Olympia Loves Me

How do I know that Olympia loves me? Because it was sunny and 65 there yesterday :)

I must say that, so far on my trip, Olympia has been my favorite place to visit. I think of it as "Seattle-light": it's got enough of the alternative lifestyle feel without being too crowded. The people there are nice and you can still walk to most places. Hip urban if you will.

My hotel room may have contributed to my happiness.
That's a queen size bed. And a sitting area on the right. There's another TV in the sitting area. There was also a fridge, little bar sink, microwave, and coffee maker. And, unlike in my Seattle hotel, I didn't have to close the bathroom door just to wash my hands. There was also a sliding glass door that opened onto a little ledge that overlooked a park.
How could you not like this room? I sat beside the little open door for most the night knitting and people watching.

Before I settled in to knit I took a little walk around town. I spy with my little eye...
Canvas Works was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. There was a huge selection of yarns in a variety of weights and labels. There was also a very impressive selection on patterns and books. Plus notions that aren't usually carried in yarn stores (I saw a niddy noddy!). And that was just in the front! In the back are bolts of cloth and sewing supplies. I had such a wonderful time just walking around and squishing yarn. I bought some real goodies there that I will show you once I have time to take them out and properly photograph them.

After my hour (or so) shopping in Canvas Works I took a little walk down to Capitol Lake which was right behind my hotel.
Then I walked up the street to the Capitol Campus. There were some beautiful flowers in bloom.
The Capitol Dome was really majestic and I may have take a million pictures of it from different angles.
On the grounds there was this:
You might be a big a$$ tree if... your branches have to be supported by metal pillars.

There were several memorials around the campus. I loved these flowers that were left on the memorial for fallen police officers.
This is the Victory Statue for World War II.
And at the Vietnam Memorial people had left flowers and flags.
One thing I noticed in both Seattle and Olympia is that people will often park backwards in parking spaces on the street. It makes sense to me: easier to do than parallel parking, lessens the chances of your car rolling backwards into the street, and makes it *a lot* easier to pull out into traffic. Think this seems a little daunting? Never fear!
It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

After a full day of walking and shopping I had dinner at McMenamens Spar Cafe. I got to dine with the pope (or is that supposed to be Jesus?).
My burger was good and my local micro brew was excellent. I had a great seat right by the windows so I could people watch.
I had a really lovely time in Olympia. I could see myself staying there for a week just to relax.

For all the places that love me here in Washington there is one thing that definitely does not love me: my sinuses. In addition to the stuffiness and sneezing I had before I left home I now have a cough. My cheeks also feel flushed all the time but my body feels cold. I don't think it helps that I spent a good portion of my day today outside in nature. But more on that tomorrow. However, I know that some friends of mine wanted to see my hotel room for tonight:
I'll be sleeping under Edward's watchful eye tonight :)