After my mom posted a moment on her social media, one of her friends who is the mother of my kindergarten classmate contacted her. Then, after two days of chatting, the friend decided she would come to visit Seattle. I will have a reunion with my friend from ten years ago.
When Conrad was finally standing in front of me after we picked them up from the airport, I was lost in thought. The last time we met was when I was in first grade and he was in second grade, and we were probably around 1 meter tall. However, now, I am more than 1.7 meters and he’s more than 1.9 meters. I can see that he still has a similar temperament as when he was a kid, though if I met this guy on the street, I would never recognize him as the person I was a classmate with for two years.
Inevitably, as the host in Seattle, we need to show them around the city. Usually, my parents take on this mission, but this is the first time that this job has fallen on my head.
Day 1: A quick shop –> Ice skating/ Asian market –> University of Washington –> Sushi in U-district
There’s a huge similarity between the two mothers: they both love shopping. The friend told my mom about an app called Estate Sale, which is a map showing personal places’ sales. My mom was so excited about it, so they decided to go immediately in the morning. Since we are not interested in furniture and house decoration, Conrad just stayed home with me.
Conrad had been playing ice hockey for twelve years. By the time we knew each other, he had just learned how to play ice hockey, and we even went ice skating together before. To relive memories, we decided to go ice skating again. After getting him some long pants, we spent the early afternoon at the skating rink. This time, it was the parents who were not interested in what we were doing, so I sent them off to the nearest Asian markets, allowing them to do what they wanted.
After spending our time at the skating rink, the parents came back to pick us up, and we went to the University of Washington for a tour. I am very proud of our state’s school; it is really beautiful. The only disappointment was that the library was closed on Sunday, so we didn’t get the chance to go in and take a look.
The day of the tour ended with a great meal of sushi in the U-district. The sushi restaurant’s name is Yu Sushi & Katsu. Highly recommended!👍
Day 2: Amazon The Spheres –> Starbucks Reserve Roastery –> Space Needle –> Chihuly Garden and Glass
Pretty obviously, that friend of my mom is a very extroverted person, so it’s not surprising that she has friends in Seattle even though she has never been here before. Her Seattle friend invited her to visit the Amazon Spheres, and I was brought along.
We arrived at The Spheres around noon. The building was only accessible because that Seattle friend’s husband works at Amazon. It was fascinating inside, like a real rainforest within the city. You can’t imagine what it looks like from the outside of the building.
Even though there were a lot of plants inside the building, the structure itself is not very big, so it didn’t take us long to go through the tour. We then headed to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery store. Despite it being a Monday afternoon, there were still a massive number of people. The coffee and desserts were good, but there’s really no difference compared to other random Starbucks stores, and they are more expensive.
After saying goodbye to the friend, we began our afternoon trip to another part of Seattle. Firstly, we headed to the Space Needle, which is the most iconic architecture of Seattle. The view from up there allowed us to capture the entire Seattle with our eyes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pictures because the glass windows and glass floor were too terrifying. However, I managed to take many satisfying photos at our next stop, which is the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum beside the Space Needle.👇
Day 3: Pike Place Market –> The Crab Pot Restaurant & Bar –> Trader Joe’s
I really don’t know where else we can go in downtown Seattle, so we planned the day around visiting Pike Place Market. Since my school is only a twenty-minute walk from Pike Place, I’m quite familiar with the area. We visited the gum wall, the market with all the fresh products and flowers, the first Starbucks store, and the rollercoaster beside the lake.
During my research before heading out, I saw many Chinese people recommending The Crab Pot in Seattle. Seafood is also considered one of the symbols of Seattle, and my mom’s friend mentioned that she wanted to try seafood, so we decided to have our afternoon lunch at this restaurant. However, due to the heavy crowds and high parking fees in downtown Seattle, I took them to the Bellevue location instead of staying in Seattle. The Crab Pot in Bellevue is the store my family used to visit frequently. The taste was just as good as before, and we had a great meal there.
Day 4: Premium Outlets –> Gas Works Park
This is the last day before they leave. My mom’s friend loves shopping and had always been interested in going to the Outlet. So, after noon, we started the last trip by heading to the Outlet for a full afternoon of shopping. However, I let them know that we are going to Gas Works Park to watch the sunset, so we need to depart at 7:00 pm. This way, we will arrive around 8:00 pm and have around one and a half hours to enjoy ourselves with nature and the view of downtown Seattle.
I feel like this is giving us a good full stop to their trip to Seattle.
When they first arrived in Seattle, they didn’t plan how many days they would stay in the city. In the end, they stayed for a total of 10 days. The four days listed above were the days we specifically planned for sightseeing in Seattle. During the other days, my mom brought her friend to visit some local friends, and they had gatherings and meals together.
Meeting a friend after ten years was a truly memorable experience, and I realize that not everyone gets the chance to have such an opportunity. It was a special and unique experience that I will cherish.
towards wellness 
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