Belagio

Belagio's Dancing Fountain

We've been to Las Vegas from June 30 to July 3 but we never stayed longer in casino instead we drove up to Grand Canyon, Arizona and Hollywood, California. I will post more photos when time permits. For now, just enjoy my photo taken in Belagio's dancing fountains.

Seattle Cheese Festival

Cheese Tasting

Cheese Tasting, grab and scoop your own cheese ;-)

Cheese

In front of the first Starbucks store with the original logo

We need bread when eating cheese ;-)

Mozarella Making and Tasting

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Two weeks ago, May 14, we went to Pike Place Market- our first time to visit it and we were surprised to find out that they have a Cheese Festival. We enjoyed tasting different kinds of cheese and bread as well. Of course, we went home not empty handed, we bought a cheese and french bread.

Also, my first time to see the original and first Starbucks store, I didn't have the chance to see the inside of the store because it was too crowded.

Tulip Town Skagit Valley, Washington

Tulips

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The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is held every year from April 1 to 30. We were one of the thousands of people who came over to see this event last Saturday, April 23. It was sunny and bright that day and my pictures turned out so beautiful and I love those tulips so much and that's why I can't wait to share these with you ;-)

The Skagit Valley is 60 miles north of Seattle and it may take one hour drive or less to get there. From our place, it's 110 miles and it took us 2 hours to get there.

Cherry Blossoms at University of Washington

University of Washington

Cherry Blossom (Sakura)

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The photos were taken last week, April 2, 2011 at the University of Washington (UW). I was with my husband and my son when we went to UW to pick up my daughter from her dorm so she can spend her weekend with us. Before we leave I asked my daughter to swing by the campus where the cherry blossoms (sakura) are located and so while my husband and my son were eating in a Japanese Restaurant (they were so hungry that they opted no to join us) so my daughter and I headed to the "quad" where the cherry blossoms are and I was so amazed upon seeing the view: the cherry blossoms around the quadrangle and their buildings, I love the architectural structure. The weather cooperated that time (since we came from Seattle Center few minutes before, and it was raining hard...oh well what do you expect here....we're in Washington....hello! duh! hehehe), it's truly indeed a nice timing to take pictures of the sakura, it's so sunny! It seems like I am really missing Japan during this spring season where we used to go and visit Hirosaki Castle just to see and enjoy sakura festival. The missing part here is the food...there's no food! no street food! and no Japanese food! hehehe.

Note: I have to post these pictures first before continuing my Canada road trip's blog while cherry blossom is still in bloom ;-) and fresh hehehe

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

After passing the border of US and Canada

happy yipee yehey we're in Canada!

Downtown Vancouver

Statues of laughing people??

My son, trying to open the hand hehehe

At English Bay Beach

English Bay Beach

Another view of English Bay Beach

the trolley

At Kadoya Japanese Restaurant

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We've been to a road trip last week since it was my daughter's spring break. It was our first time to see Canada. It took us only 3 1/2 hour drive from our place to downtown Vancouver. Actually, we didn't plan on going there, we never booked a hotel and we didn't know where to go. Our initial plan was to go snowboarding since that was my daughter's request but plans changed and we just decided to drive to Canada. That always happens to us anyways hehehe.

Fortunately we were able to find a hotel to stay but only for one night because the following day the hotel was fully booked due to Bon Jovi's Concert. Our hotel place was close to English Bay Beach, which is the most popular in sunbathing, swimming and sunset watching beach in the downtown Vancouver area.

After checking-in we headed to a Japanese Restaurant which was also a stone's throw away from our hotel, we were hungry and my kids were craving for sushi. The restaurant was superb, we liked it!

Vancouver's climate is pretty much the same as Washington: rainy, cloudy and gloomy ;-) I guess it's just an extension of Seattle ;-)

I will post more pictures on my next post ;-)