Day 3 - Seattle

A slower, but no less fun day was had as we began our morning with a drive out east to Snoqualmie Falls.  Located about 30 miles away, the drive took us from the Seattle suburbs into the beginnings of the Cascade Mountains.  Swollen rivers, moss-covered tree limbs providing a canopy over the road, and towering cedar and pine made it a glorious trip.  The weather was rainy today, actual rain, so we just donned our rain gear and hiked the paved trail for some amazing overlooks of the falls and the Salish Lodge.  The rush of the water thundered as we approached the edge and we were greeted with a face full of mist as well.  It was gorgeous today with the overcast skies, but I would imagine it would be really amazing with a bright blue sky above.

Our lunch at the Salish Lodge included homemade biscuits which were drizzled with "honey from heaven."  The server brings a big bowl of local honey, dips a spoon in, holds the spoon up high over your biscuit, and lets the honey fall right onto its target.  They've been doing it since 1916 and it represents the falls just outside the window.  With full stomachs, we headed back to Seattle via Bellevue as Jason wanted me to get up-close photos of the Tesla Model 3 car that was on display in the dealership located in the Bellevue shopping mall.

A brief nap back in the room and then into our "fancy" clothes for our night out.  Etta's Seafood was our dinner choice and it's located right on the waterfront near the Pike Place Market.  I thoroughly enjoyed a crab cake, asparagus, and cornbread pudding (corn casserole) while Carolyn chose the salmon.  It was an excellent meal with a beautiful view of the Sound, although it was very gray and foggy.  Our next stop was Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony.  Our seats for the Duke Ellington Orchestra were in the second tier and the view was amazing.  The orchestra provided a good 2 1/2 hours of jazz music hitting Ellington's hits along with some lesser known pieces.  We were fortunate to hear the group play The Queen's Suite in its entirety for only the second time ever live.  I was particularly taken with movement 5, "The Single Petal of a Rose."  The piano solo was amazing.  Heck, ALL the solos were amazing!

We grabbed the light rail from right under the Hall and were quickly whisked to one block away from our inn.  Another great day in the PNW!