Rockin' Red Robin - 12/29/14

Or - People In Glass Houses . . . 

I got a gift card from Michelle and Matt for Red Robin, Ummmmmm . . . and so today seemed the perfect day to burn that bad boy up.

We were off . . . and this time I headed north to the Red Robin in Bellevue rather than the one in Renton. Variety is, they say, the spice of life.

And, zoom, we were heading up Rainier Ave toward the I-90.

Hahaha, I have as little affection for tunnels as I do for bridges and it didn't help when Carol asked what if there were an earthquake as we were driving through this one.

I may have sped a wee bit after that comment.

But, obviously, we made it through and were heading for Mercer Island in no time at all. Hahaha, let's say I was motivated.

And in a blink of the eye, we were downtown Bellevue. It's across Lake Washington from Seattle and is, to their chagrin, Seattle's largest suburb. As of the 2010 census, there were 122, 363 people living there. It's the second largest city center in Washington. Based on per capita income, Bellevue is the 6th wealthiest of 522 communities in the state of Washington. We could tell they had some money when we went into the Bellevue Square Mall. In 2014, Bellevue, which is French for "beautiful view', was ranked as the 2d best place to live by USA Today.

Prior to 2008, the downtown area underwent rapid change with many high rise projects. There really isn't an old-time feel to the city . . . most of the buildings are new and made of glass it seems. It seems, now, that the city is undergoing another growth spurt given all the cranes we saw.

The city was founded in 1869 by William Meydenbauer. Prior to the opening of the Lake Washington Flating Bridge in 1940, Bellevue was a rural area. Once the Murrow Memorial Bridge opened, access from Seattle improved and the area gradually grew into a bedroom community.

Following the 1963 opening of a second bridge across the lake, the city began to grow more rapidly. It's since become one of the largest cities in Washington. 

We were pleasantly surprised by the Christmas decorations they put up on the streets. They really did a nice job. 

     Red Robin Reflected Window Selfie!!     

Hahahah, we got a twofer!! There's two of us in this picture plus we got one of those Toy Soldiers to pose with us too.

Here's the real deal. They really did a swell job decorating their streets. I'm guessing they've got a good tax base for the local government. A lot of tech companies work out of Bellevue.

And, POW, there we were, at Red Robin, Ummmmm!!

We had to wait just a bit for a table and I got this picture of the Statue of Hamburgery.

Nice looking, but what I really like about the Red Robins I've been in are the pictures along the wall. The only problem is that some folks get a bit antsy when I come by their table and stand and look at the pictures along the wall behind them.

I really don't know why.

And, we got our table and had a good view of the room . . . the better view was to the right where I could watch Oklahoma lose, spectacularly, to Clemson, 40-6.

Hey, at least it wasn't a shut-out!!

And then we had fun taking each other's picture.

Hahaha, not my best work but wait until you see her efforts . . . 

I'm taking a picture on the left and I don't know what on the right.

Gooooooo, 'Hawks!!

So, Carol surprised me and got a . . . Classic Cheeseburger.

Hahahaha, so predictable.

As for me, I fought temptation, tradition and a terrible hankering for a Patty Melt and got myself . . . 

The sky's the limit for this winner of the 2014 South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Inspired by his hometown of Billings, Montana, Chef Brad Halsten created a 1/2-pound Black Angus patty with blackened seasoning, topped with crispy bacon, an onion ring drizzled in Sriracha, creamy goat cheese crumbles, arugula and roasted garlic aioli all on a toasted ciabatta bun.

This Big Sky, twarn't bad, pod-nawrh!!

After we both ate too much, we took a short walk to ease some of the strain.

And it were cold, y'all!!

Brisk!!

But the downtown area is really nice . . . and clean. Unlike The Emerald City, we didn't see any Valued Homeless. None. Zero. Nada. Zilch!!

Quite odd.

But we stumbled onto a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, we were only able to see it reflected in the buildings downtown. Fortunately, we were able to see it reflected in the buildings downtown.

Like this one.

Hahaha, reminds me of me when I was in the Army.

Stout fellow, what!!

Then, across the street we saw this building . . . you can't really see it, but they had water running down the windows on the left-hand side of the building. You can just see some of the distortion caused by the water as it drizzles down the glass.

Oh, and they had some Chihuly Glass, too.

Here's a close-up of it. 

I know it's big stuff but Chihuly Glass leaves me cold. It just looks like a mess . . . to me it looks like something a high school kid would knock out in an art class for a C+ grade.

What do you think?

Hahahaha, 

Goooooo, 'Hawks!!

Even the lights are done in Seahawks colors.

But what caught my attention was the clouds reflecting the setting sun. Can you see it? The clouds were painted a soft pink.

Just a bit further on, we saw the sunset again in these windows.

And this one, just a bit closer. Pretty cool, eh?

Again, I'm not a fan of glass buildings but . . . sometimes they're worth the effort.

Then we popped into the Mall to get warm. As I said, it was cold outside.

And, Ooh, La, Lah!!

Tres Ritzy!!

They really know how to do up a Christmas Tree in this Mall.

This Mall first opened in 1946 with the first suburban department store opened by Marshall Field & Co. JCPenny opened a store in 1955. Sadly, Penny's has closed it store now. Nordstrom, then a local shoe store, opened here in 1958.

Bellevue Square continues to be owned by Kemper Freeman Jr. and his family, one of the few shopping centers in the United States that have not been purchased by a real estate investment trust.

Hey, Mickey!!

Hahaha, I didn't know these things still existed!! It's a Disney Store.

I love these things!! Can't afford them but I still love them!!

And I'm sure they've still got a couple Frozen dolls for sale.

Advertising an Optometrist Store.

Don't ask.

I don't know.

And from that to this.

I really enjoyed the Christmas Trees.

Here's the part of the Mall leading to the now defunct Penny's.

We finally warmed up enough to brave the elements again and set out to find the mini . . . and get some more pictures.

POW!!

Some of these glass shacks were impressive.

All these were handheld and, surprisingly, pretty stable considering I was shaking with the cold. Hahahaha, it wasn't that cold. 

Still, not bad for some snap shots on the run.

Hahaha, even in Bellevue they have the cranes. We saw several throughout the city as we drove around. It's seems like a Northwest thing . . . always growing, I guess.

Hahaha, it was a fun evening. We've been in Bellevue once before but just for a short visit. I think I've been to that Red Robin once when Amy still worked in Bellevue way back when.

It's fun getting out and seeing new things. It's even more fun to dine out when someone else is treating. 

Hahaha, works for me.

Thanks, M&M!!

Life is good.

Really, really good.

     Hooah!!