Let's start things on familiar turf, shall we?
Every city has a chinatown, and every chinatown has a big gate. But how many have a dragon as well?
Hawking bubble teas in the land of Starbucks? Just make sure you don't step beyond the dragon gate.
Seattle has a bit of a thing for snazzy architecture. This is the new public library, which has some remarkably cool lines for a public building. It's almost like they realized you can't sell a city on Iced Venti Lattes alone. Although Mei would beg to differ.
The salubrious Fairmont Olympic Hotel. One glance at the price tag sends Rock scurrying for the nearest Travelodge.
Seattle's 5th avenue is where those who haven't frittered away all their savings at Starbucks shop. Needless to say, Mei won't be hitting Louis Vuitton.
The famous Pikes Place market occupies a spectacular piece of real estate perched over the Seattle harbor. Why they could almost cast a line right from the famous fish stall to reel in the day's catch.
What?! An alley with no Starbucks is like a J00ster post with no food.
It's hard to stand still for a quick snap when the aroma of steaming seafood is wafting this way.
Zhu meets zhu. I can see the family resemblance, can you?
If you can't, just wait for the lunch stop, then I'm sure you'll concur.
Anyone care to guess what's on the lunch menu?
Yeah, yeah, sure it's scenic and all, but where's my crab?
Incoming fried calamari! Someone has food on their mind.
It's waaaay better than Wholefoods. Primarily because you don't have to wait in a line that does a dead ringer approximation of a lissajous figure.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Actually no, it's just another lame pose for the J00ster cameras.
Q: What do modern sculptures and impersonating Egyptian hieroglyphics have in common? A: They both help kill time until it's time to eat crab.
It's a glorious day... to be eating crab!
Rock contemplates the deep questions in life. Should he order a crab steamed with ginger and shallots, or a salt and pepper crab. Or both.
Mei contemplates the deep questions in life. How can she stop Rock from getting the juiciest claw meat before she can.
Mei is hungy enough to fly right back up to the crab market.
Between stomach rumbles, there's time to capture a few shots of Seattle's picturesque harbor.
And finally, Zhu gets to do what a a zhu does best.
Look closely and you'll see the original Starbucks logo was a little more risque than today's mom, dad, and 2.4 kids version. Must have taken more than coffee beans to get the old sea salts to stop by after a long voyage.
The sights and sounds of the bustling market. But this being J00ster, it's really only the tastes that we care about.
Next stop, the grandiously named Space Needle. Perhaps back when Sputnik was humiliating a generation of American scientists building a 180m tall tower was an impressive feat, but these days it's looking just a little... well... short. Mei can almost jump over it.
Nonetheless, by cunningly placing the "tower" well away from the city and the plethora of nondescript skyscrapers that are actually taller than it, and by using the shortest model they could find to pose in front, the designers do manage to pull off the illusion of height. Sort of. You know, like when Mei tries to wear high heels.
Despite Rock's cyncial rants about the last relics of an empire in decline, the view from the top is not bad. Not bad at all in fact.
Why from up here all the other buildings do look short. Unlike Mei, who always looks short.
Look down there, another two cruise ships are disgorging their waddling cargo straight into the convenient dockside Starbucks.
The definition of long time, no see. 17 years is a long time between drinks, or rather kick the can games. Rock and James reminisce about old times. And new times. A lot happens in almost two decades.
