We're still living in a hotel (and out of our suitcases) with a few more days until the moving truck arrives, so we're not back to our full routines yet, but below are a couple of random photos from what will be our new neighborhood:
1. The Pike Place Market sign -- a Seattle city landmark:
2. A flower vendor setting up shop in the morning in the market -- I arrived before 10 a.m., that magic hour when everything is fully up and running, so I'll have to go back and get some more photos of the flower vendors when all their goods are out on the tables, because it's quite a sight (not to mention the concentration of floral scents wafting through the air):
3. Fresh market fruits and vegetables!
4. Fresh breads!
I'm honestly looking forward to stumbling out of bed every morning and doing my grocery shopping for the day -- our new place is only about two blocks from the market itself, which is full of locally grown vegetables, fruits and fresh baked breads, plus fresh cheeses, meats and seafood.
5. And I had to introduce you all to my new favorite thing in the world -- chocolate filled figs dipped in dark chocolate (!) from Fran's Chocolates.
Fran's is a regional chocolatier with a boutique in the Four Seasons Hotel, conveniently located only a few blocks from the Market itself. They make great espresso, and their chocolate is deep, dark and slightly bitter, just the way a good chocolate should be:
I sent Marin an order of Fran's chocolates (including the figs) as a late birthday present (her birthday was this past Sunday and I missed it because we were still on the road). She'll have to fill you in on what she thinks of them when they arrive at her office.
6. Another architecture shot from the neighborhood:
There are actual people that live here (for real!) -- I just never seem to include any of them in my photographs.
OFF TOPIC (but absolutely necessary for your continued survival):
10 Looks From Men's Fashion Week You Don't Want to Try At Home -- seriously.
The road trip ended yesterday with our arrival in Seattle. It was cloudy and chilly, which is standard fare for Seattle weather, and a great relief after the intense heat we'd experienced through the Dallas to Scottsdale to Las Vegas to Boise portion of the journey.
I have a few extra photos to share, and while they have no particular theme, they trace the last legs of the trip.
1. Desert landscape between Las Vegas, Nevada and Boise, Idaho:
2. The skies grew progressively cloudier:
3. Coffee in Boise:
4. Abandoned silos between Boise and Seattle:
5. And finally, home sweet home:
The BF and I are still recovering from the trip, and our furniture has yet to show up, so next week will likely prove to be just as chaotic, but at least we're finished with the Cramming Ourselves Into a Vehicle and Driving Like H*ll part.
I'm looking forward to taking photos of perfume bottles again . . . maybe soon?
The Wynn Hotel is my favorite hotel/casino in Vegas -- much of the decorative elements and color schemes are said to have been inspired by paintings in casino mogul Steve Wynn's personal art collection (he's partial to Picasso).
And they have great restaurants, too.
Some detail shots from the mosaic tile patterns in the lobby floor of the Wynn, plus a few uber-whimsical lighting elements:
And I'd be a poor luxury blogger if I didn't include a photo of the Chanel boutique window in the retail shopping promenade -- Chanel had by far the best displays:
The luxury shops in the hotel's promenade were all struggling, with lonely sales clerks looking forlornly through the glass windows as tourists strolled past. Several boutiques where I stopped in had significantly more items on sale than what they offered at regular price.
The BF and I remarked to each other that we don't know how the luxury industry can survive such drastic markdowns on such a large quantity of merchandise. It sucks all the air of desirability out of, say, a Zac Posen, a Narciso Rodriguez or a Roland Mouret when you see racks of their dresses on sale for 60% off.
The only stores at the Wynn where I didn't see sale signs were Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. I didn't see any customers in their shops, either, but hey -- who am I to judge?
It was 99 degrees (fahrenheit) yesterday, but I had the brilliant idea of going outside to see if I could grab some photos. That didn't last long.
I did, however, manage to capture some photos of the ongoing construction of the troubled City Center project that's been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy for the past six months:
And we're walking, we're walking:
To the quietly unassuming 7th Gate of Hell -- Cerebrus is apparently on lunch break:
This must be where all the heat is coming from.
When we drove past Hoover Dam in February, they were only this far on the new bridge:
They've made a lot of progress in almost five months:
And because my favorite things to take photos of while on a trip are odd architectural elements, here are some more random snaps from Hoover Dam:
I would have gotten out of the car and taken some photos that were a little more detailed, but it was nearly 100 degrees outside, so . . . nuts to that!
One thing I found kind of alarming -- take a look at the water level in the reservoir (Lake Mead). The white band on the mountain sides shows how high the water level was behind the dam for a very long time:
There's speculation that Lake Mead will run out of water by 2021: "The lake created by Hoover Dam provides 90% of Las Vegas' water and is less than half full, giving the edge of the lake a bath tub ring visible even far away by air."
You may as well go out with an artery clogging bang:
Their french fries are cooked in pure lard. I'm trying to imagine just how glorious that probably is.
The website is bizarrely hilarious -- the restaurant offers Jolt Cola and non-filter cigarettes as part of their menu, and if you're over 350 pounds, you eat for free: The Heart Attack Grill
Related: the Sasquatch burger (now known as the Kookamonga). Seven and a half pounds of hambuger. If you can eat it in 60 minutes, you get your picture placed in their Hall of Fame, but if you can't finish it, you're forever enshrined in the Hall of Shame.
As of April 30, 2009, one thousand nine hundred and forty six attempts have been made to conquer the Kookamonga -- only five have emerged victorious.
***Note: You see what happens when I go on a road trip? I start blogging about hamburgers and fries . . .
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