The Real Forks, Washington

Last Summer, my friend Danita, came for a visit from Las Vegas.  We only had one full day to spend with each other, so I asked her what she wanted to do.  To my surprise, she said she wanted to visit Forks.  

Some of you may have heard of a book and/or movie called "Twilight."  It was made into a series of books, and then a series of movies.  I read them, I liked them okay, but I would not necessarily call myself "a fan."

My friend Danita, obviously is.  Especially since she wanted to see Forks long after the book series and movie series was over.  She said she could go with this other friend of hers, but since we had limited time to spend together, and I don't mind seeing new things, I decided to take her.

Before our trip, I did some research.  She wanted to go to Forks before all the fan related stuff was gone, which she said has been happening recently.  I found a place online that gave out maps for the "Twilight Tour."  What I didn't know was that absolutely no scene from the movie was actually filmed in Forks!  I knew that some of the scenes weren't, but all of them?  I wondered if my friend knew.  I decided to tell her, because I didn't want her to be disappointed when we got there.  She must not have minded, because we wound up going anyway.

I recently decided to watch the movie because I swore I saw the photo above in one of the movies.  It wasn't in the first movie, that is certain.  I also noticed that Edward Cullen's car had an Oregon license plate!  Couldn't they at least have a Washington license plate on the car?  Am I being too picky?

The town is small.  Which I expected.  It actually did not take long to get to each tourist attraction on the map.

This is "Bella's house."

This is Forks High School.

This is the place where Bella and Michael worked.

This is City Hall.

This is just some scenery around city hall and the "Cullen's house."

This is the "Cullen's house."  Actually, it is a bed and breakfast.  I looks pretty nice.

They even have a mailbox that says, "Cullen."

The Community Health Center, where Dr. Cullen works.

He even has a reserved parking spot!

The vampire threat seemed pretty high, despite how sunny it was outside.  This was taken at a place to eat on the "Treaty Line."  They had very good hamburgers there.  They even had a little area set up for fans to sit in.

Even though it took only a few minutes to get to each attraction around Forks, it took forever to drive out to La Push!  It was worth it, though.  It was my favorite part of the trip!  The beach was beautiful!  My photos don't do it justice.  Also, the sand was not black like most beaches I have been to in Washington, it was actually the color of sand!  I didn't know we had sand-colored beaches in Washington till then.

We came across some sand art while we were there.  Below, a volcano:

a starfish:

part of an octopus head (the whole thing was impressive, though): 

An alligator:

a crab:

and last, but not least, SpongeBob SquarePants!

It was getting late, and earlier I had suggested we should go see "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" which was playing for free at the Mural in Seattle Center.  We thought we had plenty of time to get there.  We wound up not taking the ferry (which was a mistake), and wound up on some back-roads on the way home.  If I had known my GPS was going to take me a totally different direction going home, I would have stopped to get gas first.  I was beginning to wonder if my car would even make it to a gas station as far into the woods as my GPS took us.  Eventually we did make it to a gas station, and a much needed facility.  We grabbed some snacks, and went home.

Overall, we had a great time!  It was nice to spend time with my friend, see something new, and embrace nature.

So, if you are looking for a place to take a day-trip this summer, I would definitely recommend La Push.  However, make sure you have gas before you leave the area.  You may want to ride the ferry on the way back, too.

I Knew I Should Have Got Up Earlier...

Today was Free Comic Book Day!  Despite the beautiful, sunny day outside, I was having trouble getting out of my apartment.  My motivation was to find the free Doctor Who comic book (they were going to have in select stores for free today among others).

Looking online, I noticed the comic book store I went to for this event the last time was closed.  Not all comic book stores participate, either.  I wound up going to a new comic book store at the Factoria Mall, called Mighty Moose Comics.  It is a small store, but nice, and the people there are really friendly.  They also carry Sailor Moon manga, which is a plus in my book (the ones with the new covers, though I prefer the original covers).

This year, I was able to bring home 5 different comic books for free!  I think that is pretty awesome.  I have one that is a 10 Year Celebration (a comic book day special) that has a sample of several comics over the years, I have a Teen Titans one that is combined with a Scooby Doo one that teams up with the Justice League, one that is called Gronk (it looks cute, and has monsters and cats in it), Sonic the Hedgehog combined with Mega Man, and one with the Simpson's.

If I had gone earlier, I would have chosen the Doctor Who comic, and one called March Grand Prix (which looked really cute).  Overall, I am happy with the books I chose, and the fact that it forced me outside today.

Girls Night Out: Carousel at the 5th Avenue Theater & MOD Pizza

Thursday evening my cousin and I went to see Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle.  A friend from church  had a couple of tickets and asked if I wanted them.  "Sure!"  I instantly answered.   

I had heard of the movie "Carousel," and may have seen clips from it, but I had no idea what the musical was about.  My cousin thought she had seen the movie before.  She had been to the 5th Avenue theater once, a long time ago.  I have never been, so even that was quite a neat experience.

Before the theater opened, we had decided we wanted to eat at MOD pizza.  It was both our first time going there, so we were a little inexperienced on how to order, but we did a really great job of building our pizza.  My cousin ordered a Caesar Salad, and doctored it up with a few things.  We decided to share a gluten free crust (at my cousin's request), and I was totally fine with that.  We started with the Caspian, which is mozzarella, gorgonzola,  BBQ chicken, barbecue sauce, and red onion.  We were then allowed to add as many toppings as we wanted for the same price!  So we added sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, and garlic.  I asked the person behind the counter if she would suggest anything else, but she thought we did an excellent job, and definitely improved the pizza.

We took our seats in the restaurant, and my cousin shared her delicious salad.  After awhile, we were told that our pizza had accidentally burned, and would we like 2 free milkshakes to make up for it?  So, obviously, we did not pass that up!  The shakes were super thick!  I had to get a spoon to get mine started.  It was good, though.  We finally got our new pizza, with all the same toppings.  It looked absolutely terrific.  I went to pick up a piece, and naturally, it was piping hot.  Once I was able to taste it, I knew we made the right choice.  It was delicious, and filling.  Of course, we did have a salad and a shake each first.  I would definitely go back again. 

By the time we finished our dinner, the theater opened its doors.  My first thought was that it was quite different than the Paramount.  It had an Asian style to it.  It was very colorful, but a muted colorful, in tones of burgundy, forest green, and brown.  The lobby was shorter than I expected.  The lighting fixtures were spectacular inside the theater.  The carvings were exquisite.  

We went clear to the front to catch a glimpse at the under-stage orchestra.  Because of the angle they were sitting, I wondered how they could see the conductor.  A second later, I noticed each seat (or seating area) had monitors for each musician to watch.  That was quite interesting to me.  I have not seen anything like that before. 

We looked at the stage.  Beautiful lights hung down.  Three performers were sitting silently on stage, each faced in a different direction.  I had no idea what it meant at the time.  I did not even know right after the play, I think I may have even forgotten about that part.  Then, I remembered and thought, 

"What was that all about, I wonder?"  

Then after a few seconds, I realized, 

"Oh........!" 

 I cannot tell you anymore, because, well that would spoil it for the people who see the play.

One of the first things I noticed was the creative set designs.  Beautifully constructed, there were lights, sailboats, a flowery branch of a tree, and of course carousel horses, even a rotating stage!

The rotating stage was put to great use.  It was used not only for the carousel part, but to set time and tone as well.  Lighting also played a big part in setting the tone.  There were dance moves that also contributed, which were very well done.

The costumes were mostly pastels and muted tones.  Except for the carnival people.  They wore bright colors.

Many of the songs are catchy, and upbeat.  There is much happiness going on, while there is underlying sorrow for others.  The story is mostly sad, but there is humor and hope in the musical as well.  The overall message is a good one.

Laura Griffith, who plays Julie Jordan, has a beautiful voice.  Billie Wildrick, who plays Carrie Pipperidge is humorous.  Brandon O'Neill did a great job acting his part.  Madelyn Koch, who plays Louise, is an excellent dancer.  I enjoyed the other performers as well.

Overall, we had a good time.  The play runs through Sunday, March 1st, in case you want to try and get tickets.  I also suggest you bring tissues, if you have a tendency to tear up.  Binoculars can be handy too, if you are sitting in the back.  Cameras are not allowed in the performance area.  

For more information on Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at the 5th Avenue Theater, click here.

For more information on MOD pizza, click here.