Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Seattle

After our time at Mount Hood, we spent a night with family in Tacoma - then made our way to Seattle. Jzboy and I came very close to relocating there a few years back so Seattle became a "city that almost was" for us. I find it interesting what they say about all that "weather" Seattle reportedly gets - we have yet to experience that rainy vibe and this was at least our third time visiting. A ploy to keep Californians away, perhaps??

We spent the last 3 nights of our trip to the NW at this lovely B&B. The woman that runs the place is really nice and a terrific cook. She whipped up fresh smoothies every morning, french toast croissants with orange syrup, homemade (& still warm) muffins...perfectly prepared eggs with fresh herbs. You can imagine the coffee! Coffee is like a religion in Seattle.

Here is a glimpse of the neighborhood where we stayed. Spitting distance from some fun shopping, an excellent pizza joint, a couple super trendy pubs, cool music shop...oh yeah...and sushi!


A friend of ours suggested a trip to the Fremont District which ended up being my fave part of our visit to Seattle. We strolled around the lively, artsy, fun area in order to let the early morning fog burn off before visiting the Space Needle. Yes, we saw the "Troll under the Bridge" (thats an actual VW under his left hand)...


and we had a good time blending in with the locals during their lunch break along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. We were right at home sipping our lattes and munching on organic restoratives. It was a beautiful, relaxing afternoon. Loved the Fremont...aka "The Center of the Universe".

Can you believe our luck? Blue skies for our first trip to the Space Needle!


I'm glad that we finally went. The crowds were light, the views were spectacular, and the exhibits were interesting, tricked out and hands-on.

The picture below is proof for my folks that we actually did go on the Seattle Underground Tour. It was a little on the cheesy side. But, fun. It helped that we had an animated actor-guide who sure loved her Seattle!!


There was a huge fire in 1889 that leveled the city - which was built entirely of wood at that time. Because the downtown merchants didn't want to wait for the newfangled brick & mortar city to be built - they set up shop at the city's original ground level while the city was being raised 2 stories higher. The townsfolk thought it wise to deal with their problematic sewage system that was directly related to the comings & goings of the tide. It was fun exploring the underground & hearing the history of Seattle. If you like the ol' Gold Rushy historical thing - def put this on your Seattle things-to-do list.

In spite of my avoidance of crowded places where people constantly bump into you because they are overstimulated and not paying attention to where they are walking...I do love visiting Pikes Place Market. And, here are some pics that will explain why:




I want a collection of these honey bears in my kitchen!

After having worked up a healthy appetite within the colorful, aromatic marketplace - we lucked out with a very short wait at this popular place:


It is a short block away from the Pikes Place craziness, and well worth considering. As you can see, the brunch was worthy of Jzboy's food photography. It was beautiful and delish.


Perfectly cooked, pan seared seabass atop arugula with a spicy tomato vinaigrette & cornbread pudding! Yum.

It was a perfect farewell meal at the end of a most excellent vacation.

Until next time, Seattle.


XO, Wzgirl

17 comments:

Debra Sue said...

Looks and sounds like you had a wonderful time. Your secret foodie popped up in this post, and everything sounds wonderful. Glad you had blue skies!

Anne Marie said...

Wow, that sounds amazing. You are definitely another one who could be a travel blogger/writer! I have the urge to eat and to go to Seattle -- what better testimony is there than that?

Liene said...

What a fabulous trip! I've always wanted to get out to Seattle - the DH has been but not me. I've heard it's a great city to visit and so much to do. Plus it's the setting of one of my favorite and no longer running TV shows - Frasier. Maybe one of these days we'll make it there.

atomic mama said...

What fun! I am all over that. I love all of the recommendations. It's next on our list of trips... but I wanna go NOW! Weh.

C's Mom said...

Lookin' good!

That's one mighty large troll there ;0)

Anonymous said...

Cool travelogue! And great pictures. I lived in Seattle in 1988, when I started grad school at UW...that experience didn't last long, but I'll never forget the air there, it was like a spritzer.

Mamacita said...

We had the same relocation thoughts when we visited in 2001, but we had just started our new business in Colorado.....so we left our hearts in Seattle....not S.F., as they say.

Project Ni Hao said...

Pikes Place is one of my all-time favorite places in the world. All that fresh crab and fruit? It's enough to break a midwesterner's heart when it's time to leave.

I thought the Underground Tour was cheesy too, but interesting at the same time. Sounds like it was a great trip!

Middle-Aged Moi said...

Now you've made ME want to go!!! :-)

I think that underground tour thing sounds very cool!

kitchu said...

Sounds like you guys had a perfect get-away! I love Seattle, and like you, I've been there 3 or 4 times and only experienced drizzle ONCE (like, on ONE day)...

Joannah said...

I haven't been to Seattle in more than 20 years, but I remember what a great city it was. I've been on the underground tour, and I've had dinner at the Space Needle. The weather was perfect when I was there, too.

The B&B you stayed at looks sweet! I think Michael and I will have to visit Seattle sometime together.

"M" said...

Seems like such a great vacation. Am glad you guys enjoyed it. Love the pictures! Seattle is on my list of places to get to one of these days.

Jessi said...

Too fun! I've never been, but I've always wanted to. Someday.

Red Sand said...

Lovely description! I only ever spent a night in Seattle on my way to catch a train to Mexico City... I'll have to go back someday.

rubyiscoming said...

OMG - dude, we are sooooo becoming BFFs!!! You went to Etta's??? One of my all. time. favorite. spots. I did all the Tom Douglas restaurants in Seattle - I grew up in Federal Way ('burb in b/w Tacoma and Seattle) and I would absolutely move back in less than a heartbeat. Even tried to convince hubs to move there or Portland, but Denver is winning out for us.

The photos from the market made me want to cry - I miss that market! I still order fish from there - have it shipped all the way to Florida :)

Sounds like a fantastic trip and great photos

Anonymous said...

Fellow 05/15/06 LIDder... that's my home town you've featured here. In fact; we're heading to Seattle in about a week an a half to spend time with family and to celebrate a wedding anniversary in the San Juan island were we got married.

Joelle and Chandler said...

I wish we had more time to spend in Seattle - we only had a quick weekend. Now I have to go back and see the troll under the bridge! We did go to a fantastic french place for brunch one morning near the water and it was truly outstanding. I will see if I can find the name and send it to you for your next visit!