Granville Island Kids Market

Trip Photos: Chicago - Out & About

Ever since my first visit to Chicago in February 1994, it has been my favourite city in the United States. Looking back over the past 14 years I've probably spent at least one year of my life there. I've taken thousands of photos there in times past but this was the first time with my new Canon G9 digital camera. I hope that these photos (and those in 5 subsequent posts) give you a small indication of why I love Chicago so much! Incidentally, to view hundreds of older ones I've posted just click here.











These are two of my favourite ladies: my mom's in the center and my 87 year old friend, Toni, is on the left. We were enjoying a Polish buffet up on Milwaukee Avenue.

Election Signs

Up until now I have seen zero election signs but after visiting my dad today I captured these:


A little colour on an otherwise dreary day!

40 Hours in Seattle

Prior to Danny flying out of SeaTac, we spent a little more time in Seattle. Here are some photos from that visit.

For lunch the first day we went to Applebee's in Renton. There's one in Aguascalientes and is one of Danny's favourite restaurants.
They have an appetizer platter on which you can choose 3 items. Each was excellent but their artichoke, spinach, and cheese dip was outstanding.
We came across this, a LEGO Store, in Bellevue Square. The best feature is that you can buy buckets of individual bricks. As an engineer and a young aficionado of these magical bricks, I absolutely loved this place!
I was in the mood for hot dogs and found Matt's Gourmet Hot Dogs. They had a wide variety of different hot dogs and were delicious!
They also had some hilarious signs. Be sure to enlarge this one:


Danny needed some souvenirs to bring back to Mexico so we headed to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop down on Seattle's waterfront, where I captured this photo.
Our final meal was at a great Mexican restaurant near the home of our friend, Mike. A perfect way to end the 2-month visit of our Mexican amigo, Danny.

Seattle Visit: Day 4

We started off the day by picking up Hannah and heading downtown to the Pike Place Market. It was a perfectly sunny day and the crowds were out en masse.
Until Hannah told me, I didn't know that the Starbucks down at Pike Place was the second one ever. It looks a little different than their mainstream stores and logos on their cups are the original ones with the topless mermaid, not the more politically correct ones familiar with Starbucks customers today. The history of Starbucks is quite an interesting read.


Pike Place Market is a really neat place to visit for tourists and locals alike. Its layout is quite a bit different from Granville Island, which I'm much more familiar with, but is equally interesting and entertaining.
Summer is clearly in full bloom!




Here's a telephoto shot of both Qwest (football) and Safeco (baseball) fields, with the double-decker Alaskan Highway (Hwy 99) in the foreground. For a 3-D view of these beautiful stadiums, click here.
Here's one of the grand failed social experiments. Installed in 2004, five of these toilets cost the taxpayers of Seattle $5 Million. They were self-cleaning and all the rage back then. Unfortunately the idiotic politicians and bureaucrats didn't use a modicum of logic beyond their theories to realize that they'd be inhabited by drug addicts and prostitutes.
They're now being sold on eBay, with a starting bid of $0.99. Lo and behold, the "geniuses" here in Vancouver and Toronto haven't bothered to learn a damned thing from what transpired in Seattle. After several more million dollars are wasted in these two Canadian cities, look for a future eBay posting. One has to wonder if they were spending their own money, would it be wasted so easily?
This is a fascinating mural on Western Avenue near Union. In an artistic way, it shows how electricity is brought from the rural to the urban areas.

This is a beautifully designed staircase on University Street, looking East.
The large statue outside of the Seattle Museum of Art was moving up & down as always ... except for Labor Day, according to Hannah.
Reaching the waterfront, we saw many colourful things!

I've always pronounced the name of this famous Seattle seafood change as "Ivers" but according to Hannah (and others) it's actually pronounced "Eye-Var". I refuse to change!
Heading back into downtown I took a pitstop at a local Starbucks and Danny captured this photo. Last year I saw a similar truck but it was advertising something else at the time. A neat marketing approach to be sure!
On every trip to Seattle, I always love to capture the beautiful Smith Tower. A trip to the observation deck is highly recommended!
Washington State plates but clearly a connection with my homeland!
We tried going to the top of the Bank of America tower, the tallest building in Seattle, but it was closed. :-(



These neon signs herald back to a very different past. I do hope they're preserved.

Why can't I meet more women like this one?
Dinner wasn't happening until 7:30pm so we decided to go for a walk near Lake Union and the University of Washington (hopefully Danny's future school).



Danny took these two great shots of ducks!





Returning back to Lake Union, we discovered this business. I'm sure my friends, Sharon & Caitlin, will be most pleased!
There were many humorous signs like this all over Metro Seattle.
We met up with my friend, John, and his fiance, Tenaya, at this great restaurant in Wallingford.
Afterwards we went for ice cream at a nearby shop. I found the address to be quite amusing.
In the evening, along with our friend, Mike, we photographed downtown Seattle from two different vantage points.
Danny put his artistic skill to work to capture these next 2 photos.