My Personal 11K Run

Homeward bound.  One more day of class, grab some dinner, catch the red eye, drive to OBX, unload 5 cars, etc.  Simple.  And better yet, when we discovered that we were going to be treated to some computer software that they wanted to sell (we don’t buy software for our company), we decided to break early and go to lunch.  So we headed back down to Pike Place Market and specifically to the Pike Place brewpub (http://www.pikebrewing.com/). 
 
Located in the center of the market place, Pike Place offers a good food selection to go along with their beers.  The food was pricey (location, location, location), but we tried a ploughman’s that had a mixture of meats and cheeses (although small portions of each) to go with their Red Relief on cask.  Next it was time to move on to the market itself, and while we chose not to get fresh fish from the fishmongers (the logistics of getting it back to OBX were too overwhelming), I did get to stop at Pike Place Chowder for a Nova Smoked Salmon (with capers and cream cheese) chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. 

We got tickets for the Underground Tour, showing off one of the architectural quirks of the city.  The tour was historical and funny (ask me about the G rated version filled with seamstresses), but to be truthful there wasn’t that much to see.  I didn’t know that there history was tied to poor sewage planning, prostitution, an incompetent volunteer fire department, uh seamstresses, and corrupt politicians (but to be fair, don’t many American cities have a similar history?). We wrapped up at the Collins pub, a beer bar right next to our parking space (convenient).  I had the New Belgium Metric 10/10/10 (a Belgian strong pale ale) on draft, and then the Odin Pearl (a wit).  It was a great day, but we still had some time to kill, so we headed over to another Draft magazine recommendation, the Beveridge Place Pub (http://www.beveridgeplacepub.com/) in West Seattle.

It was raining (really the first time for us this week in Seattle), or else we would have drank in the beer garden.  Instead Kevin schooled me real bad in foosball.  We got some beer (no food at the Beveridge, but you can order in), and I enjoyed a glass of Deschutes Dissident Sour Ale.  It was delicious, tart and sweet at the same time.  I followed it up with a Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Bourbon Stout, aged in bourbon barrels, and totally quaffable.  Checking my records confirmed that this beer was my 11,000 beer, a milestone that has sort of snuck up on me.  The bartender was impressed with my beer book and the story of my travels, and gave me a bottle of Full Sail Imperial Bourbon Porter ’08 for good measure.  I can’t wait to split it with friends.  Since we were foodless, we headed back to Elliott Bay brewing, where Kevin got fish tacos (what else?), and I got a California burger with their IPA on cask.  It was a great dinner, and a great way to wrap up the week.

We caught the red eye, and I made it into Philly airport to start my vacation.  My family was there, right on schedule, and we were off for another adventure.  Seattle was great.  Good beer, beautiful views, great food, and even better company.  But as good as it was it doesn’t compare with spending time with your wife and kids. - 5785/11003

"A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it is better to be thoroughly sure." – Czech Proverb