Seventeen

 

BIRTHDAY GIRL: Another one from the way back machine ... About three weeks ago, we celebrated Annabelle's 17th birthday - pandemic style, of course. 

She had Japanese class that morning, but afterward, we headed into the big city to visit a couple of old haunts. First stop was the former Card Kingdom store, and its restaurant Cafe Mox. I think both places now are just called Mox Boarding House. It's in Seattle's oldtown Ballard neighborhood.

We rented a private gaming room there. That felt like a safe way to celebrate.

In the Red Room we played one of Annabelle's favorite games, Betrayal at Haunted Hill. 

Here's a description of it from its press release back in the day (2004):

Betrayal at House on the Hill quickly builds suspense and excitement as players explore a haunted mansion of their own design, encountering spirits and frightening omens that foretell their fate. With an estimated one hour playing time, Betrayal at House on the Hill is ideal for parties, family gatherings or casual fun with friends.

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to build their own haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating a new thrilling game board every time. The game is designed for three to six people, each of whom plays one of six possible characters.

Secretly, one of the characters betrays the rest of the party, and the innocent members of the party must defeat the traitor in their midst before it’s too late! Betrayal at House on the Hill will appeal to any game player who enjoys a fun, suspenseful, and strategic game.

Fittingly, since it was her birthday, Annabelle wound up being the one trying to kill us all, and she basically wiped up the floor with us. Nothing like going on a murderous rampage to say "Happy Birthday to Me!" 

We had some light appetizers while playing the game. Afterward, we moved on to another favorite old haunt, Hattie's Hat. It was one of the first restaurants we discovered when we moved to Seattle way back when. The restaurant dates back to 1904. When we first started going, they had a huge aquarium in the middle of their tiny dining room. The kids loved that and their kids menu. 

We were happy to see Hattie's had a large outdoor seating area now, and there were little hand-warming fires on each table. 

The menu hasn't changed a bit since we started going to Hattie's. It was a fun way to celebrate Annabelle's day.