Shiskaberries and Top Pot Doughnuts in Seattle

I know, I know. I was just at the Space Needle yesterday. But I love this place. And I knew that I was going to try a treat that I purposely avoided yesterday.

Chocolate-covered strawberries have some redeeming healthy factor, so I actually don’t even feel all that bad.

These monorail tracks lead right to the Seattle Center, where the Space Needle calls home.

There is a car repair shop on the corner near the Space Needle. The entire surface is painted depicting men busily working on imported vehicles.

But this one cracked me up!

I would not want the guy holding the Porsche sign to be anywhere near me or my car! And the guy sitting on the swing with the air gun? Sheesh, hide your daughters!

I’m sure that this shop does nice work…just avoid the wall art to be safe.

I do believe that we are getting closer. That big round thing up there certainly looks closer.

Follow the monorail!

Ah, monorails.

Disneyland has one, you know. And my next trip will be showing that monorail to you from being there in-person! Eek!

This is the base of the Space Needle. Inside is a cute souvenir shop and fudge. But you didn’t hear it from me.

They hold all sorts of special events in the top of the Space Needle. I’ve never been up there, but it would sure be fun sometime!

Yep, I’m talking about way up there!

While standing at the Space Needle entrance, you can look north towards the Pacific Science Center (on the left), and the Chihuly Glass Museum (on the right). Just past it is an entrance to a nice grassy area near the Armory.

One of my treats is there today. Let’s go get it!

Here is a peek into the glass center!

Wow, he does amazing work!

This is a grassy meadow between the Armory and the Pacific Science Center. I discovered all of this for the first time yesterday, and I wanted to come back again today to enjoy it even more.

That’s the Armory in the far distance.

But you know my real reason for coming back today…

So let’s play Where’s Waldo with the Shiskaberries hut, shall we?

Can you see it hiding in this photo?

True, it’s trying to be invisible behind a tree and a man.

Thankfully, I will not be outsmarted. “We can see you, Carl.” “We can totally see you, Carl.”

    

So, here it is. No, I didn’t get fresh whipped cream on top. I’m on a diet.

And yes, I did add bananas to the order, which was just OK. I don’t like bananas that aren’t green, and there were “ripe” bananas.

But hey. Anything covered in chocolate is instantly elevated. So I was fine with everything here.

Especially when compared in size to the Space Needle. This was a large treat indeed!

I got my $5-worth, that’s for dang sure.

Was it worth the splurge? No. More on that later.

I had seen from afar yesterday that there was even more to explore back in this park area. So I headed that way and could hear lots of kids laughing.

This should be good.

Even though it was barely seventy degrees, kids were playing in this giant fountain water ball.

Like a creeper, I sat down to watch and enjoy the gorgeous sun.

And a gorgeous rainbow!

It looks like a space machine spurting out water. This thing was pretty cool!

And cool had many definitions today. I kept getting sprayed with some misty water. It felt nice, but it was a little too cold for that, still.

Man, do I live in Phoenix or what?!

I walked behind some other buildings to see what I could find, and the entrance to the Armory introduced itself.

Sheesh, what country is this? These eagles look like something straight out of Germany in 1938!

And they also kinda look like they’re made of Legos. Just sayin’…

This was a different entrance to the EMP Museum, which is a sci-fi classic here at the Seattle Center.

I can never get over how beautiful (and shocking…how did they do that?) buildings that make up the museum.

Aren’t these pretty?

The monorail goes right through them. Nice touch, guys.

I wonder if you see the Grand Canyon when you ride through?

Walt Disney thought of everything.

Sunbursty action of one of my favorite landmarks in Seattle.

Someday, I think that I’ll go to the top!

Every time that I’ve been here, this little band has been playing (what I think is) Mayan music. They have flutes and pipes and guitars. It is beautiful music.

I usually sit on the cement wall to listen for a few minutes. It was a nice rest for my feet, and also a wonderful chance to watch people.

Which never gets old!

You can really get anything your little heart desires here in Seattle.

Honestly, why would you ever leave?

Those lemonade drinks look yummy, huh?

I just loved this old-school sign.

Luckily, I didn’t have to follow its advice today. Car-free in Seattle!

I didn’t stop to read more about this statue because of people nearby taking pictures. I just grabbed a quick shot and was on my way.

But I love how old it looks. It probably is old.

Check out the (bear? wolf? pig?) head coming out of the stone on the base of the statue. I love stuff like this.

So I know this sounds terrible, especially because we just had a treat at Shiskaberries, but my next destination is actually for my real treat of the day.

Because I’m counting chocolate-covered berries as a healthy snack. Man, I’m bad!

I could be perfectly happy living on a flower-lined street next to the monorail. Doesn’t this look so peaceful? And clean!

There were lots of little shops and eateries in this neck of the woods as well. They were all closed today, but I hope that’s just because it was Saturday. They are located downtown with lots of businesses that are also closed today.

I love deli sandwiches!

So this still puzzles me but also makes me laugh.

OK, I get it. It’s a school for girls.

But how on earth do they explain the multiple rubber chickens hanging from the window?!

Would you want your daughter to attend a school like this?!

My phone did not lead me astray…we have arrived.

In case you can’t read all of the sign, it says, “Top Pot Doughnuts.” But the "doughnuts” part is visible, and that’s all you really need to know. It’s what matters.

I had read multiple reviews about this place and had high expectations. Inside was cute and quaint.

And the bookshelves were very inviting and inspire people to stay for hours, I’m sure!

By the way, I would love a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf built-in like this someday. But with white wood instead. With one of those cool rolling ladders.

Can you imagine?!

Anyway, back to the most important topic at hand.

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if you peek through a window into heaven?

I imagine that this is pretty close.

I won’t even be able to describe the incredible smells to you. Let’s just say that they make from-scratch doughnuts here and leave it at that.

Have you ever wondered what it would look like to peek through a pastry bag window into heaven?

I imagine that this is pretty close, too.

I got a glazed old-fashioned cake doughnut, because those are by-far my favorite.

And I must say this…

I’ve been eating healthy and working out very hard for about eleven weeks now. I’ve occasionally had a splurge on eating a treat, but I’ve always come back to the thought that “Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.”

It has never been worth it.

Well, this doughnut changed that. So I’m very fortunate that it is so far from me most of the time.

This doughnut may very well be one of the best things that I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. It was certainly worth the splurge.

But I’m not kidding when I say it has been the only one worth it!

I don’t have very good odds, apparently.

I guess what I’m saying is that…I would go back.

If you are in Seattle, please try a fresh, hand-forged doughnut. Then you can know for yourself.

Just look for the sign.

More exploring Seattle is coming up! Are you enjoying these posts?

Wandering Around Vancouver

I picked a cold, windy day to explore beautiful Vancouver. Figures, huh?

But I still had a blast. So did the wind.

I headed east towards that cool color-changing wall. Did I mention that it was windy?

Holy smokes, was it ever windy.

Even cars were afraid to brave the wind today!

Wind = cold.

My first mission today was to track down a Tim Hortons for some breakfast. I didn’t eat a ton yesterday as I spent my Sunday in, so I was excited to warm up with a delicious hot chocolate and a few donuts!

Without my cell phone to help me with directions, I just wandered until I eventually found one. Luckily, it was only about a mile from my hotel. I took the long way, apparently.

Vancouver is a city on the frontline of innovation, and their crosswalk machinery just proves that. I love all of these signs telling people how to cross the street! That little stick figure looks so peppy as he walks!

I’m going to cross. Hot chocolate awaits!

This giant cement track above me was for a tram that ran from the mall and hotel district to the airport about two miles away. I wanted to take a ride, but it wasn’t free. Wop wop.

Besides, I have Tim Hortons waiting for me. Better things to do, as they say!

Cue the angels’ chorus! It’s been a loooooong time since I’ve been able to experience all the glory that is Tim Hortons.

Please tell me that you’ve been to such a fine establishment. I know that they are even in some parts of the States, too! I squealed in delight when I saw one in Columbus, Ohio a few days later! Who knew?

Tim Hortons is like Canada’s Dunkin Donuts, by the way.

And here it is! Tim Hortons delicious hot chocolate.

What? What a second. That looks like some pretty weak hot chocolate…

If you thought the same thing, then you were right!

I ordered and paid for a hot chocolate, and then I was informed that the hot chocolate machine was broken. Awesome.

She tried to sell me a coffee instead, but I don’t touch that stuff. So I had to do another transaction to return my paid-for hot chocolate.

They were out of orange juice, too. What is this?!

So I got water. Not quite what I had in mind to warm me up after freezing all morning out in the rain, but I had to take what I could get in this situation!

In case you’re wondering…yes, this did make me feel much better.

Croissants just to that for me, you know? How about you?

Oh my. This was worth the walk as well. I sure do love donuts!

Or, at least, I used to love donuts. That’s not really a word that I use in my new healthy vocabulary!

I was still a little bummed when I left Tim Hortons without any hot chocolate.

And then, just a few minutes later, I walked past a McDonald’s. It isn’t a place that I normally frequent, but it donned on me that I saw them advertising their new McCafe drinks. If they have fancy coffee now, wouldn’t they also have fancy hot chocolate?

Victory! Indeed, they did! And it was good. It was very hot and helped to warm me up.

To escape the wind, I popped into a mall. You you remember seeing this in the far distance from my hotel room?

Canadian malls are lots of fun. Most of the ones that I’ve visited are mom-and-pop shops, and this mall was no different. They did have a Best Buy, though.

I found a bench and sat to rest for a few minutes. I was still trying to defrost at this point!

My goodness. Do I live in Arizona or what?! Such a pansy!

My main goal was to watch people for a while, but it seemed that the windy cold kept lots of normal people home today.

And then, in probably the highlight of my Vancouver explorations today, I found the equivalent of Homegoods/TJ Maxx in Canada! It was called Homesense, but the tags were all the same as my favorite store back in the States. I think this is their Canadian cousin.

I had a blast wandering every aisle in the store. This place was amazing!

I’m always magically drawn to clearance sections, but it was for a reason today.

These headboards are just awesome! And I immediately thought of my Mom’s new bedroom, which we will be redecorating this coming summer.

What do you think, Mama? Do you like it? Wouldn’t this be so pretty in your new master suite? Merrill can be glad that I wasn’t leaning towards the pink one…

I love that it looks masculine and could make him happy, but it has that cool button tufting that adds some femininity to it, too!

Perfection!

Since it was mid-February in Canada, it just made sense to me that the garden section was alive and well today. I put my doubts behind me as I walked around, enjoying the view.

Too bad that I have a black thumb and can even kill fake plants, huh? These planters could be stinkin’ awesome at my place!

The entire store was just incredible. I am only now realizing why it felt so big and plentifully-stocked to me…this was only home stuff! No clothes in sight! And the selection was so wonderful.

I wish that this exact store existed a block away from my house.

It’s always startling to me to see new construction. We simply haven’t had that in Phoenix for years! Obviously, Vancouver wasn’t hard-hit during the recession and has managed to hold on to values. And then some.

So it was fun to see a new condo building going up in this district of town.

I felt like I had snacked all day with donuts and hot chocolate. When it came time for a late lunch, I was more thirsty than anything. So I grabbed a watermelon smoothie. Which was so good!

It was purchased in a nice food court of a different mall. And this nice mall was a normal mall and provided endless people-watching entertainment!

On my way out, I stopped at a drugstore in hopes of finding my favorite candy ever. They don’t sell them in the States any more, unfortunately, so I have to indulge when I’m in Canada.

Luckily, at $4.99 a bag, I only indulged in one pouch. Boo. But man…I love these things!

Before eating, I put them in the hotel refrigerator to cool them down a little. So good!

My mouth is watering just thinking about them…

This was my view when I exited the mall…and that is my hotel just a block away! It was such a fun day exploring on-foot. And had the wind stopped, it would have been downright pleasant!

Tomorrow, we head back home, after a quick stop in Seattle to clear Customs.

Vancouver, I already miss you. And you, too, Reese's Bites.