Day 19

Joey tears out of the house around 9:45 a.m., late for work and mercilessly hungover. David stays behind, and we spend our morning recounting last night's events.

David: "I did what? I broke a glass?"
Us: "No, no, Joey broke the glass. All you did was offer to sell us a house through your real estate company."

John from AllMusic.com calls around 11:00 to offer me the position of Assistant Pop Editor. I accept, and David winds up cancelling one of his meetings in order to drive us around the city. "So... this is a life-changing event," he says as we climb into his Infinity, and I agree. What better way to celebrate an abrupt career move than to cruise the Emerald City in a luxury vehicle? We point the Infinity toward the most logical destination for elegant, high-profile celebration: the fish throwing stand at Pike St. Fish Market.

David is a fantastic tour guide. He takes us around the market, along the waterfront, and into a number of shops along the way. We see the world's first Starbucks, but none of us feel a craving for burnt coffee. We feed the seagulls at Ivan's and view some mummified remains at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. We use one of Seattle's self-cleaning, space-age public restrooms, which have to be seen (or be used) to be believed. After hours of waterfront sightseeing, we get back into the Infinity and head toward the Space Needle, which is tall and long and UFO-shaped.

It costs $18 to travel up the Needle, so we pass on the elevated view and relax near a big fountain instead. Water rockets upward as children scream and run around in the spray. The sun is still hot, but just looking at the fountain gives us some relief. David takes a smoke break while Emily and I attempt a fast nap on the grass.

After meeting up with Joey at his apartment, we grab dinner at Buca di Beppos (who can pass up another massive Italian meal?) and go see Ratatouille, which Emily has been talking about since Virginia. In the lobby, there's a lifesize cardboard exhibit promoting The Simpson's upcoming movie, so we pose with Homer Simpson before heading to a late-night coffee shop for a caffeinated nightcap.

- Andrew