I like to collection information on destinations, be they food, travel or otherwise. This satisfies my need for making lists, for subsequently crossing things off of lists, and for knowing where to find "the good stuff". For instance, I have a folder of bookmarks dedicated to Seattle, and this past weekend provided the perfect opportunity to check some of them out, along with discovering other gems.

After dropping our things off at the Chambered Nautilus (a great b&b near the university), we headed straight to... the Chittenden Locks! Truth be told, the locks themselves were not all that exciting. No, the real excitement was in watching the action at the fish ladder (I am not joking). Dinner afterwards consisted of multiple tapas from Essex; the cauliflower toasts and rhubarb toasts were particular hits. The pictures above were taken the next day at the Chihuly Garden and Glass, which was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. The Boat Street Cafe provided lovely lunch fare (there was a cornmeal custard thing drenched in maple syrup that was pretty fabulous), and then it was off to Bainbridge Island where we enjoyed a driving tour of the island and wine and cheese tastings (keep it up, Eleven winery!). On our last day, we quickly ran through Pike Place Market (thankfully avoiding the gum wall) before taking the underground tour. The best meal of the trip might just have been sandwiches at the Grand Central Bakery and then we left Seattle and headed for Woodinville. We were not expecting Woodinville to be a wine tasting hub, but that is what we found. And finally, we hit Trader Joe's in Bellingham for the cheese arbitrage. Next up... Portland in July!