Washington Wine Trip

10/01/10 - 10/09/10

Delta & Alaska Airlines - Hertz Rental Car - US Airways

Clay & Pat Stahl, Michele Heaton, Dick Demchak, Susanne Demchak

United States

Washington

British Columbia

Canada

Friday, 10/01 Limo to Philadelphia Airport & Flight to Seattle

We met at Dick's house for a glass of champagne before the limo ride to the airport. The limo driver was a little early, and as soon as Michele arrived, we were off. It was mid morning, so the traffic was only heavy on I95, so that gave us just enough time to polish off another bottle of champagne.

Everyone had their home computer pre-printed boarding passes and we made our way through the usual security, shoes, jackets, (belated) belts with Dick and Clay getting the special wanding and patting. We still had an hour before boarding, and just beyond the security area was Vino Volo (Wine Flight), a very extensive wine bar, finding out later that they are present in many airport terminals. We all had a three glass California flight, Pat with whites and the other three with reds.

Great!   Right After Security, and With an Hour To Kill, We All Had a 3-Wine Flight(!) Tasting

The timing was perfect, as we then proceeded to board. We thought we were going to get breakfast(!), but it was only a small bag of pretzels, peanuts(!!), or cookies with couple of small bottles of wine (purchased of course, and only with a credit card, no more problem with not having the correct change). We chose seats D and F, but as usual, the middle seat was shortly occupied by Matt on his way to Chicago, happily taking the aisle, and provided nice company for the first leg of the flight.

Only a Little Rain at Takeoff, But No Wind!   We'll Settle For That		Matt Was Good Company

It was a short jaunt to Minneapolis, and we landed a little early. After a pee break, we started toward our gate, We had time, but a tram driver offered to take us there, and that was good as it was quite a way.

We Don't Like Multiple Takeoff & Landings, ...	We Got a Ride Between the Terminals	... But It Does Break Up the Trip Nicely

We boarded early with Dick and found the plane empty, probably the first time that it has ever happened to us. Again, we had seats D and F and again the middle passenger was very happy to trade. This time, our seat mate was Nevil on his way home to Vancouver. Again, Michele and Dick did the same thing on both legs of the flight, and had an empty sear between them on both.

Seatmate Nevil On His Way to Vancouver   Admiring Our Wine Glasses, We Got a Free Bottle!   "Stratovolcano" Mount Rainier: 54 Miles To Seattle

Here it being later in the day and with only a light breakfast, we opted for a couple of cuban sandwiches from the plane's limited list, with some more of those small bottles of ordinary wine. We got the wine ($7 apiece now!), but although we were near the front of the plane, they were out of the cubans(!), so we shared a cheese plate. We landed pretty much on time and it seemed that the trip wasn't so bad with the Minneapolis stop breaking it up into two almost equal parts.

We're Only Here For the Night As the Connecting Flight We Wanted, Will Leave First Thing Tomorrow Morning

We shuttled to the Hotel, and walked the few blocks to dinner at 13 Coins. The restaurant is famous for being open 24 hours, but they are anything but a fast food chain (there is one other in downtown Seattle), and counter seats watching the kitchen are highly prized. We had a great meal at a table and took a taxi the few blocks back to the hotel. It's Seattle, when does the rain start?

Just Overnight, a Short Van Ride From the Airport		And Nearby, Dinner Here With Our First Washington Wines

Saturday, 10/02 Flight to Richland & Walla Walla Wineries

The four of us all originally had planned to use the evening connecting one-hour flight out of Seattle with Alaskan Airlines last night, with Susanne meeting us in Seattle after the winery tours. Only Clay & Pat were able to obtain a reservation for the hour-long Alaskan Airlines flight, while Dick and Michele couldn't even find the existence of the flight! However, we were soon notified that the flight "time had been changed" to a few hours earlier, of course worthless to us. We scheduled it through Orbitz and have doubts that it ever existed! Rejecting a late-night automobile ride over the Cascade Mountains to the wine country, we all finally decided on the one hour Alaskan Airlines commuter flight the next morning. This flight did exist, but we weren't too sure until we taxied away from the gate this morning.

The Departure Time Was a Little Later Than We Thought, and There Was Time For a Snack and Drink Before Boarding.   Yes, They Did Card Us!

Waiting To Board, Just Like Us	We Are on Alaskan, But Flew Horizon, Their Regional Sister With Some Kind of New Propulsion Technology!

It's the shortest flight we've taken in a long while but Clay had the longest security pat-down ever. There was no beer or wine available -- probably too early in the morning. We did get a bag of trail mix and juice (big whoops).

It's Only An Hour Hop Over the Cascades, But What a Difference!   It's All Desert, With the Only Green Areas Being Irrigated Farms and Vineyards

Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland Are the Three Cities.   We will Stay in Richland		Yep, We Are In the Right Place!

Saturday, 10/02 to Tuesday 10/05 In the Washington AVAs

Wednesday, 10/06 Seattle

Our Hotel, Same Chain As In Portland Last Year.   We Made the Free (Well, Included) Wine Tasting Two Of the Three Days That We Were Here

Extremely Hilly, Especially Near the Waterfront	Tall Buildings Downtown & a Landmark	Qwest (Seawhawks) & Safeco (Mariners) Fields

This is sort of a "free day", so Clay and Pat headed out for Pike Market, looking like an easy walk on the tourist map. However, we made it difficult on ourselves, assuming that the market extended all the way down to the waterfront, and we headed to the waterfront a few blocks to its north, going (very) downhill, expecting that heading north along the water would bring us to the market. It was interesting, but probably not worth the extra walk, as the market was then a few blocks off the water, and (very) up!

Never Saw This Anywhere	2 Nautical(!?) Sculptures		Gold Rush Historical Marker	Great!   An Elevator Back Up!   Not!

It Is a Farmer's Market, But Also a Popular Tourist Attraction.   There are Guided Tours!   The Lower Levels Have Mostly Store-Like Shops

The Specialty Is Of Course Fish, and There Is Quite a Show, Throwing Fish Around As They Stock The Counters.     The One That Got Away?

Rachel, The Charity Piggy Bank	Independent Contractor	Across the Street, The Original Starbucks	Dine In Beecher's Cheese Shop!

Lunch Here In Pike Place Market.   Un Crepe Aux Efinard et Jambon, et Crepe Aux Tomates.   Et Deux Merlots, Bien Sur!

Brewpub Next To (Technically In) the Market.   We Sat At the Bar, But There Is Brewing Equipment Interspersed Among The Dining Room Tables

Across the Street From the Market.   Wine & Truffles!   The Tasting Sign Caught Our Eye. We Bought 3 Bottles and They Also Shipped Our Other 9.   Genial Host Steve Body's "pour fool" Blog Is On www.seattlepi.com

Walk Back To the Hotel, a Little Uphill	Who's Winning?     Nonchalant Him!  ↑	Hotel: Winery Name Over Door, & Its Print On Wall

We took time out from sightseeing to watch the Phillies and Halladay no-hit the Reds on Pat's Birthday and made it down to the hotel lobby for the 5 o'clock wine tasting. Very nice, the same as the hotel in Portland, hors d'oeuvres, two whites and two reds, all Washington, of course. Another brief respite in the room and the five of us (now including Susanne) met in the lobby to go to dinner. Clay walked and the others took a cab (downhill) to the South end of the market and Place Pigalle.

Back to Pike Market For Dinner At This Fancy French Place In the Back Of the Market Facing the Water.   $$$.   But Very Nice!

Clay & Pat walked back and stopped off at the brewpub Rock Bottom, on the way. It was a nice break in the few block, but mostly uphill, walk back to the hotel.

Just Very Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies		Too Old For After Dinner Drinks There, Ahh, Here's a Brewpub

We woke up in the middle of the night by a cream light on the wall intermittently turning on and off. A call to the front desk brought the reply that it was a fire warning light, but was set off by accident, there was no fire, and would be turned off "shortly". That turned out to be over a half hour! Michele had the same problem plus a couple of wrong number telephone calls losing an hour of sleep for her. Dick's and Susanne's room on the 10^th floor does not have such a light! We think the top two floors were added after the fire codes changed, as the 10^th & 11^th buttons in the elevator are separated from the others.

Thursday, 10/07 Victoria, Canada

The hotel does have a restaurant, and we had breakfast at the Vintage Park in Portland, but here Pat & Clay ventured out early to find a place, but mostly seeing what appeared to be coffee shops, Starbucks and otherwise. We were successful after a circuitous walk that brought us back to within a block and a half of the hotel.

One Of The Few Non-Starbucks	Very Nice Area, Flowers and Sculptures		Finally, But Only "Coffee" Coffee!

Today we are spending the day in Victoria, Canada taking a 2¾ hour (each way) catamaran from Seattle to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Dick had mis-set his alarm, so he and Susanne were a little late, but we still had plenty of time and got two taxis promptly. Check in was the usual hurry-up and wait, and of course we needed our passports with modern security. We took a seat with a table between us and after we were well under way, noticed a sign that the seats (for 6) were reserved for the handicapped and elderly! OK on both counts! An announcement came that dramamine was available for 25¢, if you get seasick, or "don't want to know if you get seasick". Only Michele got one on the way over, but the ride in both directions seemed extremely smooth to us, although It is probably a lot rougher at times. While on the boat, We and the Demchaks signed up for the Butchart Gardens Combo Tour, and Michele is going to Craigdarroch Castle, Miniature Village, and High Tea at the (Fairmont) Empress Hotel, all walkable in town.

It's a Cataraman, Averaging 30 Knots, Takes 2¾ hours.   An Announcement Was Made: "Keep Empty Seats Clear, As This Trip Is Full"!   Not!

The Combo Tour Was a Ride Through Victoria, But Only Enough to Get Us To the Butchart Gardens			Parliament.   George Vancouver On Top!

The Butchart Gardens are 14 miles North of Victoria, and is the biggest attraction on the Island. Robert Pim Butchart, made his fortune making Portland cement, and lived on the grounds of what is now the gardens. His wife Jennie, started the gardens in an exhausted limestone pit used by the factory . We had an ample two hours, and needed only about half of that to see most everything on the Map & Guide that came with the admission. After we had our fauna fill, we tried to go into the fine restaurant that used to be the Butchart home to have a drink, as we are having a "linner" (lunch/dinner) later with Dick & Susanne when we get back to Victoria on the bus. But they wouldn't let us in for just a drink without food, so we went to the Cafeteria-style Blue Poppy which has no such restrictions!

Started in the Early 1900s, It Has a Million Visitors a Year	The Snail Pond Just Inside the Entrance	Totem Poles Carved by Tsartlip and Tsawout	It's Not a Good Time For The Rose Garden. July and August Are Best For Them!

The Sunken Garden In the Old Limestone Pit Is the Oldest, Largest, and Most Spectacular of All the Gardens.       Limestone Lake Fountain Within

The Japanese Gardens, Not Too Many Flowers Here, But Typical.   Portland's (Last Year) is Nicer!			The Star Pond

55 Acres and 50 Gardeners!   The Italian Garden, Including a Florentine Mercury Sculpture			A Drink Here At the End

The bus ride back was similarly efficient and let us off in the center of town in front of the Empress. Dick, Susanne, Clay and Pat had "linner" at Milestone across the street next to the harbor. It is a chain with 25 or so locations throughout Canada, but with a couple of bottles of surprisingly decent Canadian wine, fine for us. Pat, Dick, and Susanne walked back to the ferry terminal, while Clay walked along the harbor to the Swan Hotel & Brewpub and sat next to a guy at the bar that bent his ear for the entire half-hour. A twenty tendered for the beer brought the change in Canadian, but it spent well on the ferry back!

Back In Victoria.   "Homecoming" Canadian Navy 100 Year Celebration	Our Victoria Clipper IV Across The Harbor All Ready For Us	Bascule (Counter Weight) Johnson Street Bridge.   Replacement Flap!	A Brewpub Beer & Canadian Change

The Historic (Fairmont) Empress Hotel	Tourist-Friendly Natural Harbor, Or Is It Harbour Here!	More Nearby	A Cycle Taxi?

All five of us met at the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare and boarding was right on time. This is the last ferry of this day (there are more in the summer), so we had to be prompt!

We'll Take the Clipper	Safety Demo, Similar To the Airlines	Continually Updated -- I Guess We're Going OK!

We were on board pretty quick, but the same "Handicapped & Elderly" seat was taken and the occupants didn't like Susanne pointing that out! They probably would have moved, but there were plenty of (six) seats, so we took one two seats away. The ride back was as smooth as the one going over, but it soon got dark, so there wasn't much to see. Clay, Pat, Dick & Michele got a white and a red to pass the time and we were soon in taxis to the hotel and crashed after the busy day.

Friday, 10/08 Seattle

Pat & Dick Shipping Our Wine at La Bonna Tavola	Hot Pepper Stand Next Door	Enterprising (& Talented) Kids

We had asked the hotel desk the previous evening to get 11:30 lunch reservation at the Space Needle, but they said this morning that they were full. The Stahls and Dick are having the Wine & Truffle shop at Pike Market, where we had the tasting two days ago, ship our 9 bottles each (and three bottles each of their) wine. The hotel got us a van that could take all five and the wine down to Pike Market and let us off within a half-block of the shop. Pat borrowed a hand truck from the store, and we got the wine over a crowded and bumpy sidewalk to the shop, filled out a form and that was that.

Dick suggested we just take taxis to the Space Needle, and ask if they had a lunch cancellation. If not, then we'll just pay to go to the observation deck.

You Can't Get Lost In Seattle With Its Easy-To-Follow Grid Anyway, But This Is Visible From All Over Town		Lots of Art And Activities Around the Space Needle, Here "Black Lightning" Ronald Bladen 1981	Not Even If We Wanted!   Know What Happened In Philadelphia?

Dick, you're a genius! (We guess) they had a cancellation and we can now have lunch. It's a much better deal, as each person only has to spend $25 at lunch and then you have the use of the observation deck. It would cost $18 just to go up to the observation deck without lunch, and with their prices, meeting the $25 limit was easy!

Special Entrance For the Dining Room	Probably a Special Elevator Also	Spectacular View.   How About a Little Clearing Up?

The Needle and the Monorail Were Both Built For the 1962 World's Fair		Downtown Seattle

Left: Qwest Field, Seawhawks and Sounders (Soccer)   Right: Safeco Field, Mariners	Observation Deck is 550 feet, Top Is 605 feet.   Mount Rainier Is Visible On a Clear Day Today Was Anything But!   Still, We'll Take the Lack Of Precipitation

Two days ago, Michele went to Pioneer Square for the "Underground" Tour, but just missed it. We wanted to do that also, so we took a taxi there and were just in time. Pioneer Square was once the heart of the city, and the streets were raised to prevent the tides from backing up the sewers and into the toilets. The space that was created underneath is now a big tourist attraction.

Once the Heart Of the City, Pioneer Square Is Actually a Triangle!		A Pre-Tour History Talk	We're On Our Way Underground

Good Host, Too Many Puns!	After an 1889 Fire, the Streets Were Raised 35' to Create What is Now the Underground.   Tours Started in 1965

We Had Multiple Extrances and Exits	The Underground Used to be the Streets and Storefronts Of Old Downtown Seattle

Even though it is mid-afternoon, we had enough sightseeing and took a taxi back to the hotel even though it was only about a dozen city blocks, but uphill! We went to Dick's and Susanne's room to see the Phillies beat the Reds with a great comeback effort, taking time out to briefly attend the daily wine tasting in the lobby.

The Phillies Rallied To Beat the Reds In the Second Divisional Playoff Game

We walked the seven blocks (downhill) to Icon for dinner. Clay hadn't taken nearly enough photos, forgot the camera, and had to backtrack a few blocks that made us a few minutes late. The others were there after a taxi ride.

"Aroused Americana" Cooking. Mostly California Wine List, But Michele Found a Good Washington White and Red!

Pat and Clay walked back, getting tired (mentally and physically) of the hilly terrain (mostly the uphill part), and had a drink in the hotel bar before calling it a vacation.

Back to the Hotel: The Tower!   Start Of the Monorail.       Plays -- Mostly Musicals.   Home Sweet Home

We Redeemed the Chit, Received By Missing the First Night's Wine Tasting, In the Hotel Bar		It's Always 5:05 here!

Saturday, 10/09 Seattle to Philadelphia

All five of us left the Hotel in the same van we used yesterday morning with our baggage and Michele's wine. It's Saturday with little traffic. We piggybacked on Dick's handicapped access, so check in was a breeze with normal security for Dick and Clay this time. And right in our way to the gate, another Vino Volo! Again we all ordered the three glass tasting, this time all Washington wines, using up just enough time before boarding. Clay and Pat got lunches in the food court to have on the plane. It was raining, but there was no wind, so take-off was no problem, and as usual, we had seats D and F, but seat E soon arrived and she was very happy to get the aisle. As soon as we got our wines, there was a lot of turbulence, and we had to balance our bottles, glasses, food (Clay had Sushi w/chopsticks), and waters for about a half hour! The remainder of the flight was smooth, and we arrived in Philadelphia about 5pm. The van driver was waiting for us, the ride to Dick's house uneventful, and we took Susanne to her house in Fairless Hills then stopped for dinner on the way home.

Now Take Good Care of This!	Last Wine Tasting In Washington	We Had Great Weather the Entire Trip.   Let It Rain, Let It Rain!

Found This Souvenir In Our Suitcase When We Unpacked!

---

Flight to Seattle       Washington Wineries       Seattle       Flight to Philadelphia             Wines Tasted       Beers Tasted

Comments Welcome:

ClaytStahl @aol.com

Created: 10/24/10 Changed: 04/04/11

© 2010 - 2011 Levittown, PA. Clayton Stahl  All rights reserved.

Back to Clay's Home Page