Active Lifestyle

Fiesta 5k Ole! and Taco Truck Challenge

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Cinco De Mayo on May 5th brought food and fit together!  A great way to start May off, right?  This is the first year for the Fiesta 5k Ole and the second annual 107.7 The End Taco Truck Challenge. http://www.fiesta5kole.com/   Both took place at Volunteer Park in Seattle.  The run/walk started and ended at the park and wound through the historic neighborhoods nearby.  Watch your footing here as the pavement/roads are not the best, but it was nice first year for this event.  The event benefited the HopeHeart Institute http://www.hopeheart.org/.  A margarita garden opened right after the race and the taco trucks opened for business shortly thereafter.  The top three finishers (men’s and women’s categories) received awards and the best costumes also won a prize.  Costumes consisted of ponchos, moustaches, sombreros, an inflatable Corona bottle, lime/pepper fiesta beads, maracas, and someone carried a pinata too.  Live music started around 1:30 pm with the event ending at 9 pm.  Those participating in the event received a white Fiesta 5k Ole t-shirt. Snacks and water were available after the run.  Sponsors were on hand with samples and information.

The 107.7 The End Taco Truck Challenge had a good selection of vendors/mobile trucks to satisfy your taste buds.  These included El Camion (the Challenge favorite), Contigo Modern Mexican, Here and There, Taquiera La Fondita, Lumpia World, Skillet, Charlie’s Buns ‘n Stuff, Snout & Co., Athena’s, Fusion on the Run, Streetzeria, and more.  As the lines were quite long for El Camion, we enjoyed samplings from Lumpia, fish tacos from Here and There, and Tres Quesos Gordita along with Carnitas Rojas and Short Rib tacos at Contigo.  I overheard that the Cuban Sandwich at Snout & Co. was quite good.

Some walking/running events have already come and gone, including the MS Walk (www.walk4ms.org),  but others are right around the corner.  Check out http://www.runningintheusa.com/race/List.aspx?Rank=Month&Month=5&State=WA&Page=1 for a list of events in Washington State.  This site will allow you to sort by type of race, month, etc…

Month of May

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The month of May is the start of the festival season, the summer concert calendars have just been released, it’s a month of planning and one with so much to do.

There is a plethora of things to do this month – here is a sampling of ideas:

  • Apple Blossom Festival through May 6th in Wenatchee
  • Opening Day of boating season – May 5th
  • Watch the Kentucky Derby or take in a race at Emerald Downs
  • Gig Harbor Beer Festival – May 12
  • Spring Barrel Tasting, Lake Chelan – May 19-20th
  • The Mobile Food Truck Rodeo – May 6th – Fremont Studios
  • ’49er Days – May 11-13th in Winthrop
  • May 18th – Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980 – plan a trip
  • Penn Cove Water Festival, Coupeville – May 19th
  • 41st Annual Methow Valley Rodeo – May 26-27th
  • Rhododendron Festival, Port Townsend May 14-19th
  • Columbia River Wine and Pear Festival – May 19-20th, Hood River, OR
  • Market Flower Festival begins at Pike Place Market
  • 43rd annual University District Street Fair – May 19-20th
  • Viking Fest – May 18,19,20th, Poulbso and Kitsap County
  • Camano Island Studio Tour – always on Mother’s Day weekend – this year May 11-13 with an encore weekend on the May 19-20.  This is a nice event…drive around to various studios/homes –  a wonderful variety of art
  • Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes walk/run – May 20th
  • Celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5th – http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/04/18/best-cinco-de-mayo-activities-in-puget-sound/
  • Pike Place Market – Seattle Cheese Festival, May 19-20th
  • Market Flower Festival begins at Pike Place Market
  • Summerfest May 26-28th in Long Beach
  • Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center – Memorial Day weekend

Enjoy!

Space Needle at 50!

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Today begins a six month celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the World’s Fair and the Space Needle… as a Seattle, Washington symbol and attraction.  The celebration runs April 21 – October 21st, 2012.

The Seattle Center showcases festivals, sporting events, fireworks at the Needle on New Year’s Eve, arts & entertainment, and holiday happenings.  The Seattle Center is changing and leaving behind some history with it.  One thing that the Space Needle represented fifty years ago is the future (space age), and today in 2012, the anniversary celebration takes on “The Next Fifty” in which the city will be focusing on the areas that will promote future development and well-being for the area.  Many human interest stories and other are being showcased right now… whether it be the iron worker that helped build the Space Needle, the shuttle drivers, or of those that came to enjoy the rides.  It was just recently that the amusement part of the Seattle Center has been removed.  Elvis Presley showed up at the fair in the late summer to shoot “It Happened At The World’s Fair”.  There have been books published.  The local newspapers, magazines, and news stations of the Puget Sound are featuring these stories.  Check out their websites for past photos, stories, and a list of events.

A number of events, publications, and attractions that are surrounding this celebration are:

I could go on and on about all the activities, both those that regularly occur here, as well as those that focus on the 1962 World’s Fair 50th Anniversary.  To help you gather your itinerary and make your plans:  www.spaceneedle.com; www.seattlecenter.com; www.pacificsciencenter.org; www.thenextfifty.org; www.mccawhall.com; www.chihulygardenandglass.com; www.seattlemonorail.com; www.keyarena.com; www.empsfm.org; www.2daysinseattle.com; www.visitseattle.org

Whether you are 20 or 90 years of age, take the time to learn or to remember, and you will no doubt find it fascinating.  This was and is both a local and international celebration.  So cool!

Hello April!

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It is April 1st and it is a time to think ahead to sunnier days and the upcoming festival season.  Have you started getting tickets to the plethora of summer concerts?  Did you know that this March was the 3rd wettest on record for March in Seattle history?  Why am I thinking Summer when it is Spring?  It’s the time of year to Spring ahead, right?

Looking for something to do this month?  Here is a sampling of ideas:

  • Head to Mount Vernon (and surrounding towns) to see the tulip fields – the largest display in the great US of A
  • It’s National Park Week – admission to the National Park’s is free all week April 21 – April 29th
  • Enjoy a new restaurant during Seattle Restaurant Week – April 8 – 12th and 15 – 19th
  • Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival – April 7th at the Seattle Design Center
  • The Space Needle starts their 50-year celebration this month (a separate post coming soon)
  • Pike Place Market – April 20th Arcade Lights: a celebration of artisan food, beer, and wine
  • Support a cause – how about the MS Walk on April 15th? Alaska Airlines Arena/UW
  • Go shopping for a pop of color
  • April 21st – World Class Crab Races and Feed, Westport, WA
  • Moooove on over to the Spring Fair in Puyallup – April 19th – 22nd
  • See the Pacific Northwest Ballet perform Carmina Burana and Apollo at McCaw Hall
  • Check out the 3rd annual Mt. Rainier Spring Wine Festival in Ashford, WA on April 28th (2-8 pm)
  • Astoria, OR hosts the 30th annual Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival – April 27, 28, 29th
  • Take a walk on a trail closest to you…or maybe within four hours reach?
  • It’s baseball season – get in to the swing of things with a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field
  • Check your listings for an Earth Day event
  • Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival 2012 at the Seattle Center

Rat City Rollergirls

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Have you been wanting to go to one of those “I have to try at least once in my lifetime” kind of events? Well, this is it!  Roller Derby at its finest… Seattle’s own Rat City Rollergirls!  http://ratcityrollergirls.com/  Check out their site to learn about the sport, the teams, the Rollergirls, view the schedule (once a month for the next six months)…and more.

The Rat City Rollergirls league is made up of the following four teams –  Throttle Rockets, Grave Danger, Sockit Wenches, and Derby Liberation Front (DLF).  One word:  Interesting.   On this night, all four teams were playing…Sockit Wenches vs. DLF and Throttle Rockets vs. Grave Danger.  Each game (considered a “bout”) consists of two 30 minute periods.  The event is held at Key Arena at the Seattle Center, and yes, the food and drinks are just as expensive as they are at any other sporting event, although the popcorn is “bottomless”.

Each player (and referee) has their own unique name – like Iron Megan, Hard Cora, Panda Beer, Loco Chanel, Sirius Smack, Know Mercy, and Re-AnimateHer…the Ace Frehley makeup and fur leg warmers are cool!  Those who score and keep track of the penalties wear white lab coats.  Check out What is Roller Derby? in “About us” on their website…you’ll find out about jammers and more.  Try to read up on it prior to going!  If you have been, then I’m sure you will want to go again.

Want to become part of a roller derby team?  Are you tough?  Can you roller skate well?  There are clinics for both players and referees as well as a junior roller derby program (I-5 Rollergirls).

Oh, and in case you were wondering, they do have a 50/50 raffle.  🙂

Seattle Mist

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The Seattle Mist is Seattle’s answer to the LFL (Lingerie Football League).  http://www.lflus.com/seattlemist/  If you like football and want to see a bit more skin, then this is the game for you!   There are 12 teams in the LFL (6 in each conference) and play four games each (2 at home, 2 away).  The Seattle Mist finished the season 2-2.  They play two 17-minute (or so) halves at Showare Center in Kent, WA. http://www.showarecenter.com/   There is not a bad seat in the house (but that might depend on your neighbors).  Rock/dance music is played throughout the game… except for when action is in play (love it!).  At the final game, the Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder drum team was in attendance along with four Seattle Seahawks players to assist with the coin toss.   Seattle Mist gear is available for purchase and the gals had a meet & greet/sign autographs after the game.   It’s entertaining, action packed, and makes for a good night out!

Polar Bear Plunge – Happy New Year 2012!

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This New Year’s Day, the annual Polar Bear Plunge returned to the south end of Gene Coulon Park in Renton, WA.  At 11 a.m., many brave souls (or least those that wanted to make a statement) jumped into Lake Washington.  The water was 45 degrees with a temperature of 46 degrees outside.

This year the event was co-sponsored by Ivar’s (and yes, clam chowder was served) and the Reserve Sanctuary Apartments at The Landing. Other Puget Sound dips, plunges, dives, or swims are held at Matthews Beach in Kirkland, Magnuson Park, Ballard and Alki in Seattle, and at Pt. Defiance in Tacoma.  No registration required.  My guess is a couple hundred people showed up for the frigid event in Renton.  Some in costume.

Take the plunge and start the year off with a “chill”!  Happy New Year 2012!

Suncadia Resort

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Suncadia Resort sits just over the Cascade Mountains, 80 miles east of Seattle in the Cle Elum/Roslyn area.  Need a day away?  This just might be it.  On this weekend in October, the 6th annual Suncadia Harvest Festival is a buzz. 

The history in this area abounds.  It  housed the hunting and fishing grounds of the Yakama First Nations people as well as to the former Coal Mine Number 9.  Suncadia has included remnants of the coal mines.

The Suncadia Harvest Festival offers the little tikes a fun time…a straw maze, pumpkin patch, pony rides, and more.  There are arts and crafts, brews and brats, musical entertainment, and mechanical bull and bouncy houses.

Dine – Hoist House Restaurant – an energetic vibe exists, sit indoors or when the weather permits, enjoy the views and fire pits on the patio.  Fifty 6 degrees – located in the Lodge, enjoy a ballgame, happy hour, Wine Flight Wednesday, Prime Rib night or an afternoon of hangin’ out in the afternoon.  Portals, located in the Lodge – a nice selection and beautiful views makes for a nice lunch out with a friend, family, a date with a special someone, or a corporate dinner.  A friend and I enjoyed our time at Portals – great service and menu selection.  The menu changes seasonally.  There are more options…check out the dining section on their website.

Swiftwater Cellars  – When you visit, you’ll see the varied and appetizing menu at The Hoist House and visit The Boutique at Swiftwater.  Enjoy the wine tasting, $10 for their second label, No.9 and for $14, try a flight of the Pick Axe line-up.  The Rope Rider Golf Course is now open!  The pro shop is located here too.  Live music on Friday and Saturday evenings and happy hour is served up from 3-6 pm on weekdays.  http://www.swiftwatercellars.com/

Stay – The Lodge at Suncadia.  Enjoy the Glade Spring Spa.  Rent a vacation home.  Purchase a condo or home.   If you have a wedding or corporate event, reserve The Inn at Suncadia.  Beautiful views and a rustic elegance interior invites…I happen to feel right at home here.

Recreation – A swim and fitness center, motorized scooter rentals, ATV tours, bike rentals, boat rentals, hiking, geo caching, a bike scavenger hunt, golf (Prospector, Tumble Creek, Rope Rider), fly fishing, horseback riding, CampCadia for those 4-12 yrs. of age, and more.  Depending on the season, there is plenty of fun to keep you busy, or relaxed.  In the winter, enjoy ice skating, snowshoeing, skiing, a rope tow tubing hill, snowmobile tours, winter fly fishing…now this all sounds really fun!

My favorite part of their marketing is “Four seasons of fun” http://www.suncadiaresort.com/

A Day of SEA

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A day spent visiting places or seeing things beginning with SEA.  The Seattle Art Museum, Seatown, and the Seattle Seahawks!

The current exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum  http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/   is Beauty & Bounty:  American Art in an Age of Exploration runs June 30 – September 11, 2011.  Yes, you have only one week left to see it.  This exhibit was mainly made up of oil on canvas with some photography and sculpture thrown in.  It also contained the exhibit Reclaimed: Nature & Place Through Contemporary Eyes.  Not my favorite exhibit but I did enjoy the following works of art:

  • Northwest Field Recording (2010) – ink on paper, Victoria Haven  http://www.vichaven.com/  Side A and Side B.  I would love this for my home, office or other…
  • Estes Park (1869) – oil on board, Albert Bierstadt
  • Afternoon along the Shore (1878) – oil on panel, Herman Herzog
  • Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (1878) – oil on canvas, Thomas Moran

Seatown – this restaurant is located on the busy corner of Western and Virginia in Downtown Seattle.  Just a hop skip and a jump to Pike Place Market or across the street to the park where the waters of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains can be seen.  Seatown is a Tom Douglas creation and offers prime viewing of the hustle and bustle of a summer’s day (perfect for the tourist in all of us).  Based on the menu selection and the competition around every corner, I can recommend it for lunch or a late afternoon bite.  The not so pleasant part of the escape – our server had a nonchalant attitude and she took her time with getting us our bill.  What we did enjoy however, besides the location, was the Dungeness Crab Cocktail, Oyster combo, and the Dahlia Bakery bread (with butter and rosemary lardo).  Check out the menu here:  http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/seatown

Seattle Seahawks –  the Seattle Seahawks played their longtime West Coast rival, the Oakland Raiders.  I have a hard time not saying Raiders without ESPN’s Chris Berman’s take on it.  They played at CenturyLink Field in the last preseason game before starting the regular NFL season next Sunday.  The sunset this evening was a beauty.  Prior to the game, Safeco Field’s “The Pen” opens for happy hour where you can quench your thirst and snack on a slice of pepperoni pizza at APizza (or other).  Good stuff!  Seahawks won 20-3.  Next up – Emerald Downs (see May 2010 post)

Crabbing near Anacortes, WA

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An essential Northwest experience IS crabbing (and boating) in the Puget Sound.  It will be a day that you will remember.  It is fun and can be a learning experience too.  I know I learned about buoys, what makes up the food/bait, traps, and that if the crab is female or if it is under the size limit, then the crab should be returned to the waters.  I also found that others take crab that are not their own…very bad!  There is a limit on the number of crabs that can be taken per day during the season and on this day, it was five.  The season for area 8-1 (Deception Pass) currently is open Thursday through Monday and runs through September 5th.  Check out the following site for more interesting facts (and rules) on crabbing in the Puget Sound area:  http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/crab/. 

Go crabbing with a few friends and bring along some good food and wine (for those not driving anyway).  And if you don’t own a boat, there are services that will allow you to partake in this pleasure.  They will take you out in a boat, you’ll catch the crab (no experience necessary), bring you back to the shore and then it’s off to cooking the crab.  An example of this is U-Catch Crab Feast from Camano Culinary Creations http://camano-culinary-creations.com/UCatchCrabFeast.aspx.  In one word, feasting on the Dungeness Crab right after it has been caught – YUM!  If you are curious on how to crack crab, take a look at this – http://www.oregondungeness.org/cracking.shtml  I know I will be studying this prior to my next adventure with crab.

If you desire FRESH..LOCAL oysters or other shellfish to go with your Dungeness Crab feast, visit a Taylor Shellfish Farms retail store in Shelton, Bow or Seattle.  See their website for more information.  http://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/

Happy Crabbing!