Last Sunday and Monday was spent in Seattle. Our first stop was Cupcake Royale in Ballard. Finally I've discovered a place that specializes in ONLY cupcakes and cupcake accessories. This was my first time at this establishment and I was not disappointed. Although I did feel a bit rushed to make my decision as to which flavor cupcakes I wanted. We decided to buy six so that we could try a variety of flavors. The two I liked best were "Peppermint Party" and "Dance Party with Holly Hobbie". 
Plus I just had to buy some of their pins with statements like "legalize frostitution". I also purchased a T-shirt AND about 10 cupcake toppers. Now if only I can find a place in Bellingham that makes cupcakes (and I'm not talking about the grocery store variety). 
Next we hit Fremont. Since it was Mother's Day the shops were filled with a gaggle of children. Children are all well and good but they aren't enjoyed when they're crowding the shops I only get to visit a few times a month. Next we went to the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington. The exhibits were so so this time. In the gallery gift shop I spotted Loretta Lux's book of photographs which I just had to have.
After the gallery we went to University Village and had lunch at the newly opened Blue C Sushi. It's good to see that University Village is diversifying their previously limited dining options. Blue C Sushi is one of those restaurants where the sushi travels around on a conveyor belt and you simply take a plate of whatever looks appealing. This concept is apparently known as "kaiten sushi". 
We went there with the intention of having a "light lunch" since we had dinner reservations later that evening. But seeing the sushi meander past you it's so hard to restrain yourself from trying a variety of items. The quality of the food was excellent. After living in Berkeley, where even the cheap neighborhood sushi restaurants are sensational, I wasn't prepared to be too impressed. But the quality was outstanding. After shopping around University Village we headed downtown. Unfortunately to my chagrin my favorite shop, Great Jones Home, was closed. I always seem to forget that Sunday is the one day a week they're not open.
Next we went to Pacific Place and looked around a bit.
I had the best hamburger ever that night. It was topped with blue cheese. Even the french fries were sensational. I'm reluctant to say this but I think it might have even been better than the hamburger I had a few summers ago with D. at Father's Office in Santa Monica.
After dinner we went to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at Cinerama . I love the name of that theater! Apparently the theater was set to close but was saved by Paul Allen in 1999. Doesn't Paul Allen seem to finance everything in Seattle? It's one of the few theaters that boast one large screen. It was opened in 1952. The movie was smashing. I'm always confident a movie will stay true to the original story when the author is selected to write the screen play. My favorite part of the movie was the singing dolphins in the beginning. That song was stuck in my head for the night.Then we spent the night at a hotel on Lake Union.
On Monday morning for breakfast we went to a place I'd heard about called Top Pot Doughnuts. The donuts were beyond belief. I ordered a cake donut topped with pink frosting and coconut. Their donuts are enormous. Go see for yourself. After breakfast we went to Great Jones Home, which was thankfully open. I adore the shop owner. She's one of those people who makes a point of getting to know her clientele by name. And she has the sweetest little dog that wanders around the store. I didn't find much of anything to buy on this visit though. Usually I have to restrain myself because there's so much I covet.
We stopped off at a few more places then headed home. Spending a few days in Seattle is so much better than just going down for the day. And I can't get enough of three day weekends. 
