Seattle Memories [part 2]

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Part 2 of Seattle adventures!  =)

For the majority of this section, my Dad's friend's daughter Jungwoon, and her friend Hyesu joined us!

They are both from Korea, but are studying abroad at Arizona State and NYU respectively.

Apparently Jungwoon and I hung out together a lot when we were toddlers, but unfortunately, toddler memories failed both of us, and neither of us remember these incidents  haha!

However, it was fun spending a lot of time together and 'reconnecting' in about 2 decades!

Anyway, I believe this is #7 now from this post?

7.  Visit Ivar's Fish Bar

This is a Seattle classic, and the fish here is so fresh!

and the ordering system is pretty fun as well, especially if you go during their busy hours;

they yell at you, and you yell back at them with what you want  ;)

After you get your food (their chowder is a must try), you can sit outside by the lake and feed the seagulls french fries!  

Don't worry, it may not be the healthiest for them, but the Seattle seagulls have probably evolved differently in order to allow them to survive on french fries;

they just flock to Ivar's for their meal!

8.  Gas Works Park

If you feel the need to burn off the fish and chips that you consumed at Ivar's, 

Gas Works Park is the perfect place to do so!

It used to be an oil refinery, I believe, but instead of tearing everything down, 

they decided to keep everything and make it into a park!

I think it has a post-apocalypse-esq feeling  ;)

It's fun strolling around among the 'ruins' and enjoying the Seattle skyline.

When we visited, there was also this drum circle happening!  pretty awesome!

9.  Chittenden Locks

Seattle is famous for its salmon, and if you are interested in seeing large salmon climbing up the salmon ladder, this is the place to go.

Unfortunately, we missed the closing time by a minute (literally) but we still got to see some salmon passing by through the door!

10.  The Underground Tour

If you are a history nerd like me (and even if you aren't), the Seattle Underground Tour is worth going on at least once.  

I've been on it 4 times now, and I think that is a bit excessive, but the tour guides are really entertaining!

You get to hear pretty hilarious stories about the beginning of this wonderful city called Seattle, which apparently began among such noble acts like much drinking, much prostitution, and much corruption.

Perhaps that's why everyone in Seattle is so chill?

I love this city  ;)  

Also, you'll hear why it is that the 'streets' that we walk on in Seattle connect to not the 1st floor of the buildings you see, but the 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th floors of the buildings!!

Also, if you go into the gift shop, they have some really fun knick knacks to browse through.

For example, we found this book, The Art of Kissing: Tips and Techniques from the 1930s.

Approved Methods of Kissing, eh??  ;)

apparently, the manner in which the kiss is performed is vitally important.

I figured I shouldn't spoil it for the book, but if you feel like knowing how to kiss 1930s style,

check this book out!  hahaha

The 4 of us had a lot of fun giggling over it.  

I mean, what else would you expect?

11.  Go eat at Serious Pie

the pizza here?  so. good!

and you can see them firing it up in the fire oven as you walk in!

what I thought was really cool was that they seat you wherever there's room on this long table, 

so you actually end up sitting next to random strangers!

Perhaps you wouldn't want that if you were on a first date or something,

but we had fun getting to meet people sitting around us  =)

12.  Bottega Italiana.

Gelato.

If there's one thing I can never say 'no' to, it would be any frozen dessert.

Ice cream, sorbet, sherbet, shaved ice, gelato...  

you name it, and I will have it any time of the day, any time of the year.

Bottega Italiana is located next to the Pike Place Market, and their gelato is SO good!!

Strawberry Basil was my favorite  ;)

13.  The Cinebarre

This is only for the 21 and older crowd, since it is a mix between a movie theater and a bar.

But it's so cool because it has a row of chairs and then a row of tables, 

so you can eat and drink as you watch any movie of your choosing.

The crowd is fun too since everyone is over 21, and mostly around the same age, 

it's never crowded, and the atmosphere is a little more casual;

I mean, everyone is eating and laughing along with the movie,

so we never have to worry about being too quiet.

Linda and I visited it to watch the new Batman movie (which was AMAZING), 

and when Garrett, a childhood friend of ours from Aurora, NE, came to visit, 

we went again to watch Hope Springs.

Talk about the most awkward hilarity ever.  =)

Last, but not least,,

14.  Shopping!!!!!

Linda and I visited the Seattle Outlet Mall twice on this trip,

and the second time just so that we can go get these lovelies.

We had seen them the previous trip, but decided against buying them.

However, we just could not get them out of our heads!

The golden beauty was my birthday present from Linda!

Thanks friend!!  You the best!!  ;)

It was so good to see Linda and hang out together in Seattle.

It was a break both of us needed quite desperately,

and I really appreciated the chance to spend some quality time with her before we left for our respective schools for the year.

Linda is attending Columbia University it NYC, and I am SO proud of her!  =D

She's going to be a chemical engineer!!  woot woot!!

Though I am incredibly happy for her,

I can't help but being a bit sad that she'll be so so far away...

NYC to Houston is 1627 miles!!

Ah well, I guess I'll just have to go visit NYC   =p  

no complaints from me there!  haha

Well, thanks for reading about our Seattle adventures!

It is a truly lovely city, and I do hope that you will get to visit and experience it sometime.

Talk to you soon!

--Janny

Seattle Memories

Hello everyone,

Today was day 3 of orientation at Rice, and I can really feel the excitement building up!

But before I launch into everything new that is happening, I just wanted to take a minute and reminisce about Seattle a lil bit  ;)  Especially because Linda and I did so many fun things that I never got to share with all of you!

If you are ever in Seattle, I recommend doing alll of these things!!  =D

1.  Visit the Deception Pass

It is located about an hour and a half north of Seattle, and though it is a little far, 

we unanimously agreed that it was completely worth it when we got there.

I mean, look at these views!

It is one of the most beautiful sights I have seen.

 There are also many opportunities to frolic by the beach or during the hike.  

A couple of the things we enjoyed were climbing boulders and throwing rocks when some sign tells you to not do so.  haha  (don't worry, we didn't actually throw them)

The best part?   

the summit.

you can sit on a ledge and just chill thousands of feet above the ocean and the trees.

The view is really breathtaking.

2.  Golden Gardens Park

If it is above 80 degrees, and you are in Seattle, that means you have GOT to go to the beach.

Why? because you'll only get that temperature for a couple of days out of the year.

tanning season in Seattle is very short, so when it comes, you have to take advantage of it  ;)

but beware,,, the water is still freezing!!

3. Visit Queen Anne.

Queen Anne is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seattle, and it is a darling little place.

I mean, it has things like this ice cream bike!  So cute!

also, it has one of my favorite coffee shops.  

mostly because of this wall,, boooookkksss!!!

Though I mean, I think the coffee is pretty good there as well. I just am not an expert coffee person, so I can't say if it's really top notch or not.

There's also this really awesome sandwich shop called Homegrown.

It's definitely a must-try  =)

4.  Cook at home using incredibly fresh ingredients from various farmer's markets.

Well, this is pretty self explanatory  ;)

5.  Visit Molly Moor's.

Best. Ice cream. Ever.

so. good.

Especially after a night of dancing at a near by swing club  ;)

6.  Visit Color Me Mine.

It is a paint-yourself pottery studio in Mill Creek, WA.  

It's about half an hour north of Seattle, and there are others that are closer. 

We chose this one though because they said they could fire our mugs and have them ready to go in 2 days!

That was crucial since we were flying out in 3 days  haha

It was so much fun, and both Linda and I highly recommend the place  ;)

oh wow.. this is getting to be rather long   haha!

So I will continue with more of our adventures in a different post soon.

Stay tuned for Seattle Memories Part 2!!

Happy Friday!

--Janny

Hello Houston!!

Hello everyone,

I am sorry for such a long absence!  (it's almost been a week!!)

For the past couple of days of Linda's stay in Seattle, we were too busy just hanging out and trying to enjoy our time there to the fullest (especially when our friend Garrett joined us!), 

and then last friday, Dad and I flew down to Houston and we've been working nonstop to furnish my apartment down here. (who would have thought so much stuff was needed to furnish a home!)

It's been a grueling process, but our apartment is finally coming together, 

and I think I'm really going to love living here with my roomy Amulet  =)  

I'll post the pictures of our home soon.

In the meantime, Dad and I took a break from trying to get everything ready before his departure today and took a stroll through the beautiful Rice campus today.

Shepherd School of Music!

right behind the music school

Taking a break in the shade  =)

well, hello Mr. Rice!

beautiful...

Orientation starts tomorrow, and I am still marveling at the fact that I can feel this unbelievable excitement and this feeling of disbelief at the same time.

Is this really happening? Am I really starting my Master's degree at Rice? Is this real??

But I am definitely SO ready to start this fresh new chapter in my life!  =)

Talk to you soon with more updates!

--Janny

Markets and Burgers

Hello everyone,

I know this is an incredibly 'touristy' thing to do, but on the second day of Linda's visit, we ventured out to the Pike Place Market.    

Yes, I know that's where everyone goes when they visit, but I honestly love that place!

Though I have visited the market many many times, every time I go I discover new shops (because there are like 3-4 levels, and I never tend to go visit the bottom most levels), and there always seem to be new stall vendors selling unique and interesting items.  

I absolutely love the energy there!

There are also plenty of shops in the periphery of the market, and these are really fun to visit as well.

This one, for example, was a tea room where we could sit and try all sorts of different teas they carry.

Unfortunately, it was quite chilly (in early August when it's super hot everywhere else, Seattle weather tends to stay around 60s-70s degrees), and drinking hot tea has got to be the best way to warm up!  =D

Though we could have easily had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Pike Place Market, we decided to venture away from that area to visit the Red Mill Burger!

the BEST burger ever.

and their onion rings?!?!  

definitely a must try!

I must warn you though, the burgers are rather large, and you may suffer from 'too much food syndrome' afterwards.  But 'tis still worth every bite!

my friend is so beeuuutiful!

Happy Sunday!

--Janny

Linda + Me.

Hello everyone!

Linda is here in Seattle with me!!!
She is one of my bestest friends, we grew up together in the little town of Aurora, NE, and she is HERE!!  

Obviously, I am ecstatic about her presence here,

and I can't put into words just how excited I was to see her at the airport when I arrived!!

It was my lil bro and Linda who came to pick me up when I landed.

I know, you are thinking, wait,, shouldn't you have been at the airport to greet HER when she arrived?

Yes, yes, I should have. However, since my flight got delayed overnight in Minneapolis, 

Linda got to spend a whole day with my family sans myself.

and nope, it was not weird.  She hung out with my mom, went shopping, and took a nap in my room.

That's the amazing thing about growing up together in a small town;

your friends' parents kinda become your second (or third) set of parents.

After all, I probably spent a similar amount of time in Linda's or Emily's (the third leg of our tripod) houses as I did in my own growing up  =)

After getting home from the airport, I contemplated taking a nap, (exxtttreeeme sleep deprivation, you see) but there was no way I could do that when I was so excited.
So what did we do?  We went shopping!  haha
We didn't end up getting anything--it was more of an excuse to eat ice cream and hang out,
and we loved it!

And we went and watched "To Rome With Love" which sent us into a flurry of daydreaming episodes 

about going to Europe (more specifically Rome) and being romanced by both the city 

and the strapping persons of the opposite sex.  

But mostly the city.  haha

Woody Allen did such a great job about capturing the feel of the city!!  

When the daydreaming episode ended, we went to indulge in what our hearts really desired.

BOOKS!!!!

The Third Place Books in my neighborhood is seriously the greatest.

I can't tell you how many hours I've spent in this place;

new and used books. food. treats. games. clever little items...  can't get much better...

I was so happy to get to share being there with Linda who enjoyed it just as much as I did  =)

We were right at home  =)

Giant chess set?  yes please! 

vending machines these days...

She'll be here for the next week and a half, and I can't wait to explore together the different parts of the greater Seattle area!!
Talk to you soon with more of our adventures!
Happy weekend!
--Janny

a day trip to boston!

Hello everyone,

I went on the day long road trip to Boston after Foulger, 

and it was enough to make me fall in love with the place   =)

I wouldn't necessarily say that it was a love at first sight, but it seems that every time I go visit, 

the more I like the city!  

The city is exciting, yet is more chill (chiller?) than, say, NYC;

It obviously has the east coast vibe, but it still manages to put my west coast heart at ease.

Besides, the buildings are charming.

So much history!!

Because I didn't have much time this trip, and because it wasn't excessively planned out
the way San Francisco trip was, I'm afraid this post is going to be rather short and not very informative at all about what one could potentially do there...  

It was a very chilled out sort of a day among wonderful company, and I loved that very much  haha

But if I could recommend one thing to do, I would highly recommend walking from Cambridge to Boston at night over the bridge.

It is quite a beautiful walk.

city skyline, the full moon, the water...
perfect.

and when you do, you'll notice that the bridge is measured out in Smoots.

I think it was someone from MIT who came up with this unit of measure?  haha

In case you were wondering exactly how big a Smoot is, we found that it is just slightly shorter than Kurt. =)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Friday!

--Janny

Lincoln Center!

Hello everyone!

Last Sunday the participants of the Foulger International Music Festival gave 

our final performances at the Lincoln Center!!!  

There were two different concerts (one at 11 am and one at 6 pm), 

as well as a masterclass with the violinist, Chee-Yun, 

and our octet was chosen as the closer for the first concert.

As you can imagine, everyone was super excited to be performing there, and there was a constant buzz of incredible energy throughout the whole day.

Music making is such an incredible thing because so many things affect the performance, and it's super exhilarating to be a part of such a large group that is feeding off of the energy.

I could already tell the difference before we went on stage because all eight of us were so focused,

smiling, confident, and extremely energized.

Then when we got on stage?  well, we've never had more fun  =)

with the beautiful backdrop of the Manhattan skylines

love these folks

the thing about the energy high is that...  well, you must come down sometime.

and when you do, and you were sleep deprived before, this happens.

enjoying some sun before it started pouring before the evening concert

It was such an incredible experience, and I feel so blessed to have been given such an opportunity.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this year happen,

 it really was a summer to remember!  =)

sigh...  lovely people.
I will miss all of you so much!
till we meet again.  soon.
--Janny