Nutcracker March Statue - done.

So my search was finished before the strike of midnight - sorta kinda.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j0mammma/sets/72157594442171405/

On both Saturday and Sunday I woke up early to grab Vivace around noon'ish before my journey. I had my Timbuk2 packed with my camera, a pen (to mark my searches), an extra camera battery and phone. I also printed out the map of the statues on the website:
www.nutcrackermarch.org/

The "challenge" with the map is that it "estimated the location". i.e. One was clearly located at Pike Place Market.......*scratching head*. If you have gone to Pike Place in between xmas and NYE - you see the problem. Not only do you have no idea where at Pike Place (inside, outside, across the street, downstairs, behind on western or what) it is but you have a bunch of ppl in your way.

Another was sponsored by Macys but the employees I asked, had no clue.

These statues, across the street, a street over, were in buildings, in windows of buildings (I found out the hard way) or outside of buildings or in corners of Post Alley where you'd never look. This scavenger hunt was very rewarding with the exception of the last statue.

Both Saturday and Sunday I wouldn't stop to eat or stop to rest regularly. I think Sunday closer to 3pm'ish I stopped on the waterfront to talk to Cinco for a few minutes, otherwise I was going non-stop. oh! I take that back, Sunday while in Pioneer Square, I stopped to buy my reward. A caramel peanut apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. To be eaten after I finished. I was determined to find all the statues by foot. I wanted to get exercise and get more familiar with Seattle (says the geographically challenged chick). I did that and more considering these statues were in downtown, on the waterfront, in pioneer square, the financial area or seattle center *sigh*. And then walking back up the hill to Cap Hill. My legs felt like they were going into shock. My body was completely foreign to this excertion.

But alas, that last statue. My last stop was Seattle Center. I headed over from the Waterfront yesterday around 4pm'ish. I walked most of the Center, bright-eyed and bushy tailed to get my last two! According to the map, they were together. As I walked in front of McCaw Hall I saw one. And I made at least 3 trips around the area. For the most part, I would not opt to ask ppl. I tried to find these statues by myself. At Macys, I asked at least 7 employees, this showed my desperation. But I finally walked up to a gentleman setting up for some NYE celebration. And he looked at me "Honey, you're a bit late. The Nutcracker is over. There's 1 (pointing to the 1 I already found) right there." "oh thanks! Yeah, according to the map, there's another one around here?" "oh yeah, he was a blue one, they've already taken him away."

wtf!??!?!?!! no!!!!!!!! *sigh* no!!!!! I walked over 10 hrs within 2 days. I got 40 in that time and you're going to tell me that last one. that freakin' last one - is gone!?

I had fun nonetheless. And supposedly there's going to be 100 pigs around Seattle for the Pike Place Market Centennial Celebration this coming summer. ohhhhh man, another scavenger hunt - can't wait!

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=true