SEATTLE— Monday Night Football in Seattle seems like so long ago, but it has only been a month. Yeah, the Lions lost that game on Oct. 5 on a bad no-call. Yeah, they continue to disappoint with an abysmal 1-7 record. Yeah, new owner Martha Firestone-Ford cleaned house by firing a few lingering Millen Era knuckleheads. Maybe the season wouldn't have been so bad if the Lions got that call at Century Link week 4. ...Nah.
The view from Kerry Park
The Lion's fate after that Monday Night Football game definitely took a toll on this Lions fan, but it did not stop me and my friends from having a great time in the city of Seattle.
No first trip is better than a flight to Seattle for a dream matchup between my two favorite teams. Yea, I said it. Seattle has been my de facto favorite since the days of Matt Hassleback.
"Welcome to Tacoma[Seattle], Washington," were the words broadcasted by our pilot. This is where our adventure began. Like every other trio of twenty-something-year-olds, the long day of traveling turned into a search for the best pizza spot in downtown Seattle. We found Hot Mama's.
Mid bite selfie at Hot Mama's
We might have missed this hole in the wall if our eyes weren't peeled. Smack on a dark corner of Capitol Hill, Seattle. The 'za hit the spot and over achieved in my book; I give it 3.5-out-of-4 stars. You should of heard the playlist inside of Hot Mamas, any millennial would of had a ball between the Fall Out Boy and Usher tracks flowing out of the speakers.
The night ended early. There was a big day ahead of us.
Lunch the next day may have been better.
Pinched right in the middle of the Seattle Pier is a quaint-little diner called Lowell's restaurant. I ordered a sourdough bread bowl of fresh clam chowder. Nothing could have hit the spot better. Except for the delectably looking fish tacos special that one of my companions ordered.
Of course we did more touristy things than eat. We visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass where glass blowing artist Chihuly has displayed some of his greatest pieces. The colors of the glass popped in ways that cannot be described. Some of the rooms were so serene that you could just sit motionless staring into the endless shapes of both bulbous and pointy glass sculptures.
Chihuly Garden and Glass
But the penultimate event of the trip was the very luxurious and expensive splurge that me and the guys like to call El Guacho's. This chophouse was an experience of a lifetime to a couple of city slickers who don't get out often. El Guacho's set the bar very high; I am going to have a hard time finding some place better to eat.
We started with a table side Caesar salad prepared from scratch and a side of mac and cheese for the appetizer. A chateaubriand 12 oz fillet with lobster tail, baked potato, asparagus and oven baked cheese tomato were the main course. I wish I could have finished it all right there, but I couldn't. And then comes the complimentary fruit and nut bowl and the tiniest shred of thought that we might get some dessert. I was already bursting half way through the main course, it was the most delighful "full" feeling I have ever experienced. I could have died then with not a worry in the world, it was that good.
Great food, nice people and fun tourist attractions made for the most excellent vacation in Seattle. One thing that I will always remember from this trip—besides that chateaubriand steak— was the beautiful Seattle skyline that featured Mt. Rainier, the highest mountain in the state of Washington. It was perfect weather, didn't rain once, and the view of the mountain was absolutely beautiful.