Las Vegas: McCarran International Airport

When traveling to, or through, Las Vegas, by air, one must typically travel through McCarran International Airport as a result. Whether you're visiting the city of sin for a long getaway with your pals or simply passing through on a brief layover as you make your way somewhere else, there's a particular aspect to McCarran you'd have a difficult time missing: the ubiquitous presence of slot machines and their changing, jangling little chimes meant to entice. These brightly-lit, loudly clanging little machines make their existence known throughout most manner of business in the city of Vegas, from neighborhood grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations, to even the airport, all looking to benefit from that eagerly handed out money. While for now there aren't any table games, that I saw, I wouldn't be surprised if they were added at some point in the future, in the name of progress and innovation, of course. Of course, they'll probably just install a new generation of slot machines instead, so they won't have to train new dealers or contend with more staff squeezing through an already often overburdened security team. 

Believe it or not, there was a point in time where I was offered a job working at one of the little retail kiosks inside of the airport, but I opted to remain at a different location within the same company so I could avoid that whole hassle of going through security day in and day out. I don't know about you, but I've yet to meet anyone who considers going through airport security to be the highlight of their travel time. If you're that person, though, be sure to drop a comment and let me know!

Personally, I never play slots or wager money. Having grown up in Las Vegas, I've watched other people try their hand against lady luck, and while I've dabbled in poker with my friends at parties, I can't justify it. I work hard for my cash and would rather put it towards something I can see or use, and the casinos weren't built on winners, after all. To each their own, however! If you go to Vegas and decide to gamble $2 or $200,000, that's on you, your bank account, and your priorities, baby. Viva Las Vegas and all that. Don't let me tell you how to live your life, I'm just a girl on the internet.

Las Vegas: Taco Y Taco

Las Vegas, Nevada, is a great city to find something delicious to eat, especially if your pockets run real deep. If you're willing to shell out top dollar, you can find some of the most luxurious meals served in some of the culinary celebrity worlds biggest names' own restaurants, from opulent sushi spreads to the latest in creative, avant-garden cuisine. Personally, I prefer to veer off The Strip (aka Las Vegas Boulevard and all those glitzy casinos) to find my meals, and Taco Y Taco is one of my favorite neighborhood spots for a satisfying, affordable, and consistently fantastic meal. There are other, more famous, restaurants that you could grab some tacos at, and some of those even have locations dotting that main-drag, but during my brief visit to my old stomping ground I made sure to pop in and get my fill on all the delicious offerings I could stuff into my face. CeeDro joined me on this venture, and we both got down on some taco goodness before parting ways for the evening. It was great to catch up with him over the evening, and who would complain about tacos?  

Taco Y Taco has a self-service salsa bar with an almost overwhelming array of options to choose from. I recommend the grilled jalapenos, who add a fresh pop of flavor with a smokey sweetness to contrast their shop bite. The ordering system can be a little confusing, especially if it's your first time, but the staff are used to it and are generally friendly and happy to steer you in the right direction should you get lost. All the meats are good, but they do offer vegetarian options (and maybe even vegan ones) for those who'd prefer that so you can bring everyone along! I ordered a ridiculous amount of food for just myself, but managed to devour all of it with gusto. I waddled my way out of the restaurant a very happy, very satisfied lass. Should you choose to visit Taco Y Taco, you too should feel that stuffed-to-satisfaction glee. 

So good.

Travel: Flight from SeaTac to Las Vegas

Travelling is one of the things that I value most highly in life, though I don't always have the means with which to pursue that passion with the regularity I'd like. For most of us, that's probably the case, otherwise, we'd all be off circumnavigating the globe instead of toiling away at our day jobs for 40 or so hours every week and society would probably cease to get things done for awhile. I know there are people who do get paid to travel, and while I admire (and envy) their lifestyles, but for me, currently, that's just not in the cards. I'll be reserving my travel to occasional weekends and work trips for now when funds allow, but I was recently lucky enough to be able to take a brief work trip to my hometown of Las Vegas. It feels like only just yesterday that Antho and I even made our journey up to Seattle, which is no small (or short) feat by automobile, and it took us three days of driving. Flying is certainly the more convenient way to get between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Las Vegas's own McCarran International Airport and only takes a few hours, time awkwardly wandering around waiting at the airport included. Given that I'll take nearly any excuse to travel, I was eager to take this opportunity and quickly agreed to fly down, even if it was only for a brief 48 hour window. I was able to see our good friend Mae, who throws some of the most ridiculously awesome parties I've ever had the pleasure to be invited to, along with our pal CeeDro, and I even got to devour some of my favorite tacos before packing it back in and departing for the Pacific Northwest yet again.

Flying from Seattle to Las Vegas is an excellent opportunity to witness some of the sheer diversity that mother nature has to offer, as you'll travel from the densely forested and mountainous regions up North to the Mojave desert's rocky, sandy expanses that are sometimes flecked with reds, purples or greens to contrast all that openness (or vice versa if you're doing the trip in reverse). During my flight, I got to witness snowy peaks, walls of clouds, the gentle transition of the landscape from one terrain into the next. I may have even squeezed in a brief nap, due to the fact I took the flight in the morning and had woken quite earlier than normal. Overall, I'm so glad I got the chance to fly down to Vegas for a few days and see some of my beloved friends once more, there's never enough time to enjoy the company of the people you enjoy!

A girl's gotta snack, and Waji's is an affordable option for a quick bite in SeaTac airport.

 Plenty more photos below!

Seattle: Gum Wall and Pike's Place at Night

Gumwall color-coordinated thanks to Arrow vape mod

Among the lexicon of places one "must see" while visiting Seattle, especially if it's their virgin visit to the Emerald City, the Gum Wall tends to pop up fairly frequently. This is probably due to a few factors: 1) the gum wall is hidden inside of Pike's Place Market, so if you're already hitting one of the other, arguably larger and more noteworthy "must see" locales, you'll be real close to this one, too and 2) it's exceptionally photogenic, whether it's for your blog (hi there) or your 'Gram. Given these things, you shouldn't exactly be surprised if you find yourself joined by a large, enthusiastic host of others taking photos at the Gum wall. Endlessly photographed, posed in front of, and contributed to, the Gum Wall is a point of fascination, abject horror, collaborative art piece, and local icon. I've gone twice now, though this is the first time I believe I've taken enough photos to really merit a blog post. Antho and I both posed, and were even in some photos together thanks to the kindness of strangers who also wanted their photos taken together. 

Personally, I'm a little skeeved out by the fact that almost every single piece of gum adhered to these surfaces was previously chomped on, hydrated by someone's saliva, and then slapped on to join the collage. Plenty of people visiting at the same time we did were clearly fine, unperturbed by that realization, but you can probably tell from my expression above that I was acutely aware of it. Obviously, the gum wall is a huge tourist destination and there's a reason for that- just, you know, be aware and maybe bring some hand sanitizer for those among us who can't resist touching all the things. While we were pretty tired by this point, we still had a fair bit of walking left to do, and I've included those photos as there's only so many photos I can take of a wall covered in gum before I start to feel a little grossed out. There's plenty of photos in this post, so don't fret- and you can always visit the gum wall yourself if you find yourself in Seattle! It's a little tricky, but there are so many guides out there that I recommend you do your research. Best of luck to you, adventurers!

Seattle: Top Pot Doughnuts and Dusk

It had been quite a long day, having explored Capitol Hill, Dog in the Park, Pike's Place Market, the Waterfront, and Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, and with the cool winds of evening rapidly sweeping in, we were ready for a hot beverage to boost our spirits. One of the better options in the area is Top Pot Doughnuts, one of the top rated spots in the region. There are several options to find them, so you don't have to go to the same one we visited, which was in a bit of an unusual location beyond an elevated walkway from the waterfront. I opted for a coffee while Antho grabbed himself a hot chocolate, and our appearance helped defuse what we can only assume was a heated conversation prior based on the brief exchanges between a flustered barista and a grumpy guy hiding behind his computer screen. Curious, but none of our business, so we stepped aside and waited in the awkward silence that flooded the space in the interim. This gave me the opportunity to take a photo of a plaque boasting of a visit from President Obama, so that's neat. I can't say it's the first time in my life that I've stumbled upon a restaurant that Obama had popped into at some point, though I think that's where our similarities probably end. He's far more educated than I am, an much better traveled, after all! 

When we got our drinks, they were quite good. Perfect little pick-me-ups for the cold evening, and the sugar in Antho's hot chocolate while the caffeine in my cappuccino served to power us through the walk back to our vehicle, which was parked in Capitol Hill. Of course, the name Capitol Hill is derived from one of the predominant features of the area- the fact it's perched atop a fairly steep hillside. We needed all the extra motivation and energy we could muster to conquer that climb, and I'm happy to report that this little stop at Top Pot Doughnuts certainly helped. While we didn't actually try any of their doughnuts on this visit, I later learned that their doughnuts are infamous and have since tried, unsuccessfully, to procure some of their doughy goods. One of these days it's gonna happen, I promise you. One of these days.

Seattle: Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe and sunset on the Pier

Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, a staple of Seattle's odd, eclectic, esoteric curious consumer. Whether you're looking for a shrunken head, to...uh...do whatever it is people choose to do with shrunken heads...or a taxidermied monstrosity, a mummy, a goofy gift, post-card, or general trinket to show you've been there, you've found the right place. This was one of the few locations that Antho actually researched prior to our ending up there by coincidence, so he was beyond ecstatic when he realized where we'd arrived. While there are some signs floating around, you might have to search with the purpose to find the place, though we found it by sheer chance, the Shoppe is nestled into an inconspicuous location on Pier 54 behind a meat pies restaurant. Antho could giddily spend days exploring these kinds of places, googling all the odds and ends that proliferate, and Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe is certainly not lacking in curious bits and bobs to lay your peepers on. I have to admit, I get a bit of a bad vibe from the idea of taking a dead thing and putting it on display as a novelty, in the case of their mummies and shrunken heads, though I suppose they could simply be mimicries or fakeries made out of other dead things stuffed and sewn back together...but, still, kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That isn't to say that being into taxidermy is wrong, it's just not my cup of tea, my shot of whiskey, or any approximal form of appealing to me, personally. To each their own, sugarbear. You do you if you're into it, so long as we're not talking Silence of the Lambs level taxidermy, in which case, you should consider seeking out a therapist, to say the least. 

But then again, maybe it's just me. Do you, the casual reader/viewer of the blog, find the above image disturbing? Given the fact that Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe clocks thousands, if not millions, of visitors every single year, it's safe to say the average consumer is at least mildly curious about such curios. Should you find yourself down on the Waterfront of Seattle, near an inconspicuous pier where meat pies are sold, you might want to take a gander into the strange world of this little business. They'd be happy to have you, and you can always say you've seen the Mer-monster! That is, at least, up until it sells to the next collector with a fat pocketbook, in which case your window of opportunity will have shriveled up like that poor mummies' chest. Yikes. Better get to it! While I'm not 100% sure that everything inside is for sale, I'm sure there's a high enough price for anything you might have an interest in, that someone could walk out with it...so, you snooze, you lose, ya dig? Not to mention, if you go behind the shop, you've found an exceptional location to take in the sunset. Not bad, eh?

Seattle: Sunset on the Waterfront

When it comes to the Emerald City (in this particular case we're talking Seattle, not Oz), there are no shortages of places to take in stunning views of the varied and vibrantly vivacious greenery, but perhaps the abundance of waterways available would surprise you...or perhaps this abundance of aquatic resources is no surprise- after all, all those trees and gardens need hydration, and Seattle is certainly well-endowed with water. Whether you're taking in the scenic views of the Puget Sound, or enjoying a leisurely picnic at Gasworks Park over Lake Union, or simply taking a stroll alongside any number of smaller or residential lakes, ponds, water constitutes roughly 40% of the overall city's footprint and that's not counting the long months of drizzle or occasional snow. Of course, Seattle is a city that is ever-changing and ever-growing, so that balance of land to water is likely to change as time goes on, and the city's not afraid to utilise the waterfront spaces to reclaim land and literally build their own ground upon the seafloor, as they did around Occidental Square and nearby sports stadiums.

All this water, however, is absolutely wonderful for desert-born and raised weirdos like Antho and I, so we rarely grump about this abundance.  When we had the opportunity to make our way down to the beautiful, scenic walkways alongside the Waterfront, we went for it! You can easily access it from Pike's Place Market, so if you're visiting there you could squeeze in a walk along the water and take in an array of sights, snacks and scenery. Now that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed up for good, the Waterfront is going to change and expand immensely over the next decade as an ambitious redevelopment plan sweeps through the area. During this particular visit, however, the Viaduct was still operational, so this preserves a snapshot of a bygone era.  Crazy how these things can happen, one day a familiar icon and the next it's being deconstructed to pave the way for bigger, purportedly brighter, things. Whether all this change will end up being for the greater good, or simply result in the pockets of several developers getting fatter, is up to time to determine, but given that the Alaskan Way Viaduct was a known safety hazard in the event of a serious earthquake, I'm actually leaning towards the former option. I know, a bit of a shockingly optimistic view coming from me, right? I guess all this sunshine has me feeling some sort of way. 

(RIP Viaduct)

Grab your fursuit and get ready, there are plenty more photos below!

Seattle: Pike's Place Public Market

On the list of places that almost no tourist can leave Seattle without visiting, you'll often find Pike's Place Market ranking pretty high. While this status as a must-visit destination bodes well for the old market's reputation, it also means that you'll likely be confronted with some serious crowds vying to jostle their way through for their own photos, merchandise, or purposes. It's the nature of these sorts of things, I suppose. With popularity comes foot-traffic, and with increased visitors and crowds come wallets stuffed with currency eager to buy up a unique souvenir to surprise someone back home with. Hell, sometimes you'll even catch locals wandering the halls, though they may be loathed to admit it when out-of-town visitors aren't around to justify it. I'd dipped a toe in the market once or twice, back in yonder years, but was excited to explore it with Antho! We were immediately taken by this statuesque beauty, the uncannily lifelike likeness giving pause and causing some to squeal out in surprise when she blinks, or lifts her arm to delicately wave hello to the curious onlookers.

We left her a tip and she allowed us some photos, which we appreciated. It's not easy to put together an ensemble like this, so I hope y'all can appreciate and respect when you encounter a character such as this. She made us smile, so we felt a tip was fair trade. I can't imagine how long it takes to wash all that paint off her face at the end of the night...labor of love, right there. 

Of course, the main focus of Pike's Place is in it's name: the Market. There are so many different vendors throughout the winding corridors of the buildings, with both the old and new markets standing near each other. We stuck with the old market for this trip, and due to the crowds we didn't linger for as long as we might have, had it not been shoulder-to-shoulder in so many places. We'll definitely be making another trek out at some point, but we may plan it for a weekday instead of going on the weekend. Antho's gone on his own volition, and those photos will be upcoming in a future post, but this was the only time we visited together. 

It's such a colorful, iconic place. There's really truly something for everyone, whether you're into anime figurines, rare instruments, fashion, fresh produce, jewelry or flowers. I get why it's so crowded, and why it ranks so highly on so many lists for things to do in Seattle. With the plans to expand the waterfront over the upcoming years following the demolition of the Viaduct, I'm curious to see how Pike's Place evolves alongside. 

Seattle: Dog in the park

Dog in the park is a small, unpretentious food stall nestled in to a corner of a park just around the corner from Pike's Place Market. That means it's in a primo location, surrounded by luxury names and high-end products, endless swarms of milling, often quite hungry, tourists. Like I said, it's a pretty primo spot for a place that sells food, especially at such reasonable prices (considering it's in such a high-traffic, high-end area). The food is not going to be overwhelmingly fancy; there's no foie gras to be found, no flourishing of the plate, nay, there aren't even plates. Your food is wrapped in paper and meant to be eaten, now, before it gets cold. The premise, like most street food stalls, is pretty simple: after examining the menu and deciding what you want, you tell the friendly fellow manning the grill and he'll heat it up for you, fresh, so your food is steaming hot when handed to you. A novel touch, for us, was that he sliced the weiners in half, but this is genius in that it gives you even more of those delicious crispy seared edges of sausage. Yum. I opted for the Seattle dog, because it seemed appropriate and I like cream cheese, so it was an easy choice. I don't recall what style Antho ordered, but he prefers to keep his dogs clean and simple, so it was something classic without too many additions or toppings. We were both quite happy with our choices and devoured our hot dogs in glee, hardly wasting any time on photos or erroneous conversation. You know the food is good when it gets notorious chatterbugs to quiet down and focus.    

If I remember correctly, we ended up paying about $12 for our two hotdogs. Yeah, that's a lot when you consider the hot dogs at Costco that retail for only $1.50, but tourist tax is a real thing, and this is definitely one of the more affordable options in that particular corner. When you're hungry and need something quick, hot, and delicious, this isn't the worst sausage you could find going into your mouth on a street corner... 

 

Was that too much? I know, sometimes I just can't help myself. Anyway, it was a gorgeous, albeit slightly chilly, day when we were visiting the stand. It had a pretty regular turn over in our short time of waiting and then eating, and most people seemed to get their food in short order. I imagine that at peek tourist traffic times of year there may be something of a line to wade through to get your fix, especially if they've garnered any awards recently.