Happy Valentine's Day Amore

To My Dearest Chiquito:

I want to be yours

Not for a day

Not for a year

But for a lifetime

I love you

Wish I was there to tell you how much

You are all that is beautiful to me and I miss you so much.

Ti amo.....Bacione

Piccola

Missing in Seattle Part 1

The next stop on our Northwest Coast tour was Seattle. The Emerald City. We were both pretty excited since neither one of us had ever been there. It was a short 3 1/2 hour drive from Portland and that's only because we got caught up in some traffic around Olympia. As soon as we unloaded our luggage we were off to explore this beautiful city. I had one thing on my mind.....CHOWDER!! And I didn't care if it was clam, seafood...whatever! I just wanted me some chowder.

We made our way to the Public Market and it was later in the afternoon so the action was gone and things were closed down. Luckily, the next day was the 100th Anniversary of Public Market. We had no idea! But we were in for a treat!

I found my chowder house!! Pike's Place Chowder was calling my name. And they have award winning chowder. Boy did I hit pay dirt! Unfortunately, when we found it, it was closed but that wasn't going to stop me. I'd be back tomorrow for my very own bowl. The Italian isn't a big fan of seafood, so I wouldn't have to share. Doesn't it look scrumptious??!! In case your wondering, it's seafood chowder and it was the best I EVER had. Yep, it's that good. I just about licked the bread bowl dry.

After walking around Pike's Place and downtown we decided to head back to our room to freshen up for dinner. The Italian's Lonely Planet guidebook suggested we eat dinner at McCormick's, a seafood and steak house. So off we headed on foot in search of our dinner. On the way there we passed by Morton's, you know, the famous steakhouse. I'll have to write a separate post about our experience at Morton's in Portland. It was memorable to say the least.

I was surprised when the Italian ordered fish. I think he had trout or something like that and I had salmon. We ordered the suggested wine and it went perfectly with our meal. Everything was delicious. I highly recommend this place if you are ever in downtown Seattle.
As we walked back to our hotel through downtown, we ran into a familiar friend. The Italian had to have his picture taken with the guy. He was being a little camera shy and gave us his back. We were pretty exhausted when we made it back to the hotel and decided to call it a night.

Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach is about an hour west of Portland and what a beautiful beach it is. The beach to your front and the forest right behind you. Where else in the world can you find this?? Cannon Beach was named for a cannon that was discovered on the beach. In 1846, the U.S. Navy schooner Shark was wrecked while trying to leave the Columbia River. A large piece of the schooner's deck with a cannon and capstan attached washed up on the beach, and the town's name is based on this event.

The arts are emphasized in Cannon Beach, and some of the best crafts, shopping and galleries on the coast are located here. The city is planned for strolling, and many visitors take advantage of this to visit the quaint bookstores, shops and bistros. Strict planning regulations have helped Cannon Beach keep its earth toned, rustic look.
We had great weather the first day we were there, the rest of the time was overcast and rainy, in August! Only in Oregon...We stayed at a quaint hotel called Inn at Cannon Beach. It's a really romantic little spot. Our room had a fireplace and a jacuzzi tub. Sorry, those pics won't be posted here. The Italian might not approve! The hotel offered a deluxe continental breakfast and they even had a BBQ for guests on Saturday with hot dogs and hamburgers, yum! The meat-loving Italian was in heaven.
Cannon Beach is also a seafood lovers' paradise. I think I ate clam chowder at every restaurant we dined in, except for when we went out for a fancy dinner at Newmans at 988 That was a pleasure for the senses!!
Since the weather wasn't cooperating we drove up and down the coast exploring different places including Ecola State Park, Astoria and the Tillamook Cheese Factory for free samples of yummy cheddar cheese!! Even though the weather wasn't ideal for us beachgoers, we still had a great time. We realy bonded on this trip to the beach, grew even closer and fell deeper in love :) I highly recommend a trip to Cannon Beach. It just may be the thing your relationship needs!