Hilary learns Seattle is a perfect destination to explore in a Ford Fiesta.
 My drive from Portland to Seattle was fairly uneventful. There was quite a lot of traffic and still a bit of weather. But I knew I had lots to look forward to! Like in Portland, I was staying with someone who I had never met in person, but whom I've known online for a couple years! Jason and I had both been part of a Flickr group called 365 Days, in which we took self-portraits every day for a year. When you see someone's face every day, you start feeling like you know them. So when Jason invited me to stay with him, I jumped at the chance.
 When I arrived, I was greeted by Jason, his roommate Seth, and their really great dog, Otis. They had all sorts of stuff planned for me. First they brought me out to Alki Beach in West Seattle for a view of the city. After that we went to Ballard, a neighborhood in the northwestern part of Seattle, for dinner. We had planned on going to Madame K's Pizza Bistro. It had just closed for the night, so we didn't go, but I am mentioning it because it smelled so amazing from outside that I want to remember to go back next time I'm in town. Also, they apparently have a dessert called the Screaming Orgasm. (Twist my arm.) Since it was closed, Jason, Seth, and I went to La Carta de Oaxaca. The food was great--we shared some guacamole and I had the Tamales de Mole' Negro--highly recommended. We then went home and played some Rock Band (which I'm quite terrible at) and then hit the hay.
 In the morning, it was more food and socializing! It was off to Peso's Kitchen & Lounge, where Jason, Seth, and I met up with Brittney and Rachel--two other Flickr contacts I'd only known online. After breakfast, the boys headed off to Kent for some roller derby preparations (more on that in a bit) and the girls showed me around. We did a little shopping at Archie McPhee, where we all bought moustaches; ate cupcakes (I had lemon) at Trophy; climbed on the Freemont Troll--an 18' sculpture by four Seattle area artists (Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead) that can be found under the Aurora Avenue Bridge; hung out at Green Lake, and went up the Space Needle!
 By that time I was pretty exhausted. But the night was young! One of the things I was most looking forward to was that evening--the roller derby! I'd never been to a roller derby bout before, but my hosts happen to be cheerleaders! That night, it was the Rat City All-Stars vs. the Detroit Derby Girls and it was at ShoWare Center in Kent. I opted to cheer for the home team. Jason had explained the game to me the night before and the program laid it all out as well, but it seems the only way to learn derby is by watching derby! By the end I had a grasp of what was going on. The main thing is that the "jammer" (who is easy to spot from the star on her helmet) has to skate through the "pack"--every time she passes an opposing team member, she scores a point. And she probably has an awesome name, like "Darth Skater". Those women were amazing to watch--they make me want to put on a pair skates for the first time in years!
 That night I slept well. In the morning, I got up to...well...eat and socialize some more! There are several other Ford Fiesta Agents in the Seattle area. I was lucky enough to meet up with two of them--Bridget O'Neill and Dartanion London--for breakfast and an impromptu photo shoot (with lots of help from Jason) with all three of our Fiestas! I've managed to meet so many of the agents on the road--it has been such a blast! (To meet all 100 of the Fiesta Movement agents, visit the Fiesta Movement homepage and check out their stories. A few of them will be joining Hilary here on Automotive Traveler in the weeks to come.)
 Before I headed back to Portland I managed to run around the city a bit more. Jason and Seth found a good spot to shoot the Fiesta in front of the Space Needle; I got them to put on their cheerleading tutus (okay, it didn't really take much convincing) and pose inside of a sculpture; and we ate ice cream at Pier 57. Then it was time to head south. I arranged to stay with Vinh again in Portland that night, but had no plans past that as of yet. Check back soon to see where I ended up!
Be sure to check out the high-resolution images from Hilary's Ford Fiesta Movement adventures in her Automotive Traveler image gallery "Agent #41."
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