Maggie to a T

As a very belated birthday celebration for my mum, we ventured to Laduree for a leisurely afternoon tea. Maggie's favourite sweet was the pistachio macaron and her favourite savoury was the croque monsieur sandwich. Everything was very Instagram-worthy. Speaking of Instagram, do you use it? We are thinking of getting an account for Quatch Watch.

Amazon et al.

My friend JK works at Amazon so he took us around the Amazon campus. Here's Clem at the front desk of Day 1 (all the buildings have nicknames). 

The Amazon Spheres are open to the public every other Saturday. You need to book a ticket in advance (and they book up quickly).

Clem enjoyed making a monster-sized Sphere in the learning centre.

 A highlight of our trip was Amazon Go. Clem was trying to find a snack to bring home to B.

Clem was curious what would happen if she climbed onto a veggie tray, or a yogurt. If you take an item off the shelf and put it back, you won't be charged for the item.

No trip to Seattle is complete without a trip (or several?) to Starbucks! The Roastery in Capitol Hill was really cool. Their menu was extensive. We were tempted to try a flight of espresso but didn't want to be up all night.

Pro travel tip: avoid the wait and order your chowder from Pike Place Chowder online! Clem had the Manhattan style chowder.

We explored Bainbridge Island on our last full day in Seattle. Clem liked the downtown since it had several cute shops. I liked the harbour. We had a local pint there to cap off our trip.

Girls Trip with Clem!

I went on a girls trip with friends from school last weekend. My friends met Maggie on previous trips to Ottawa and Nashville. This time, they met Clem! Our first stop was Pike Place Market.

We went on a nice afternoon stroll along the waterfront.

We also had a great brunch at Shaker + Spear the next day. Thanks JK for the recommendation!

We checked out the Space Needle and the surrounding attractions.

And we checked out a bunch of neighbourhoods, including Ballard. It had a lot of hip stores and restaurants. Clem tried Beecher's cheese with peppercorn toffee ice cream from Salt and Straw.

Kerry Park was a great place to view downtown Seattle. You should be able to see Mount Rainier on a clear day. Our first few days in Seattle were cloudy (and one day, a bit smoky from forest fires).

Clem joined us on a nice hike to Rattlesnake Ledge, a 35-minute drive away from the city.

At the end of our hike, we spent some time at Rattlesnake Lake.

Clem found the perfect shop in Pioneer Square! She was very happy because she loves (loves!) shopping.

Northern Escape

Dumbo and I spent the past weekend in Thunder Bay. The last time I was there was in 2013 with the Mins (see photos here). On this visit, Dumbo and I hung out a good friend at her family's camp (a.k.a. cottage). My friend had a baby not too long ago so it was nice to meet Baby A too.

On our last day, we had a nice stroll along Lake Superior...

...sampled beer at Sleeping Giant Brewery...

...and had a tasty lunch at Nook.

We're spending this weekend in Toronto. We hope you are well, wherever you are!

The Mins' Amazing Wheel

Big shout out to LCH for this fun Ferris wheel. The Mins loves it! He put it together himself.

Tourist Tings

Tim nerded out with me at two very important landmarks - the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress.

Tim thought the architecture was pretty impressive.

This is a photo inside the dome (which is actually made of cast iron, and not stone, otherwise it would be too heavy). The Apotheosis of Washington is the fresco in the middle. It is the size of a basketball court!

Here's Tim looking at another striking ceiling. This room had several statutes on display. The statutes were donated by individual states.

There's a tunnel that connects the Capitol to the the Library of Congress. Tim liked the beaux-arts decor at the library. The ceiling was a feast for the eyes!

Tim got up close and personal with the Gutenberg Bible. He said he could read some of the Latin.

The main reading room was stunning. Tim said that if he had to study, he wouldn't mind doing it in this room.

A few minutes away from the library is the Supreme Court. There were lots of press on the steps so I think Tim may be in the background in a newscast or two.

If you're looking for recommendations in DC, Tim's your bear!

Tim the Art Enthusiast

Our second day in DC was rainy as all get out. We had plans to explore the city via bicycle, but opted for the Botanical Gardens and National Art Gallery instead.

There are several fountains in the National Art Gallery. This one is the Mercury Fountain in the Rotunda.

This was one of Tim's favourite paintings, by Van Gogh.

Tim liked Degas' sculptures, including these horses (mostly because they were Tim's size).

The gallery's modern and contemporary art are housed in a separate building.

This painting by Jackson Pollock is called Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist).

And this one is by Piet Mondrian, a Dutch artist.

Kandinsky and Klimt. Tim liked the colours.

Art that goes pop!

There's a lovely exhibit until July 8th on portraits by Cezanne. Like the other museums on our trip to date, this one was fantastic, and free (even though not a Smithsonian)!

Face Time

After Tim's power nap, we walked up the street to the National Portrait Gallery. Tim met a friendly dinosaur named Conrad. Conrad documents his travels via photos, like us!

Can you guess who is the man above? He has a popular musical named after him...

Tim with the first president, George Washington...

...and with Barack Obama!

Oh, and Michelle too!

The museum is massive! We spent a solid three hours there. And like other Smithsonians in the city, the museum is free - woohoo!

Tim in DC

Earlier this month, Tim repped his friends on a trip to Washington, DC. Tim had his own seat on the plane, and spent the whole flight looking out the window.

Tim also had his own queen-sized bed at the Kimpton Palomar. We don't have cable at home, so watching TV in the hotel room was a real treat.

Tim visited several museums. The first one was the Renwick Gallery. It featured some cool art from Burning Man. One room was dedicated to a wooden temple where people could leave inscriptions on small wooden plaques. A temple is built at the festival each year.

To the left of Tim are the ten principles of Burning Man: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy. The bus in the background has been converted into a mini movie theatre.

On our way to lunch, we made a quick pit stop at the White House for a photo op. No Trump in sight...

We had a great pulled pork sandwich at Hill Country. Tim had a few bites, and then took a power nap.

Name that City

Tim was a great companion to visit museums in this city. Where did we go?!?