Manresa Castle - Originally Published 2009

This had to be one of the strangest dining experiences I have ever had.  Keep in mind, one time in La Boufadora; I had a live chicken on the table while I was eating a tamale.

First, we showed up to a near empty dining room and asked for a table.  The host asked us if we had reservations.  When we said “no”, he said, “Oh my, let me see where I can fit you in.”  Keep in mind, the place was almost empty when we showed up.

Later, we asked the waitress for our check.  She looked scared and said, “I can’t give you your check.”  She looked over her shoulder.  “He has to give it to you.”  Behind her was the host.  What’s the deal?  Is she serving out a period of indentured servitude?  When I put my card with the bill, she wouldn’t take it.  Again, with sorrowful eyes she told us, “He has to take it.”

For an overseer, the host was less than snappy.  Later, Mai found this sign for a dungeon.  I think that they were being serious.  That’s where they imprison their wait staff. 

Long story short, if you’re into humans pressed into service, then I have found the place for you.

Don Perry's Underground Tour of Port Angeles - Originally Published 2009

So I thought that I had a notion of what the word passion meant until I went on Don Perry’s Underground Tour of Port Angeles.  Port Angeles is a small town on the upper left hand corner of the map that actually has quite a sordid past.

The first part of the tour is pretty tame.  He does an introduction to the city and explains how the city elders used strip-mining equipment to build up the town.  These murals are part of an underground miniature golf course in the basement of a bike shop.  Somehow, Don convinced the owner of the store to allow him to cut a hole in her floor in order to gain access to the space.  Did I mention that the man is passionate?  It turns out he’s persuasive as well. 

After that, it’s off to one of the original buildings in Port Angeles’ downtown.  Currently, it houses Family Shoe Store.  This shop has belonged to the same family for eighty years.  Pretty remarkable when stores like Wal-Mart have laid Main Streets to waste countywide. 

Aside from being a really nice and complete shoe store, it houses some wonderful elements of Americana.  Above the Kiddie’s Korner is a mural of cartoon characters from a now defunct children’s shoe manufacturer.  The mural in the back is mechanical and still is able to move.

After he shows off all of Port Angeles’ nostalgic bits, Don takes the tour group to the top of the shoe store.  Why?  Because that’s where the eighteen room bordello is.  That’s right, once upon a time, Port Angeles had a fully functioning house of ill repute. 

It seems that Port Angeles was filled with loggers and Navy men.  Those fellows needed a somewhere to relax. The place on top of the shoe store was where a guy was charged two bucks to blow off steam as well as some other things.

Did I mention that Don is driven?  One of the things that he has been able to do is preserve a two-block section of the old underground.  Somehow, he managed to raise somewhere in the neighborhood of two million dollars to do it.  I was very impressed, Don.  You have done a stellar job of preserving an America that most of us have no idea ever existed.

He’s a fantastic storyteller.  If you ever happen to find yourself in Port Angeles, I highly recommend talking this tour.

Olympic Game Farm - Originally Published 2009

I suppose it just wouldn’t be a vacation for Mai and I if we didn’t stop and take a look at some animals.  If you ever find yourself in Sequim, I recommend stopping and taking a look at the Olympic Game Farm.

The Olympic Game Farm is a refuge for formerly professional animals that have been retired.  For a few dollars, you get a bag of bread and the opportunity to drive around and feed the animals.

Some of these critters were particularly aggressive.  They have learned that cars mean people and people mean slices of bread.

This old bear figured out how to wave.  We would wave at him.  He would wave at us.  We would throw him some bread.  He would wave at us again.  We would wave back at him and throw more bread.  This went on for about five minutes.

The Roosevelt elk and the buffalo were particularly imposing.  Before we drive though, we were warned that they had a tendency to bump into cars.

Jefferson County Fair -Originally Published 2009

The Jefferson County Fair is exactly that, a real county fair.  It’s small to the point that it feels so intimate it almost seems as though we were invading someone’s family reunion. 

The 4H is unbelievably active in Jefferson County.  There were several buildings dedicated to displaying the work of local kids. 

 There were plenty fine examples of little kid art.  I would like to one day put together a display in New York or Los Angeles to see what the art world would have to say about them. 

Somehow, Mai and I always manage to end up at places that have goats. 

 One of the highlights of the Jefferson County Fair is something called an Elephant Ear.  An Elephant Ear is a piece of rolled dough that is lovingly fried by a bunch of women with big bazooms.  Then, they cover it in sugar.  Not much to it, but it’s delicious. 

They had a Johnny Cash tribute performer that was actually pretty good.  We were lucky enough to have backstage seats.

Piroshky Piroshki Bakery - Originally Published 2009

This is a very hard review to write because I want to make sure that I do this place justice.  This tiny, family-owned bakery sells miracles of nature known as piroshky, a Russian pastry.

I want to make it very clear how good this place is.  I think that the sole reason why humans evolved to have taste buds is so that we would all one day get the opportunity to taste one of these works of art.  Yes, I assure you.  They are that good. 

Put this place high on your list of things that you must do while in Seattle.