Monthly Archives: April 2016

Travel review: Space Needle

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Some cities are famous for their skyline and thanks to the Space Needle, Seattle has a silhouette which will be familiar to fans of sitcom Frasier, which charted the trials of life of straight-laced psychiatrist Frasier Crane and his family

As it was ‘future mom’s first visit to Seattle, dad and I started our tour of the city with its most iconic sight. We wandered over from our Airbnb apartment in Belltown, a pleasant stroll through this quaint neighbourhood, stopping off for a quick pastry and drink at La Parisienne

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Dad eats congee at Hung’s in Chinatown

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Dad’s friend was ill recently and dad was extolling the virtues of congee to him

Also known as ‘chook’, congee is the Chinese version of porridge, which is made with rice rather than oats as a base grainIt is cooked beyond the usual level for perfect fluffy rice and becomes watery as the grains break down. It’s perfect sick food as it’s easily eaten and digested. If you’re not feeling great, you can eat it plain but with some soya sauce, sesame seed oil, thinly sliced slivers of ginger heat and spring onion zing, the flavour profile is easily lifted

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Travel review: La Parisienne, Seattle

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I’m continuing my travel reviews from my trip to the USA last summer. On our first day in Seattle, dad, ‘future mom’ and I headed over to Seattle Centre

Although dad and I had been to Seattle before, this was ‘future mom’s first trip to the city. So, we showed her the tourist sites. Seattle Centre was where the city hosted the 1962 World Fair. At that time, pioneering technologies like the monorail made its world debut and the iconic Space Needle still dominates the skyline Continue reading →

Travel review: Airbnb Belltown, Seattle

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Dad grew up through the home computer revolution of the 80s and through the birth and growth of the internet. However, he’s not really an early adopter with even his parents beating him to be first to get an email address and a mobile phone

Dad was therefore late to the Airbnb world. He had heard about it but hadn’t used it before last summer’s trip. He decided to try it out when central Seattle prices turned out to be rather prohibitive

Basically, Airbnb allows users to rent out their private dwellings to other users. Airbnb carefully screen all users for safety purposes, using IDs like passports and driving licenses to confirm that the user is a real person. So, you will need some time up sign up. Once your ID had been verified, you can hire out your property or rent a property on the site from other Airbnb members

The Airbnb website is a joy to use. It’s quick and responsive with maps scrolling and updating quickly and smoothly Continue reading →

Film review: 10 Cloverfield Lane

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Dad and I are big sci fi fans. Cloverfield is one of our favourite films. Using clever script writing and filming, the movie tells the story of a couple’s experience of an alien invasion of New York filmed from the perspective of found footage on a hand held camcorder. A good sci fi story but you also get to see their romance as some parts of the tape haven’t been overwritten by the filming of the aliens

 So, we were excited to see 10 Cloverfield Lane advertised. Now, without wanting to give the plot away, let us say that there is a link to Cloverfield but it’s brief and it’s peripheral. So, if you’re expecting a sequel, prequel or a movie similar to the original, you will be disappointed

Instead, 10 Cloverfield Lane is really a psychological drama. More Hitchcock than JJ Abrams in construction and delivering shocks Continue reading →

Travel review: Seattle Tacoma International Airport

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Affectionately known as SEATAC by locals, the airport is located about 10 miles south of downtown Seattle

Dad and I love watching the landing as the plane flies over the complex series of islands and waterways which surround the area. It’s always verdant and green, a lovely reminder of the wonderful nature that surrounds the city

 Unlike London’s Heathrow Airport, there’s a sense of space around SEATAC due to its development outside of the city limits. The main terminal building has 4 concourses with 2 satellite terminals, all connected by a rail shuttle system if you don’t fancy walking

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