Seattle trip: Island hopping

Yesterday I hung out with my friend Suzanne and her family, who live on picturesque Bainbridge Island, across Puget Sound from Seattle. I picked up my rental car in the morning and drove into downtown Seattle and onto the Bainbridge Island Ferry - the first time I ever drove onto a boat! I took a bunch of photos of the Seattle skyline and waterfront while I was on the ferry (it was about a 30-minute ride).


The Seattle-Bainbridge ferry

Once we docked on Bainbridge, I headed off to meet Suzanne at her beauty products shop (Ambrosia Beauty). She was there with her two adorable kids (PJ and Charlotte) and her friend Ariel and Ariel's two equally adorable children. I got a brief tour of the shop, then headed over with the gang to the toy store next door. Afterwards we all headed up the street to have lunch at a little Mexican restaurant. I had a great time catching up with Suzanne. We hadn't seen each other since she rolled off the project we were both working at in Alabama almost five years ago.


Suzanne in front of her shop

After lunch, we headed over to a cute little candy store where I bought a few items (someone I know will surely enjoy the chocolate espresso beans I picked up, hehe). Then we parted ways with Ariel and her kids, and I followed Suzanne back to her lovely home along the northwest coast of the island. Words cannot describe how beautiful her family's house is! It's like something straight out of a Restoration Hardware catalog. :-) Anyway, we hung out, played with the kids, and chatted some more before deciding to head back to Seattle for dinner, where we would meet up with Suzanne's husband Pat, a pilot who was flying back in from California.


Suzanne & Pat's backyard

We went to this awesome Asian fusion restaurant in downtown Seattle called Wild Ginger. It was crowded, but we managed to find a few seats in the bar area. Pat was running late so Suzanne and I had to keep fending off people who wanted to take his chair, LOL. Anyway, the food was sooo good. We got a bunch of satays (lamb skewers, prawns, and these amazing bbq short ribs) and a seven-flavor beef entree. I also had a yummy mango daiquiri that tasted more like a smoothie than an alcoholic drink. It was a great end to a fun day. Many thanks to Suzanne and her family for spending part of their weekend hanging out with me!


Me and Suzanne at Wild Ginger

Today I plan to do some shopping in/around Bellevue, and if I'm feeling adventurous I may try to drive over to Microsoft HQ in Redmond, just to be able to say I saw it. :-) Pics to come...

Edit: Pics added!