andy & shaya

Last week my Mom mentioned to Shaya that she had seen something in the newspaper about an upcoming Pug festival in Seattle. Thanks and happy mother’s day Mom! Once the cat (or should I say dog) was out of the bag, I had no way of getting out of it. Thankfully the weather was beautiful and I ended up having a fun time.

The day started off with us heading up to Newcastle to dog-nap Zeeba, the Vafaei’s pug. Upon arrival we discovered that Shaya’s sister Sasha was in the process of getting ready to attend the same event! So we had a bit of cereal while we waited for her (too long, girls!) and set off around 10 for Seattle.

Seattle Pug Rescue’s 2009 Pug Gala was held in Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park, just a couple miles northeast of the University of Washington. According to their website, the Pug Gala is their one annual fundraiser with the proceeds going to fund medical care and other foster care expenses for rescued pugs that are searching for new homes.

Some of the main events of the gala included a pug parade, pug races, and a pug costume contest, which was absolutely adorable. We even managed to coax Zeeba through part of an agility course…. over jumps and through hoops and tunnels. There was also a bunch of vendors there peddling all sorts of leashes, treats, clothes, and food to treat your precious pug friend.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the gala, we set out to explore the surrounding area a little bit. As it turned out Magnuson Park was quite an interesting discovery in its own right. I had no idea it was so huge, 350 acres to be exact. The former Navy airplane hangars were a pretty cool sight. We also encountered a new climbing gym and a giant indoor sports arena. The arena had two indoor soccer fields and an indoor beach volleyball court!

Following our little adventure walk, our attention quickly turned to locating refreshment and nourishment. My first suggestion was Agua Verde but that wasn’t met with much enthusiasm. Unable to agree on a destination, we drove over anyway and discovered a line of about 15 people waiting outside. None of us craving tacos, we didn’t bother to stop. But within blocks it hit me…Paseo!

Do a little bit of googling and you’ll find that Paseo is one of Seattle’s greatest hidden treasures. Of course, referring to it as “hidden” is kind of a misnomer because though it has no visible signage it’s easily identifiable by the perpetually large crowd of customers waiting on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Pretty much everything on the menu is amazing but they are most famous for their Midnight Cuban Sandwich. Seattlest described it as “a delicious mess: marinated pork pieces…melted cheese, grilled onions, cilantro, garlicky mayo and more spilling out of the baguette.” I’m not much of a pork person but I always make an exception for Paseo.

As expected, when we arrived there were about 25 people waiting outside the very modest tin shed at 4225 Fremont Ave N. Though we were hungry, waiting in line at Paseo is hardly ever disappointing. With a few dogs to play with, a variety of interesting people to chat with and an intoxicating aroma the wait didn’t feel nearly as long as it could have.

About 30 minutes later it was our turn to order. Unfortunately we had forgotten to bring cash! Thankfully, the guy behind the register allowed Shaya to place her order and pay after she walked down to the ATM at a nearby tavern. While Sasha and I waited outside with Zeeba, we befriended some grizzly old biker guys that were having a pint out on the patio.

By the time our order was ready we were so focused on devouring it that we didn’t snap any pictures but I promise it was heavenly. It was indeed quite messy though so I’m glad I wasn’t wearing a nice shirt!