« Another sunny day on foot | Main | Just another couple of tourists »
July 14, 2007
Northward bound
Today was our last day in Portland, so I attempted to get up early so we could make the most of it. I was going to go to a gym and pay the guest fee, but I decided that all I would have time for anyway was ellipticalling and biking--not any lifting or anything--so I might as well just do that in the unairconditioned but free hotel gym. It was actually crowded even at 7ish in the morning, but I secured the one elliptical and hopped on. It was the noisiest machine I've ever been on. (I wished for a can of WD-40 to oil it and stop the horrible squeaking, but none appeared.) I had to turn my iPod up really loud to drown it out, and even that didn't totally work. After the elliptical, I biked for a bit and then did my abs and that was it for the workout. My legs felt fine on both the elliptical and bike; the achilles/calf issue is better but still hurting a tiny bit when walking, so I am continuing to foam roll my extremely tight calves and avoid hills.
After a quick breakfast, we hit up the Portland Saturday Market under the Burnside Bridge and browsed the crafts and trinkets and stuff. Then we grabbed lunch at a pizza place I had been eyeing since our arrival--it was definitely not as good as I had hoped for--and got on the road to Seattle.
Our hotel here in Seattle, The Ace Hotel, is really neat. It is very minimalist but we have everything we need (so far) and there is a lot of shared common space including coin-operated laundry, which I desperately need for my stinky, wet running clothes. It seems like it will be a cool place to stay.
By the time we got settled here and showered, it was time for our dinner reservation. Another good meal and good atmosphere. After dinner we walked around downtown/Belltown to try and get our bearings and to see the famous Pike's Market, although none of the shops were open anymore. We did visit the first Starbucks and then we walked along the water for awhile and watched the sun set. It was really beautiful. And if the temperature stays in the 70s like it is supposed to tomorrow, things will be even better.
Posted by becky at July 14, 2007 10:44 PM