Sleepless in Seattle

I spent last week living like a rockstar in Seattle. I flew out to Seattle, WA for another conference, and I stayed in the heart of downtown Seatte. I had no idea that everything was so condensed into a few blocks. The downtown area was filled to the brim with shops, restaurants, and offices. Of course there was a Starbucks on every corner, and there were two or three on some blocks.
The shopping is ridculous out there. You have H&M, Forever 21, NikeTown, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Macys, Sephora, and sooo much more. I was so excited when I saw a cheesecake factory by my hotel, because I have to go out of state to get to one. I also went to this cool Sushi place called Blue C Sushi. Instead of the waiters bringing you your food, the sushi is placed on a small plate that sits on top of a conveyor belt that carries the food around to every table. It's a cool concept, and the sushi was good. Last but not least, Pike Market is incredible. It has tons of vendors that sell fruit, cheese, meat, fish, flowers, and wine. They also have numerous restaurants throughout the market and it's by the water. But the part about it, is it has the very FIRST starbucks store! Although I didn't buy any coffee, I had to buy one of their mugs as a souvenir. There are a lot of things that I didn't get to do while I was there..I would have loved to see West Seattle which is just across the bridge, Mt. Rainier, the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Salumi restaurant (owned by Mario Batali's father), places outside of downtown, and I didn't have time to catch the train to Portland or Vancouver. Overall, I think that Seattle is a very cool city, and it didn't hurt that it was sunny the entire time that I was there. But now that I've seen the city, I've gotta see the movie "Sleepless in Seattle". I probably won't be traveling for awhile because the fall semester has begun, so until next time "bon voyage".

                                                                Pike Place Market

 The very first Starbucks, located at Pike's Place Market. A historic monument for all of the coffee lovers.

                      The giant chess set seemed so dope to me, especially since I don't know how to play.

I just love the cheesecake factory :)

                                                                       Blue C Sushi

                                         LOL!! I had to post this picture. I saw a couple of people holding up signs like these when I was in Seattle. If you look closely to sign says "Need $ for Weed"..so ridiculous.

Mt. Rainier

A literal alley filled with restaurants and shops

 

My friends didn't want to pay $18 to go up the space needle

Summer at Duke University

I spent five weeks at Duke university for a summer research program. I had heard how beautiful Duke was and how much I am going to love it. I would have to agree with everyone. The campus is beautiful and it's spread out. There are trees everywhere and there is a botanical garden not far from the main campus. The only disappointment of the trip is that I was so busy that I did not get to see much of Durham, NC or visit UNC at Chapel Hill. However, I did eat some really good food at the end of my trip at Parizade's. The Salmon was cooked perfectly and Chocolate Praline Torte (picture below) was delicious. It was nice to experience life as a college student at a university far from your own school. I found the city of Durham to be surprisingly slow and laid back despite the reputation and prestige of the school. I got there and expected to find a small scale Atlanta bustling with shops and restaurants, but what I found was a much calmer and quiet city. But I was there during the summer, who knows, maybe it gets much busier when the students come back from vacation.
                                                              The University Chapel
                                                                        On Campus
                                                             Chocolate Praline Torte
                                                        Private Dining Room at Parizade


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Weekend at Niagara Falls

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Niagara Falls (U.S.A.) for a conference. I had been there before, but I stayed on the Canadian side of the border. The Falls were much bigger and more beautiful than I remembered. I had  a chance to get close to the falls on the maid of the mist tour. I even had to chance to get in a little shopping. I went to the Niagara Falls Outlet Mall, and I left with two pairs od shoes. The Outlet mall is completely indoors and it has a store for everyone. They have the NIKE factory, BeBe, Ralph Lauren, Barney's New York, Juicy Couture...and a lot of other stores..too bad I only had a hour to shop..I did not have a chance to go to the Walden Galleria, and I didn't have any great food. (maybe it's all on the Canadian side?)

Niagara Falls

                                                  The Maid of the Mist Boat Tour

                                    
                                                   The Lights Show at Niagara Falls

                                                                       The Seneca Casino

                                                      The Niagara Falls Outlet Mall