Seattle With My Sis

Last Friday as I wrote my last post I was madly throwing stuff in the car to take the kids to Seattle with my sister Alisa. Alisa was out here for a friend's wedding and needed to be at the reception near Seattle on Saturday evening. So we were brave enough (or stupid enough?) to attempt to do Seattle with 4 kids in tow. We drove up Friday night and stayed at the Silver Cloud Inn (where we stayed for spring break a couple years ago). Jared and Camryn were THRILLED. In their eyes, this place might as well be the Four Seasons, even though we didn't get to swim in the slightly chilly pool this time around. Two words for you: breakfast buffet. Anything that includes hot waffles, greasy sausage links and all the sugary cheap pastries that you can eat is a winner in their book.

We took the hotel shuttle to Pike's Market and had a fun time dinking around enjoying the card tricks and balloon creations of the street entertainers amid Jackson's periodic tantrums that would ensue whenever we went someplace where he couldn't see boats (i.e. pretty much anyplace in Pike's Market besides the waterfront overlook). Apparently going to bed at 10:00 pm and being kept up by siblings who are too excited to sleep doesn't agree with Jackson. Go figure.

Jackson's favorite spot overlooking the waterfront and I-5: Cars and Boats! Jared is sulking because he wants to go back to the market instead of watching boats.

Jackson downing one of scores of fruit snack packages....

Between bribery, balloon animals, a copious quantity of fruit snacks and sheer willpower, we managed to see at least a tiny bit of the market with a great deal of screaming and running over of strangers' toes with the double stroller. (The screaming was from Jackson, not the strangers.) Having thus exhausted ourselves, Alisa and I turned to our other main goal of the day: amazing seafood. We headed to Elliott's Oyster House on the waterfront and scored a waterfront table on the patio where Jackson could watch the boats to his heart's delight.

Jackson: Boats! Boats! Dere's a boat! Jared: Will you let me eat my fish and chips already?

The other kids similarly settled in and got comfortable while Alisa and I pondered which of the fresh seafood offerings to enjoy.

Camryn taking a break after our exhausting sight-seeing.

Catching some rays in Seattle- before mom made her sit up and be polite.

Alisa had never had crab, so we settled on fresh steamed Dungeness crab and Alder Planked Fresh Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with a smoked tomato-onion beurre blanc.

Love me some seafood!

The salmon and vegetables were absolutely fantastic, but the crab was, in Alisa's words, "Life-changing. Really, I'm not sure I knew that food could taste that good." I think it was a successful experience for a first-timer. :)

Don't even think about eating my crab!

We managed to get through the amazing meal, kids and all, with only a moderate re-arrangement of kids meals, an additional order of sliced apples and one lost child. Somehow when we were in the process of shuffling kids through the restroom, Camryn climbed over the railing of the restaurant onto the pier to get one of her kids meal crayons. When she came back we had left (each assuming the other one had her), so she wandered off down the street to find us. Someone found her and she gave them Dave's cell phone number so Dave got the surprising call of "Hi! I'm at the Seattle waterfront and I've found your daughter." He called Alisa who found me (who was still in the bathroom, shuffling kids through and/or changing a diaper) and we were reunited with Camryn. (Just in case you are wondering- from my earlier post about reasonable limits for your child to explore- no, exploring the Seattle waterfront as a seven-year-old isn't on my okay list.)

We made one last attempt at Pike's Market, but once we were away from the view of the boats Jackson reverted to his spirited protests of this infringement on his nautical observation. So I bought some flowers and some frozen Beecher's Mac and Cheese to-go and we headed back to the shuttle stop. But not without picking up some cheesecake at "The Confectional" and some amazing chocolates at The Chocolate Box.

I tried bribing the screaming Jackson with some gelato, but to no avail. You know it's bad when he screams, "No ice cream! No ice cream! No chocolate!" So I contented myself by self-medicating with a truffle or two, knowing that he would be perfectly fine once we were back on the shuttle. ("Bus!! Bus!!")

The Ben Hur: Dark Chocolate, Marzipan and Pecans. Super yum!

I didn't get one of these, but the Nemo truffles were so cute I had to take a picture.