraged to drop in spare coins which are combined with 6% of the profits of all Pike Place Market vendors.  This money is given to the Pike Place Market Foundation which helps low-income neighbors of the market...whether they live, learn or work in the market area.

 

Time for some fresh fruit so we stopped at Frank's Quality Produce for bing cherries and the best peach I've ever eaten.  Can't believe a southern girl is saying a Washington peach is the best peach ever but there's no denying the truth!

 

Ready for some chowder!

 

Feeling all healthy from Frank's it was time for chowder!  We headed to Pike Place Chowder for the New England Chowder that won the National Chowder Cook-off three years in a row.  Yep, the best New England chowder came all the way from Seattle! 

The recipe was developed by the Chowder Girls of Charlestown Street Café and after winning the national championship three years straight, they were not able to enter the chowder contest for ten years.  So these girls developed a seafood bisque recipe and you guessed it, they won the competition two years.

One of the things I really liked about the tour is the balance of sweet and savory.  So after the chowder, it was time for something sweet so we headed to Chukar Cherries.  Because the walkway in front of Chukar Cherries was narrow, we got a vendor's eye view of the market as we stood behind the staff.  We tasted peach cherry salsa and five different cherries...dried bing cherry, raspberry truffle cherry, cherry bings (cherry juice is infused in the chocolate and then the cherry is dipped...this was my fav), dark chocolate cabernet and honey pecans.

 

Our next stop 

 

They make the cheese on-site and use a base of cheddar and gruyere cheese to make their very tasty Flagship Cheese.  Our guide John also works here as a cheesemonger so he was full of great inside tips about what to order here.  On our return trip, I'll definitely be returning for a grilled cheese made with their Flagship Cheese, fresh basil and tomato!  We also tried some of their famous macaroni and cheese...while this means absolutely nothing to me, Oprah called it the world's best macaroni and cheese. 

Pike Place Market is one giant family and everyone helps everyone and Piroshky Piroshky Bakery is a prime example.  The night before the store was to open, the owners were $24K in debt and only had $50 to their name...definitely not enough to buy the ingredients for their Russian pastries and the family was worried how they were going to open.  A Pike Place Market tradition is for a writer from the local paper will come out on the schedule opening day of a new store and write a review so there was no changing their scheduled opening date.  Word about their situation quickly spread the morning of their opening the family arrived and found an envelope with $1,000 from an anonymous donor.  The family was able to open and has been going strong since 1992.  It took over a year for the family to find out who the anonymous donor was and it turned out to be another Russian family with a store one street up.  In most places, Piroshky Piroshky would be seen as competition and left to flounder but not at Pike Place.  The other family was glad to see another Russian business in the area and did what they could to help.

 

All throughout the market you hear musicians and other street performers (or buskers).  Buskers are regulated in the market to maintain the overall feel of the market.  The way they know where they can perform and the maximum number of performers is to look for markers like this in the area.

  

Our final stop of the day was Etta's Seafood where we had a fabulous crab cake with a dill tartar sauce.  Oh my...what a great way to end the tour!

After the tour, we found a little café to have a drink and do some relaxing and people watching.  We took another walk through the market before heading back to the hotel.  Here are a few pics from the market.

 

 

Seattle & Alaska...Here We Come!

We're heading to the Pacific Northwest for a little holiday.  We'll spend a few days  in Seattle and then an Alaska cruise!  When we return from the cruise, we'll spend a week in Seattle while Daddy goes to his Vietnam USMC Reunion.  Stay tuned for more on our adventure!

Food Tour of NoDa...thank goodness we were walking

Spent the weekend in Charlotte with two friends from college...of course we all still look like we did when we graduated over 20 years ago!

 

Julie was our hostess and picked the perfect way to spend a gorgeous first day of Fall! Tour De Food offers a variety of walking tours throughout Charlotte's neighborhoods and we headed to NoDa (north of Davidson) to check out seven of its hot spots.  NoDa is the artsy district of Charlotte...very funky and eclectic.  Though it is less than 10 minutes from downtown, it feels miles away.

 

We knew our guide, Scottie, was going to be good when he met us with a box of pastries from Amélie's...a French bakery.  Since the bakery was a little out of the way in NoDa, he picked them up before the tour.  Will definitely visit Amélie's on my next trip to Charlotte!

 

The first official stop on the tour was The Bodega.  Over the years, this spot has been a variety of establishments...just prior to its current reinvention it was the eye-sore of the neighborhood.  The current owners, one CIA trained chef, one Johnson & Wales trained chef and one banker, are keeping it all in the family.  They're still finding their identity and relying on the folks of the 'hood to help them determine what they need to sell.  In addition to made-to-order deli sandwiches, they offer a selection of prepared foods, craft beers, wine and a few daily necessities.  We had a tasting of their deviled eggs (a definite fav of Southerners), chipotle pimento cheese and haystacks...yum yum!

 

Next stop on the tour was Smelly Cat Coffee House.  Yes, the name came from Phoebe of "Friends"...and it is definitely the type of place you'd expect to see Phoebe. Outside of the cafe, they have a small plot of land they make available to some of the disabled members of the neighborhood for gardening...on our visit there were giant sunflowers. 

 

They gave a demonstration of Pour Over Coffee.  The Japanese developed this method of brewing coffee...the water is poured in a thin, steady, slow stream over a filter cone.  As someone who doctors up my coffee, I was very surprised to discover that I was able to drink the coffee black.  Pour Over definitely gives the coffee a smoother taste...of course their selection of beans plays a big part in the final product.

 

After Smelly Cat, we headed over for a little taste of N'awlins in Charlotte at Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen. We were treated to a big cup of Gumbo Ducharme...full of shrimp, chicken, Andouille sausage and crawfish.  The finishing touch was a piece of delicious sweet cornbread.  Again, glad we were walking because we were eating good!

 

Gumbo was followed by a Cider and Cava tasting at Dolce Vita Wine Bar. Oh and they also brought out a turkey, cheese and fig preserve panini.  There seemed to be a common theme among these small business owners...the owner of Dolce Vita is also a former banker.  This joint is not your typical stuffy wine bar...it is very unpretentious. They're all about having fun with beer and wine...is there any other way to be with beer and wine?!

 

As if the sweets from Amélie's weren't enough, our next stop was Tasty Yo for some fro yo.  Tasty Yo was the first frozen yogurt spot in Charlotte...now there's a fro yo spot on just about every corner.  The owner, Michelle, started the business after graduating from college in DC where she had worked in the fro yo biz.  Tasty Yo offers a small selection of freshly made yogurts...usually 2 to 3 flavors available each day and of course there's cool toppings (even fruity Pebbles).  We sampled their original tart (de-lish) and a seasonal fav...pumpkin pie (yum).  Then she fixed each of us a small cup of the pumpkin pie with graham cracker crumbs...oh my...just like eating a piece of pumpkin pie!

 

The final stop of the tour was the newest member of NoDa...Heist Brewery. The building is an old mill and still has the original bricks in the Library.  The owner, Kurt, gave us a great tour of the brew room and of course there was some sampling.  Heist brews 12 different beers...I was particularly fond of their Peach Hefeweizen.  Like many of the restaurants in NoDa, they're working with local artists to showcase their talents.  Heist will unveil locally crafted beer pulls soon. Artists were commissioned to created a beer pull that would feel comfortable for the bartenders and tell the story of the beer.

 

Kurt has put together an excellent team sure to bring great success.  Executive Chef Rob Masone, of Iron Chef fame, has created a fabulous menu...including some amazing flatbread pizza. Brew Master, Zach Hart, is an award winning brew master...we've already established my fav.  Bar Manager, Stefan Huebner, has created a pretty cool cocktail menu. Heist opened in early September and is a great addition to the neighborhood...it is sure to be the anchor to make NoDa a destination in Charlotte.