This
trip to Seattle focused more on the Belltown area, Seattle Center area, Pike
Place, and Capitol Hill. It was great to explore new areas of Seattle, majority
within walking distance from our hotel. Despite it being ridiculously cold for
a weekend in December in Seattle (apparently the average temps is 40s, we had
teens and twenties), I had a lovely time with my friends. This trip really
solidified that I love Seattle and wouldn’t mind visiting again, even the
possibility of moving here one day if it became an option.
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| Seattle! |
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| Pike Place at Night |
Top Pot
Doughnuts http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/
One of the best donut shops out there. Seriously gourmet donuts in a variety of
flavors, all fresh made. My favorite was the simple applesauce donut that was a
cake style donut. Not too sweet but really fresh tasting. They also make a good
cup of coffee. A must for any visit to
Seattle.
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| Enjoying my last donut of the trip. |
Umi Sake Sushi http://www.umisakehouse.com/
Seattle knows how to do Sushi. Fresh seafood makes a huge difference. This
place was amazing. I could have eaten here every day. I loved how when you
entered, it seemed like a tiny 5 table restaurant but actually opened up to a
larger space in the back.
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| I could have eaten here every night. |
The 5-Point
Café http://the5pointcafe.com/
A great dive bar feel. I enjoyed my breakfast and the deep fried mac and cheese
was fun. However, the tater tots were a bit burnt. Great location, right down
the street from our hotel and the touristy Space Needle and Key Arena
area. Also didn’t hurt that it’s open 24
hours. My friends spent a lot of time in this place. Just be warned, they are a
bit slow but plenty of drink options to keep you occupied till you get your
food.
Two
Bells Tavern http://thetwobells.com/
Another great local place with a dive bar feel. I decided to go for one of
their famous burgers – the mushroom burger. It was tasty but messy because it
came on a sourdough baguette style roll which makes it hard to bite into. I
enjoyed my meal and would recommend it to others looking for low key meal with
good basic food.
Seattle
Coffee Works http://www.seattlecoffeeworks.com/
There’s something about Seattle coffee. It must be the water. Or how they roast
the beans. But it is delicious. So delicious that I can drink it black, which
is a rarity for me. While yes, Starbucks is from Seattle, for true Seattle
coffee, seek out the local shops such as Seattle Coffee Works. It’s a proper
coffee shop that made an amazing cappuccino that I was able to drink w/ no
sugar added (something I would never be able to do at Starbucks).
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| Little heart. |
Roy
Street Coffee and Tea http://www.roystreetcoffee.com/
I thought this was a local coffee shop in Capital Hill only to be completely
fooled. When entering, I noticed a sign on the door stating this was place was
inspired by Starbucks which piqued my curiosity. Upon discussion with the
barista, I found out that they coffee shop was indeed a Starbucks owned store –
but a new venture in going back to the old coffee shop style vibe that was
popular in the 90s. There were plenty of couches and comfy seating. And the
best thing, they didn’t use their normal roasted coffee that tastes to bitter –
but the true Seattle style roast. This place was actually very good. I got a
shot of espresso w/ cinnamon whip cream on top. And half a Panini w/ tomato
soap which was amazing. I really hope Starbucks expands on this idea and open
up similar locations in other cities because this is exactly what I’m looking
for in a coffee shop. Back to basics.
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| So good! |
CJ’s
Eatery http://www.cjseateryseattle.com/
Great diner feel. The menu is pretty standard fare. They were able to accommodate a group of 9
without too much of a wait. And the service was pretty good considering we are
ordering all sorts of things and had some food accommodations to make. Plenty
of coffee and tea refills. I got scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and potatoes.
Despite the simpleness of it, it was tasty and filled me up. Exactly what I
needed after a late night.
Piroshky
Piroshky http://www.piroshkybakery.com/
If you’re in Pike Place, definitely stop in here for a quick snack. I picked up
a cinnamon braided roll which I ended up eating for breakfast the next day and
it was super tasty and still tasted great even a day old. I wish I could have
gone back and picked up more variety of treats. I was lucky when I stopped by
because it was evening and super cold winter night so there was no line. Be
warmed, the shop is tiny so it’s hard to move around and view all the baked
goods.
Elysian
brewery http://www.yelp.com/biz/elysian-brewing-co-seattle
We decided to do our big group Saturday night dinner here. They provided a
large table in the back corner which was great because it felt a bit like a
private room so we could talk without too much noise from the other diners. I
wasn’t in the mood for a beer so the waitress suggested a warmed upped apple
cider brandy concoction that totally did the trick. I ended up with the steak
which was tasty. I tried a bit of my friend’s blue cheese sauce and I actually
liked it. I’m normally not a fan of blue cheese but this sauce wasn’t too
overwhelmingly blue cheese – but more like a beer cheese. Good place for a
great selection of beers.
The
Armory, Seattle Center http://www.seattlecenter.com/locations/detail.aspx?id=41
We ended up spending quite of bit of time in the Armory due to the main reason
of being in Seattle was to see Pearl Jam play at the Key arena. Since the
Armory was right next door, we did a pre-concert dinner at the fish and chips
place which was solid. I preferred the fish and chips to the fish taco.
Definitely a better option than whatever junk they serve in stadiums/arenas.
And I got both coffee and hot chocolate from the little coffee stand. They lady
who made the drinks was super nice and both the coffee and hot chocolate was
fantastic. It has kind of a food court feel to it but the options are a step up
from the typical mall fare. Definitely a place to pop in for a quick bite if
you’re in the area and don’t feel like spending too much $$ or walking to a proper
restaurant.
Urban
Craft Uprising http://www.urbancraftuprising.com/
We happened to be in Seattle during the same weekend as the winter Urban Craft
Uprising in Seattle Center. So of course I had to stop by. The one thing I miss
about living in NYC is the Renegade craft fairs. I like looking for unique
crafty jewelry and supporting local indie artisans. I even subscribe to the
monthly Umba box. This place was packed! The nice thing is they didn’t charge
to enter so that meant more money to spend. But since it was so packed, it was
a bit hard to walk around and get a good look at the different booths. Plus I
wasn’t feeling too well so I tried to make an effort to visit every both but I
quickly gave up and just tried to walk by with quick glances till something
caught my eye. I did end up getting things from two booths as noted below:
Moss
handmade http://mosshandmade.com/
This lady made gorgeous jewelry with tiny crocheted parts. I wish I could have
afforded to buy more but ended up only with a pair of earrings from her
clearance section. They are dangling earrings with maroon crocheted thread –
very cute and hip. She was super nice and would love to buy one of her
necklaces one day. My sister picked up one of her
necklaces and loves it.
Curious
doodle
This booth made great wood cut embroidery templates and other laser cut
products. I picked up a calendar with a woodcut background that I put up at
work. The best part of the calendar is that I can reuse the woodcut part once
the calendar runs out – make my own calendar sheets for next year or use it as
a base for something completely different. Here’s the exact calendar I
purchased: http://www.etsy.com/listing/165699501/2014-wood-veneer-calendar-leaf-veins?ref=shop_home_feat_3
I would love to get the clock embroidery kit or the papercut leaf set. So cool
in the modern yet simply style.
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| Space Needle at night |
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| Space Needle in the morning light - first and last day of the trip |
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| Flying over Mt Ranier (I think) |
We also took a little side trip to Vancouver for the day to see Pearl Jam play.
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| Pearl Jam! |
Tim
Hortons
A little homage to Tim Hortons b/c they are so reliable in their proper tea
making skills. One of the reasons I love Canada, they know how to brew up a
proper cup of tea. And the Tim Horton’s in Vancouver provided the ever so
needed cup of tea that was brewed to perfection (for a fast food joint). The
water was not lukewarm but fully hot so the tea was able to seep properly
instead of a crappy half assed tea that I’m used to getting stateside. I wish
there were more Tim Hortons stateside, solely for their tea making abilities.
Costco
Yes, I’m going to talk about Costco for a minute. Vancouver Costco is amazing.
B/c they have bathroom facilities right across the street from the concert venue
that is easy to access w/o a membership card. Additionally, they have a quick
food counter set up outside open to the public. The best thing about this
particular Costco? They served up poutine. I’m used to the American Costcos
that only sold the cheap hotdog/soda combo for $1.50 or the slice of pizza. But
poutine?? At Costco? I was amazed. They even sold chicken fingers and fries and
espressos. Fancy Costco, I got a kick out of it.
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| I really miss poutine |
