He actually saw this peak, Mt. Hood, from the plane on his flight into Seattle. US Airways was kind enough to keep the flight in many monotonous minutes of holding patterns, to afford a view of the mountains and to insure that the flight would be traditionally late arriving. We were all pretty impressed. "They were way bigger than Jockey's Ridge", he reported.

Once he was on the ground and in a car, he made his way to Fishermen's Terminal in Ballard. At the head of the dock where he was to stay he came upon this memorial to all the fishermen who lost their lives at sea. It's a beautiful statue of a fisherman hoisting a halibut. The base is carved with sea creatures. Next time you feel like you paid too much for a seafood dinner, think how much some people have paid to work in the industry that brought it to your table. Nuff said.

This is where he lived while he was out there. The Seagull is a 37 foot high-liner built sometime in the 1930's. It looks pretty typical of the vessels used for fishing in the Pacific Northwest. He shared the V-berth with a 100 pound Chocolate Lab named Jake. A good time was had by all.

The first morning was easy. He woke up and took a walk up to the Café Appassianato, "Where a passion is always brewing." No passion was mentioned but they did sell him a great cup of coffee and a darned good cranberry scone. Scones of any flavor are not native to Currituck County so these were an especially tasty treat. While waiting for his coffee, he got a look at a beautiful bean roaster. A marvelous piece of brass and enamel equipment that roasted the coffee beans to perfection.
 

While driving around he found a dock with a fair view of the Seattle skyline. That is the Space Needle in the right side of the picture. That evening, he drove into town to attend a Mariner's game at Safeco Field where he witnessed the 114th win of the season and some guy's record breaking home run.

After the fish watching he had lunch at the Lock Spot. Fish and Chips was the menu. Anywhere you find a lunch counter in Seattle, you'll find fish and chips. The tartar sauce is always different at each place. Knotthead felt that the difference was only in which seasoned salt the chef used to flavor the mayo. Opinion? Visit and see for yourself. Then go home and try it. See?

Now don't think he didn't visit a coffee house. He went to Mr. Spots Chai House for afternoon coffee. What a cool place. If your "right coast silly (self)" wants a regular coffee, black, you had better order an Americano, regular. That's what he told us. It was the only time he felt like he had fallen into a lost episode of "Frasier".

The place had a computer so he could scratch his "tech" itch and check on the ol'web site. All was well while he was gone so he looked around.

Mr. Spots offers live music in a cozy and interesting atmosphere. There were varieties of incense and bath oils, as well as gallons of chai. Knotthead only got to ginger and pepper in the ingredients before he decided to leave that to the pros. You can learn about chai on Mr. Spots' web site.

• Hattie's Hat- Good grub and popular adult beverages.
  
• Five Point Club- Ahhhhhhh! "Knotthead likes." The juke box is all thrash and Johnny Cash.
  
• The Highliner Grille and Bar- He didn't say any more than that. Yes, he was smiling.
  
• The Bad Ju Ju Lounge- Another screamer. Remember Wynona Ryder in "Beetlejuice"? Ok.
  
• Totem House- Fish and chips. Oh, yeah. They also have fish and chips

After the sail, he went to dinner with Scotty, Rod, and Wayne. He actually found collards on a menu. "Don't get no better'n that."

Then he said, "G'night, Seattle. Thanks for the ball cap."

Back to Knotts Island