At the Dragon Fest 2019

It's the time of the summer again at the heart of Seattle's Chinatown International District where out-of-towners of all walks of life gathered to take part in the festivities of this year's Dragon Fest. For whatever reasons, this year's Dragon Fest became a one-day only event but despite the so-called schedule restructuring, visitors still enjoy the best of what this annual summer festival offered; from the best of Asian culture, the food walk, and contests.

Enjoy some shots I took from this year's festival....















More photos: https://www.facebook.com/LeopaulsBlog/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2359331470827104

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At the Sakura-Con 2019

The oldest and the biggest anime convention in the Pacific Northwest, known as Sakura-Con, was held at the Washington State Convention Center from the 19th to the 21st of April 2019, and although this convention wasn't as grand as I hoped for compared to past Sakura-Con events I've been through since my first con visit a decade ago, this con event was headlined with numerous events such as the US premiere of the new Code Geass movie and a special panel from one of this year's sensational shows, The Promised Neverland. Those headliners really rocked this year's Sakura-Con, despite not being in its peak

Although this year's Sakura-Con wasn't at its best as anyone hoped for, they had a lot of fun spending the whole Easter weekend connect with their fellow otakus and doing all kinds of stuff to make this event a memorable one.

Speaking of memorable, I had the opportunity to take pics on this year's Sakura-Con just to remember this event while getting ready for next year.















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Fun at the 2018-2019 Seattle Auto Show

When Autumn in Seattle's in full circle, the gates of CenturyLink Field Event Center are open for the weekend of the best cars and trucks available in the market as the Seattle International Auto Show caters spectators with the best and the brightest cars while showcasing the design, the performance, and the efficiency customers are looking forward to. For 2018, what better way to spend the Veterans Day weekend in Seattle than stopping by the CenturyLink Field Event Center for the car show fun for the whole family?

Check out some of the pics I took...

















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What's it like to visit at a Starbucks Reserve Roastery?

At a normal Starbucks, you arrived at their doorstep, order some coffee, wait, and then you can sip some coffee but do you want to get the most out of your Starbucks experience? Visit a Starbucks Reserve Roastery, that's why!

Setting them apart from your normal Starbucks, a Starbucks Reserve Roastery offers the rarest, most extraordinary coffees crafted exclusively in a place like this. You can think of it like visiting a fancy car factory where you can see an ultra-expensive car being handcrafted by artisans while you watch them assemble their masterpiece.



The first ever Starbucks Reserve Roastery was opened in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood since the end of 2014, just nine blocks from the first Starbucks store in Pike Place. In addition, Shanghai and Milan had their own Starbucks Reserve Roastery and in the future, they will open ones like this in New York City, Tokyo, and Chicago. But in the meantime, I went to the first ever Starbucks Reserve Roastery to see what's what.

Not only you will be greeted with the biggest servings compared to your usual Starbucks hangout but you get to see the process on how their globally-sourced coffee are roasted, processed, and produced to deliver the master stroke of a coffee you are seeing it now.



Seeing how its made is like you're entering the factory minus the no-photography regulation. As a matter of fact, people like you and me are having a guilty pleasure to learn Starbucks' secrets to success but don't worry. Nothing's stopping you to experience the tips of the trade that flourished Starbucks into one of the fastest-growing coffee shops in the world right now.



There is a sculpture of the one as seen on the Starbucks logo on display.



Aside from offering some of the rarest and most exclusive coffee blends you can only find at the Reserve, you can chow down on some pastry such as those delicious breads at their Princi bakery corner of the Reserve. You are going to love the selection of pastries in store when you get there.



Visitors can sample some of the most unique blend of coffee or espresso of any kind and in case you brought kids, you can order them some ice cream. Because most of the coffees, be it hot or cold, served at the Reserve are so unique, your fervent wish after sampling them is you might be visiting this place again for some more. That's the magic of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery because their blends are somewhat between Rare, Epic, and Legendary.

When you're happy with your visit at Seattle's Starbucks Reserve Roastery, you can buy some souvenirs from the trip, knowing that you've visit a very exclusive Starbucks with some of the most exclusive coffee blends you won't find anywhere else.



This visit to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery reminded me that I have gotten the chance to experience the ultimate Starbucks experience coffee lovers will enjoy. From their tips of the trade, their exclusive offerings, and such classy atmosphere, it's no doubt coffee lovers found their little Holy Land on their taste buds.

So, if you are spending your time in Seattle, be sure to check out the Starbucks Reserve Roastery at Capitol Hill if you have time. You will be glad that you are part of the ultimate Starbucks experience.

The Seattle Starbucks Reserve Roastery is located at 1124 Pike St., Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA, and it's open everyday from 0700 to 2300 hours. In a general 12-hour format, that's 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Thank you for understanding and enjoy!

At the DragonFest 2018

One scorching weekend at Seattle's Chinatown International District, many visitors managed to survive the extremely hot temperatures in the Pacific Northwest just to witness the annual DragonFest event.

The DragonFest is a celebration for all things Asian-American. From Chinese, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Korean, this event had it all in store for the large crowd. There's even packs of stands, food walks, fun, and games in store to keep the visitors happy for more. Now that's how Seattle Chinatown managed to beat the heat with this summer event happening every year.

Anyway,. I managed to snap some pics to highlight the best of this year's DragonFest.



More pics: https://flic.kr/s/aHskEAWJJy

At the 30th Pacific Northwest Historics

In a pre-Independence Day weekend at the Pacific Northwest, car enthusiasts flocked to the Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, to enjoy the annual Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage Races, which is now on its 30th year. Since this is the 30th year, they've brought in this year's guest who's been a legend in various motorsports, including Formula 1 and the IMSA, George Follmer.

Since 2018 celebrates 70 years of Porsche, the Northwestern Porsche dealers became this year's sponsor of the event and spectators are getting a hot seat to the latest Porsches offered such as the Panamera and the Cayenne while enjoying a one lap tour around Pacific Raceways.

That really is a milestone worth remembering and I managed to snap some pics for us to enjoy.




Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmiqedGQ

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Visiting the Summer Mahouto Market 2018

A few moments ago, I went to the Yesler Community Center to check out what is known to be the last Mahouto Market event ever to happen in the streets of Seattle, WA. It's sad to see this one go but the folks from this event are pulling the stops to ensure that their last Mahouto Market event will be the best as they offer the best artworks commissioned by the talented artists across the Pacific Northwest.

Here are some of the bits and bobs I took in the last Mahouto Market event in Seattle. It's been an honor to have such a nice event that will showcase the coolest artworks made by the PNW illustrators for everyone to see.











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Living the Oregon fantasy

A couple of days ago, me and my family went to the Oregon state, which is almost 200 miles south from Seattle, and while most people go to Oregon to unravel the nature from within, this state holds a very special place to our hearts because of Gravity Falls and Life Is Strange. It's so special, we went there to do some sightseeing and here are some of the things.



Before emerging through our Portland sightseeing, we spent our dinner at the Sho Authentic Japanese Cuisine. You will love their selection of delicious Japanese meals there, even sushi. After spending our dinner, eating Japanese meals, we rested at the Comfort Suites and the next day, we set off to what was becoming our wet day at Oregon.



We arrived at The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, The Grotto. Built since the early 1920's, The Grotto is a national Catholic shrine dedicated to Mary, Our Sorrowful Mother, which is a ministry of the Servite Friars – Order of Friar Servants of Mary. It's a great place to connect yourself spiritually through Mama Mary and Jesus and it's mostly visited by Christians, even Catholics.



We ventured outside The Grotto where you will find a place where they hold outdoor masses occasionally as well as the Marilyn Moyer Meditation Chapel where they held masses every day.



We rode the elevator to the top of The Grotto to see more holy places ever visited. There was the Mysteries mentioned from The Rosary as we know everyday, there's the monastery, there's a chapel, and then there's a shrine where, by such fate, there's a Filipino shrine standing beneath the Czestochowa, Lavang, and Guadalupe shrines. They called it Dambana, which is Filipino for "altar" and it features San Pedro, San Lorenzo Ruiz, and Our Lady of Dambana.



After our spiritual trip to The Grotto, we went to eat at Cartlandia, where you will find some outrageous meals for reasonable prices. As we got our tummies full, we went further around Oregon to find a scenic spot called the Vista House.



Here we are, Crown Point Vista House, the best view of the Oregon State is through that very spot. After our scenic spot at Crown Point, we are heading to our last stop which is the Multnomah Falls.



Just a 30-minute drive outside Portland, Multnomah Falls measures at a jaw-dropping 620ft. making it one of the best spots to look around the Oregon state. Now that's Mother Nature doing its beauty for the people.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed peeking at my pics on our tour around the Oregon state and I hope your fantasies will come across this wonderful US state someday if you are planning to make a vacation there.