Allie got headbutted.

We woke up this morning giddy from the roast the night before. Layered in jeans, tees and sweatshirts (this is summer??) we decided to spend some of the money we'd previously been thrifty with on a view of Seattle from the Sky Needle.


Upon arriving, we were able to get our picture taken. When viewing it later, we found out the workers must not have liked Jess' earrings with her outfit or the top of her head because both were edited out. The view was pretty cool, except it was foggy (of course) so the tops of the buildings ascended into the mist.


After allowing ourselves a touristy experience, we headed over to Pike Place Market. With a few disagreements over where to park on the street (lot parking was like, eight bucks!) and then which direction to walk, we found ourselves in the bustling atmosphere of what reminded me of NYC Chinatown, minus all the Chinese. There were markets for everything - seafood, fruit, coffee, souvenirs, and bakeries.


On a suggestion from Roadfood, we decided to head to Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar for lunch. YUM! This hole in the wall served up some delicious oysters, clam chowder and fish and chips. The chowder was so creamy, the soup tasted like it was made from mashed potatoes instead of cream. The menus looked liked they were hand written (although we later found out they were not).



With our belly's full, we stopped for some coffee (Allie asked for the third time in recent history what an 'Americano' was) we jumped in the car for Portland! Unfortunately the drive was riddled with traffic but when we finally got there it was worth it.

We checked into our Econo Lodge (thrifty) where Jess began her friendship with the woman behind the counter who recommended a great Lebanese restaurant called Al-Rasheed ( I swear, this could almost be a foodie blog). We ordered the Mezza platter (hummus, baba ganooj, tabbouleh, grape leaves, feta salad, a yogurt like tzitzki,falafel..) and Jess found her new found love for baba ganooj, in which she finished every scrape with lettuce leaves.

After dinner we headed back to the room to make some plans to meet up with out buddy JB and cry hysterically that we were staying in the only hotel in the universe to have HBO but no MTV (for the Jersey Shore season premiere of course!)

The rest of the night can be summed up by using a point system.

Portland has some great free transportation so we waited for the train (+1). Unfortunately while waiting we got made fun of by a gaggle of asians pointing at our fee and giggling. Was it Allie's half toenail? Mine and Jess' stubby toes and nonexistent pinkies? (-1).

The first bar we went to was a hipster bar and the bartender convinced Allie to order some tasty mixed drink with Maker's Mark (+1). However, even sober Jess and I were unable to figure out how to lock the bathroom doors (-1).


JB came(notice Jess' photography skills)!(+1) We made friends with a gay guy who insisted I dance with him (ironic considering the night before). He made me look like a dance superstar with twists, spins and dips (+1). As the night went on, his dips made my head come strikingly close to the floor (-1). He headbutted Allie in the skull by accident (-1). JB was kicked out of the bar when he pretended to hit the guy with a stool (-1).


We ended up at a karaoke bar where we stayed even after last call to sing (+1). Wannabe by the Spicegirls was a hit, and the four other people in the bar sang with us (+1). I've never seen Jess so excited to see a microphone handed to her (+1). JB got to have a second chance singing Piano Man, since his first ever karaoke experience was a disaster (+1).

POINTS TOTAL:
US: 8
Portland: 5

Overall, unlike Denver, we took Portland in our fists and crushed it. I'm going to like it here....