Back in the USA and exploring Seattle with Friends

August 27, 2019

It is that time of year where I leave my heavenly home in Liguria and go to the States to see family and friends. After spending two days with some of my California Family, I ventured to Washington State where my daughter and granddaughter live. And this trip, my friends, Michael and Nancy Mascio, met me for 2 nights in Seattle. 

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I first met the Mascios online and later created a travel plan for them. They were living in Parma at the time and Nancy’s daughter was visiting. They followed my plan and fell in love with Liguria. We became good friends even before they moved to Rapallo, an 8-minute train ride from Chiavari, my home. 

Unfortunately, they needed to return to Oregon earlier this year. I really missed seeing them and exploring our Liguria together.  We decided to meet in Seattle for more good times together.

Stephanie and Maggie went to lunch with us at one of Stephanie’s favorite Mexican restaurants near Green Lake.

The traditional Mexican food at Rosita’s Mexican Grill. While we chatted, Maggie took my phone to capture photos of the establishment.

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She is doing well for an 8-year-old.

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We all shared stories of living in the Northwest, traveling and Italy. Soon, my girls took off for their own weekend adventure while Nancy, Michael and I spent time at Green Lake. If you are visiting Seattle, Green Lake is a good place to walk. It is about 3 miles around and quite picturesque. 

We left there to see Phinney Ridge area of Seattle on the hilltop above Green Lake.  


Phinney Ridge is one of my favorite locations with all Mom and Pop shops, Gluten Free options, Gelato, and a real sense of Neighborhood. 

We enjoyed a coffee break at Cornuto. (Yes, it is an Italian coffee shop.) There were 3 places in less than one block to select coffee. It is Seattle after all, the coffee capital of the USA. We spent hours catching up and sipping our coffees outdoors. The weather was perfect for it.

Right across the street was the 74th St. Ale House. That is also a fun place to visit.

We met again the next day for a visit to the Piers on Puget Sound and a ferry ride. 

We chose an Argosy tour of Puget Sound which takes off from Pier 55. We began with a Starbucks coffee and walked along the shoreline until it was time to get into the queue for boarding.

It really is beautiful along the water. And the Seattle Eye is just a couple piers away.

Seeing the city from the water paints an entirely different picture of Seattle. 

The Space Needle is the signature structure for downtown Seattle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair and is newly refurbished. 

Puget Sound is famous for its Islands where many commuters who work downtown live. They take a ferry twice a day and live a quieter life at home.

We passed my favorite hotel in Seattle, The Edgewater Inn. 


It is the only Puget Sound waterfront hotel I am aware of. When it first opened in the 1960s, you could fish from the rooms. It is famous for allowing the Beatles to stay in the rooms.

And they did fish! They were so young then.

The Sound is also well known as a shipping hub.

Those containers are huge. With their equipment, the longshoremen who work at the docs can move one container in 90 seconds.


If you are on the Sound by Seattle, you can also see a Navy ship. 

There is a guard, visible on board, at all times.

What exactly are they doing in Puget Sound?  The local populace is not really informed. Still, it’s quite a sight.

While traveling on the Argosy Ship we saw Bainbridge Island, West Seattle, mountains half-hidden in the clouds and the two sports stadiums for the Seattle teams.

When we were back on land, we did more walking along the waterfront. But first, we enjoyed lunch at Ivars Fish House on Pier 54.

We actually sat inside. The Mascios sampled different chowders along with clam chowder while I had a Coho Salmon dinner.

All the food was excellent. 

We, then, wandered along the piers, window shopping and checking out local vendors selling their wares outdoors.

We pondered a pigeon,


Before discovering the water art.


We walked. We chatted. We rested along the way. And soon it was time for dinner. 

Nancy wanted to check out South American Cuisine at El Patio.

Everyone in the restaurant, including us, spoke Spanish. Above is Michael’s dish. Below is Nancy’s.

I tried a cheese and zucchini filled Popusa from El Salvador.

And Pastilitos filled with chicken.

They were both appetizers and both delicious.

It seems as though we mostly ate while in Seattle. Well, I guess we three enjoy a good meal. I think the time at the tables while eating was what we enjoyed the most. We could talk, exchange our stories of life in Italy while enjoying international food in Seattle. Seattle is a very cosmopolitan town. 

As our time came to a end, we hugged, did the two cheek kisses and said ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao just like we used to do in Italy. 

Ci vediamo dopo. We will see each other again later. Who knows? Maybe next time it will be in Italy.




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