We were lucky to have found an incredible spot by the water with no signs that said we couldn't stay there overnight! In the morning, it was cooler and foggier, which meant that there were no signs of Mount Rainier in the distance anymore, as it was enshrouded in cloud. But we were able to do a quick walk with Sheila, as folks started to drive past us, commuting to work, while joggers filled the trail.
Lisette had found another dance class at 10am in the University District--a Beninese dance class, and she was looking forward to trying a class from this part of the world for the first time. The route up north to get there was pretty, as we drove by a lot of fancy and expensive-looking houses. However, the road was also incredibly windy and narrow, and there were a few moments where we held our breath coming around the bend, hoping that there wasn't a car speeding around the corner as our wide RV had to drive across both lanes!
We were a little worried that we wouldn't find parking at the University District (we had to skip a visit to Roots of Knowledge in Utah Valley University as every spot required a permit, and the visitor parking garage had much lower clearance), but fortunately we found a spot in front of someone's house a mere 2 blocks from the dance class. Plus metered parking at that time was only $2 for a couple of hours. Yay!
Beninese Dance Class
Lisette left Sheila and Michael in the RV while she walked to Open Flight Studio, where Etienne Cakpo, the dance teacher of Gansango Music & Dance, would be teaching his Beninese dance class for 1.5 hours. The door was open and despite arriving about 7 minutes before class started, there were no lights on walking up the stairs, and nobody was in the studio. For a few minutes Lisette wondered if class was canceled, but fortunately people started showing up, including the teacher.
Since this class was in the midmorning during the weekday, the class had about 10 other students, who all seemed to be regulars and knew each other. But these ladies were all very warm and chatty, welcoming Lisette and making her feel right at home dropping in. Etienne teaches two other classes in the evenings when people aren't at work that have live drumming, but Lisette still got really into the class, smiling happily from ear to ear as she danced, prompting positive comments from the teacher and other students. It was so much fun to learn the choreography, and the moves felt familiar given Lisette's experience in West African dance. She would definitely come back if the opportunity presented itself, or take another class with Etienne!
Wandering Around the University District
After dance class, Lisette, Michael and Sheila walked around the University District, where most of the folks wandering around are students of the University of Washington. We ate gyros from Cedars of Lebanon, which was good (and much better priced than the tiny ones we had in Boise), although Lisette's falafel wrap had too much pepper and spice.
If Lisette were a student, she said she'd love to have been able to walk regularly around this District--there were a ton of restaurants, cafes and boba stores, grocery stores, and the streets were clean and lined with trees. We walked to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, which has dinosaurs, fossils, Northwest Native art, plant and animal collections, and cultural pieces from across the globe (including an impressive collection of over 1 million preserved fish fossils from around the world). While we didn't check out the exhibits, the area around it was gorgeous, with people sitting around the steps eating lunch--and even wild strawberries growing out in the open! There's also a lovely sculpture of bronze paddles, each carved with a different Chinook style and size, lifted in a traditional form of peaceful greeting to the museum and its guests.
After a quick shop at H Mart for some Asian groceries and snacks (by the way, they sell a small version of the viral Dubai Chocolate there that we're yet to try), we drove to The Wall of Death, an art installation under University Bridge, with a bright orange sign proudly proclaiming its name, surrounded by what's meant to look like intimidating and sharp metal spikes, with a wire fence around it. Across from this installation where it's best to take a photo, there are concrete ramps entrenched haphazardly, painted to look like cigarettes. Apparently the installation is meant to resemble the high-risk motordrome sport. Most people that passed it, unlike us, were too busy jogging or cycling along the path.
Tulalip: Outlets and Casino Resort
Leaving Seattle, we drove up to Tulalip to the factory outlets, as Lisette is still hoping to find replacements for her Ecco hiking sandals, which have now worn down at the footbed and give her blisters when she wears them. Unfortunately the Ecco store there had a limited collection of the particular style Lisette wanted (Yucatan!), and the price was actually more expensive than what she could get online! We browsed a number of other stores that we like, but also found cheaper online options when we checked. There's nothing else that we truly need at this point, so we left the outlets empty handed.
Next door to the factory outlets is the Tulalip Resort Casino. We had a phase when we stayed at casinos overnight quite a bit, but we haven't parked overnight at one since Day 45, at Black Hawk in Colorado! We haven't missed casinos since then, but we were reminded of their usefulness with 24/7 security and amenities.
The casino itself wasn't much to check out--we're not big gamblers (and Lisette doesn't gamble at all). The best part of the casino was away from it, in an area dedicated to showing the history, traditions and culture of the Tulalip people, including the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, and other allied tribes. The decor was much better crafted, and there was a kind of museum here, where we saw beautifully carved wooden totem poles, Slehal (an ancient tribal bone game), masks, basket weaving, and other artifacts. There was also a documentary playing in the background about how someone from the tribe had passed away, and the people believed that he had been reincarnated into an orca, which came right up to greet them as they were in a boat on the water.
That evening, we chilled in the RV at the dedicated parking lots. There were quite a few other RVs and campers near us, but fortunately no generators or loud noise in general as we drifted off to sleep.