As much as I love traveling, come the end of vacation, I'm typically sad to leave but itching to get back to the comfort and normalcy of home. Not this time though; this time, I could have stayed. There was something about Seattle that just worked, had me hooked and wanting more. We spent three days discovering the ins and outs of Washington State and 2 days walking, eating and drinking our way through Seattle. I'd like to think that the hiking and walking balanced out the copious amounts of eating that we did, but really, who am I kidding!?
Here are a few of my favourite links and things from the past week:
OLYMPIC PENINSULA //
Though Port Angeles wasn't the prettiest little town, we managed to cover a lot of ground using it as our base. We drove up Hurricane Ridge and walked the trails at the peak; we drove to Lake Crescent, took in some of the most spectacular glacier lake views I've ever seen and hiked up to Marymere Falls; and we headed to Crescent Bay/Salt Creek Recreation Area, where we waded for fish in tidal pools, spotted a whale and walked to the tip of Tongue Point.
Port Townsend was a historical port town, nestled in the north east tip of the Olympic Peninsula. I devoured the best ginger ice cream I've ever had, before waiting out a downpour at the Pour House, with beers, peanuts and live music. We capped off our oh-so-brief jaunt in Port Townsend with some tasty local seafood fare at the Fountain Cafe - as per the recommendation of an intoxicated local.
We decided to take the scenic route back to Seattle, including, but not limited to: a ferry ride to Coupeville; one of the best cinnamon buns we've ever had; a spectacular view of Deception Pass and a whole 24 hours in wine country. Woodinville wasn't quite the wine country I was expecting, but we did manage to try a few good reds (Stevens, Guardian, JM Cellars & Januik), stay in a gorgeous lodge (with TV/fire place views from the tub -- no joke), down a Moscow Mule while listening to a live cover band, and eat the best coconut curry mussels EVER.
SEATTLE //
Our time in Seattle was strategically planned around my nerdy, food loving ways. The Sunday morning Ballard Farmers Market was a must -- where I finally got to meet Megan Gordon, and try her infamous Marge granola. I could have easily stocked up on produce for the week, but limited myself to some vibrant stone fruits (rainier cherries!!!), perfect little carrots fresh from the soil, and some local hot sauce. I also stumbled into a fabulous little shop where I picked up some adorable new cloth napkins. Apparently kitchen items have become my go-to travel souvenir. Go figure.
The rest of the day went something like this: an unexpected, we are so not dressed for this, hike through Discovery Park; beers and unlimited pretzels in the Fremont Brewing beer garden; "it's going to be a 1 hour wait for your table" drinks and appis at Essex (wood oven roasted cauliflower and harissa on toast, yes please!), amazing pizza and casual conversation with the owner and staff at Delancey (always sit at the bar if you can); and post dinner cocktails and oysters at The Walrus and the Carpenter -- because who says oysters can't be deemed dessert?
Our last 24 hours in Seattle flew by in a walking/eating/drinking frenzy. A perfect breakfast of avocado toast, homemade yogurt with rose petal granola and a slice of cherry galette at the London Plane; a far too crowded walk through Pike Place Market (this is clearly where ALL the tourists congregate); a stroll along the waterfront ending at the Olympic Sculpture Park; lunch at Sitka & Spruce, a fabulous little spot buried at the back of an old industrial building in Capital Hill; afternoon coffees from Victrola - because we couldn't leave Seattle without downing at least one good cup of joe; cocktails and nibbles at the newly opened bar Damn the Weather (note to self: buy some Aquavit, mix with cucumber juice, lemon & cane syrup); a sushi dinner at Shiro's in Belltown; and one final breakfast before setting off to the airport at Oddfellow's - a large, light filled restaurant, in an adaptively reused space - totally gorgeous and a perfect end to the trip.
PS. Though we didn't make it to these spots, they came highly recommended by the owner/head chef at Delancey: Spinasse, The Whale Wins, Revel, Bay Sajor, Westward, il Corvo, Rob Roy and Radiator Whiskey.
