Traveling on My Stomach

Seattle is a treasure trove of fabulous food. There are dozens of taste experiences you really shouldn't miss when visiting so let's start with a reference to the Jabba the Hut date excursion. The Dahlia Lounge is a marvelous restaurant and has been for ages. I've never had a bad experience with the food or service. My dates on the other hand... That night I had the bread salad. Years ago, Gourmet Magazine did a recipe for Meditteranean Bread Salad that was marvelous. I wish I could find it. A good bread salad will contain lots of veggies along with thick grilled or toasted bread chunks. The dressing will vary but is usually of the Italian variety. Here are several links to bread salad recipes: Grilled Tomato and Onion Bread Salad url=http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Italian-Panzanel... read more

Okay I am a freelance writer. I write about the singles scene, food and cooking, travel, arts and culture. So I belong to several professional organizations. I am trying out a membership on a site for travel writers. Today I received a newsletter in my inbox with all sorts of information including job news, press trips (I don't get the full monty because I am just trying it out right now) and press releases. Plus there was a list of the hottest topics on the bulletin boards. For those of you who don't know, travel writing is one of the worst paid jobs on the planet and is getting more so. Publishers of guidebooks are offering much smaller compensation and requiring more from their writer, from covering more in the writing to taking your pics to ... read more

I was going to have leave Seattle at this point in the story but I think there is still a lot to tell about the place. So we will stay in rainy Seattle for a bit longer. Also, when I lost my laptop, my camera was stolen too. Sorry about the lack of pics at first. I am getting a new one and will add pics later.... read more

The next day, some friends invited me to a party given by some guys from Boeing who had just completed a training class and wanted to celebrate. Enter G and the boys. G is a 34 year old Canadian engineer and the boys are all French Canadian, 22 and very beautiful. I am in love with them all instantly. My friends are the only ones at the party who know everyone so they are constantly surrounded by people. I can’t squeeze into their group. So about 2 hours in, I’ve only had 1 beer but it’s getting very hot inside and I need air. So I go out on the balcony. The view is spectacular. The back of the house they are renting looks out over Lake Washington. There are about 20 chairs on the balcony ... read more

The journey that I'm on right now actually started a couple of months ago but my laptop was smashed by nefarious thieves and I haven't been able to write about it until today. So the first of my posts will be from older events and will eventually catch up to today. What started this particular trip was my date with Jabba the Hut. I was in Seattle and doing a story on internet dating. I was up in the middle of the night one night, writing, when I realized that the DJ on my favorite radio station had finally come back from vacation. His replacement had been terrible and I was sick of listening to him. So I called the station around 4 a.m. to tell him how glad I was that he was back. And ... read more