Three whole nights in Seattle recently gave us ample time to explore and re-explore some of our favorite sights with Jeff's mom and dad. Surprisingly, one of the most stunning places to visit is the central downtown library.

Yes, the library. Opened in 2004, it is quite an experience. A series of screens shows the titles of books being checked out in real time. Neon escalators take you past projected images of eyeballs.

It feels like being in a space age church of books.

Shopping on Ballard Avenue is like our NW 23rd but higher end. You must go into the jewelry store called Souvenir- the jewelry is displayed so artfully, one just marvels as much as the display- such as the store windows, as the jewelry itself.

A short jaunt down to Tacoma, to the Museum of Glass was my second visit there, which was more enjoyable than the first.

I enjoy the Hot Shop where one can watch the visiting artist explain the process as you watch the team blow and work with the glass. A treat was the featured artist Preston Singletary, a Tlingit glass artist who interprets the medium to appear as bone, wood, and other natural materials. Exterior stairs take you up past a huge silver dome that covers the Hot Shop, and surprisingly puts you on top of an overpass featuring a wall of whimsical vases.

While I've enjoyed Armandino Batali's (yes, Mario's dad) fine sausage at restaurants, we finally got to enjoy the shrine to cured meats at it's source, Salumi.

It was extremely casual dining, with a line of staff standing behind the counter making sandwiches to order while another line of customers snakes slowly into the narrow space, crammed with diners. We enjoy eating both low and high on about any part of the hog, so the experience was fun.

Other stops? Pikes Market, the outdoor Sculpture Garden, and views from Queen Anne hill. Other restaurants enjoyed were Lark, Serious Pie, Spring Hill, Le Pichet, and Campagne. See all the sights and get inspired for your next trip north.