Chickenminnie’s Weblog

Today we decided to trek down to Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle because Ken has never seen it. After some consideration we opted to take the bus because the commuter train leaves less frequently leaving much less flexibility with regard to return time. There was some trepidation on my part because of my limited experiences with the CDTA system at home which is comprised of filthy buses full of really sketchy characters. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

One thing I did not realize is that when the buses near the Seattle city limits they go into a tunnel for buses only. There are numerous stops along the way and I was surprised by how nice the platforms were. They were clean, well lighted and it was easy to navigate to the escalator to the street. We walked three blocks to Pike Place Market and it was like being submerged into a different world.

It is immediately apparent that the Seattle grunge scene is very much alive and well and we saw a lot of spikes, mohawks and piercings on young and old alike. There were also a lot of homeless people wrapped in cardboard and sleeping under benches and trees; fortunately there was a lot less panhandling than we experienced in Pioneer Square.

The market is an amazing place. There are three levels with hundreds of little shops selling every imaginable item from hookahs to fresh fish. Every possible nationality is represented here; there are shops selling Mexican day-of-the-dead dolls and stalls selling Tibetan prayer flags and incense. The food shops were amazing as well; I saw French bakeries, pierogi stands and stalls of Vietnamese street food. And the fresh fruit, vegetable and flower markets were beautiful, rivaling any of those in New York City.

The general flavor in Seattle is much less frenetic than the Big Apple and I felt a lot safer there; it was busy but lacked the breathless and exhausting tension found in New York. It’s also substantially cleaner; I read somewhere that the frequent rains serve to wash away a lot of the city crud that tends to build up in the wake of humanity.

After hanging around downtown for several hours and having a nice meal in a funky little lunch place, we headed back to the underground bus stop. We spent a total of five bucks apiece to travel down to Pike Place which is an incredible deal when you consider the aggravation of driving there in the horrendous Seattle traffic and finding a place to park. We are thinking about going back.

The Professor and I arrived in Seattle a couple of days ago for a vacation and it has taken a few days to rid myself of the jet lag cobwebs and write something lucid. It has been five years since my last visit and since I have relatives living here, I thought it was time.

One reason I don’t travel more is because I hate to fly. I’m not afraid to fly or anything like that, but anyone who has flown in the last few years knows what I am talking about. Everything about it seems designed to bring out the absolute worst in humanity. The hassle starts at the security checkpoint and ends when you pick up your luggage from the carousel…if your luggage is indeed there. There are just so many reasons to hate flying that I consider it a minor miracle that people actually do it.

Fortunately our flight was not too bad. We had an equal number of takeoffs and landings, our luggage arrived intact and we didn’t have to put up with anyone too obnoxious on the plane. Our flight in Portland was canceled, but they were kind enough to rebook us on a flight leaving a half hour later. Not bad when you consider just how wrong this can go.

Our hotel ended up being a nice little surprise. It was recently renovated (their website wasn’t lying) and we have a nice room overlooking the Green River that no one seems to have smoked in. There is a great walking trail along the river which we have been using every morning, and we found a train station a block from the hotel which will take us to downtown Seattle for $2.50. Since parking in downtown Seattle is for masochists, this is an awfully good choice. The hotel has a decent free breakfast in the morning, internet access and free coffee all day….amazing.

On our first day we met up with my cousin who took us to a fabulous Chinese restaurant. Out here they are much more authentic; we were the only white people in the place and there was no fork to be found which is a sign that you are in a place that caters primarily to Chinese. The restaurant was part of a giant strip mall of Chinese shops of every description. We browsed through some of the shops after we ate dinner and it was fascinating; some of the oddest things I have ever seen were for sale. Every kind of live fish you can imagine was for sale, strange fruits and vegetables and all kinds of herbs in boxes with inscrutable characters I could not read. My cousin bought some fresh fish, and while we were standing in line at the checkout stand I saw bamboo ear spoons for sale! Their function is apparently just exactly what you might think…very strange. Maybe I’ll pick up one for Sean….

Every spring I must do a driving tour of all my favorite nurseries to get the materials for spring planting. They all have different little specialties and styles, and each one is more fun than the next. It’s imperative that the tour be scheduled before the insane Mother’s Day shoppers, so I went last weekend.

My first stop is 30 miles south to Story’s Nursery in Freehold. With the price of gas being what it is I almost crossed it off my list, but it’s a tradition and I can’t start my garden without a visit. They had a massive fire that leveled the place a couple of years ago, but the rebuilt store is just lovely and worth the trip. It’s the only place I can find the giant nicotianas I like, and their rose selection is usually pretty good. A lot of my David Austin roses have come from there.

The next stop on my trek is Pigliavento’s Greenhouse in Guilderland. They always seem to be my best source for specialty annuals and the only place I have ever seen the Black Magic geraniums I like so much. They are a red so dark as to be nearly black, and do really well in containers.

Not far from Pigliavento’s is the Gade Farm which is probably my hands-down favorite all purpose nursery. It’s a family owned place and the people are super nice. If you are looking for small perennials this is the place, and their prices are fabulous. The bulk of my annuals come from them, heartily supplemented by the Gade Farm gift certificate I get every year from my sweetheart.

Finally, no spring tour would be complete without a trip to the Shaker Shed in Colonie. I discovered this nursery a couple of years ago and it’s the only place that carries burgundy impatiens. They also offer Cut & Come Again zinnias which do just exactly that; it’s an old fashioned variety that’s getting hard to find.

By the time I have made the rounds my Saab looks like the the flower car at a funeral home, and I’m pretty much broke. I’ll get months of pleasure from my purchases, though, and it’s all worth it.