Coffee, Wine, Flying Fish and the Best Cupcakes Ever
Two weekends ago, Mary and I took our last vacation before we have Baby in tow. Mary's parents were going to be in Seattle visiting family, so we decided we'd tag along.
We made it a long weekend, arriving late Thursday night and staying until Monday. Friday, we got to spend the afternoon hanging out with Mary's cousins who live in Seattle. We drove around West Seattle a bit to catch a great view of the skyline. Afterwards, we walked around Capitol Hill just checking stuff out. There was no shortage of coffee houses, pizza places, and an interesting assortment of shops and bars. All in all, a very cool place.
That night, we all met up for dinner with Mary's parents and aunt and uncle, who came in from outside Seattle to visit as well, at Salty's. I had grilled Alaskan salmon and Mary had king crab legs. After a nice long relaxing dinner, we called it a night. 
Saturday, we decided we'd peruse the Pike Place Market. We spent a few hours just walking around, sampling pastries, baked goods and smoked salmon, and just generally checking things out. Mary's mom treated us to a few nice little treats. One of the more interesting things to see was the fish throwers. 
Not a lot of people were buying the enormous fish, but the few that did provided a great show for us tourists. We also discovered what I consider to be the best cupcakes ever. They were mini cupcakes from a Swedish bakery. Mary and I split a chai cupcake and a pumpkin cupcake. They were perfectly moist and delicious!
That evening we went to a restaurant called Von's Roast House. Again, the food was great. Sunday, after Mass, we made a stop at Bakery Nouveau and were fortunate enough to get a table while we sampled some fabulous pastries (twice baked chocolate croissants, parisian macaroons, passion fruit tarts). Then it was on to some wine tasting! I felt bad that Mary couldn't participate, but I guess that just means we'll have to go back after the baby is born. We only made it to one winery, but it was a good one: Chateau Ste. Michelle. Despite the fact that it was raining, the grounds were beautiful, and the wine was great
After the wine tasting, we said goodbye to Mary's family from Washington, and had one final dinner with Mary's parents at the Pike Brewing Company. I don't think I had very high expectations for the menu, it being a pub, but the food was actually really good. I also had one of their beers, and it was great as well. I definitely recommend stopping there if you're in downtown Seattle.
The next day, Mary and I had breakfast at the hotel, made a quick stop at the market for another pumpkin cookie, and went straight to the airport. Althought it was only a long weekend, the trip was so relaxing and easy-going, it was just what Mary and I needed!