Seattle
Next step on our Pacific Northwest trip: Seattle. This city has been on my list since forever ago. Family and friends who have visited have had nothing but good things to say. Although we only had one day of zero rain, we made the most of it. Here are a few of our faves!
First order of business: dinner. And what better way to kick off our first night in Seattle than to dine at Din Tai Fung. Of course we had their signature soup dumplings along with a few other sides. It was as delicious as I had hoped it would be!
On the one dry day we had in Seattle, we visited the Washington Park Arboretum. Given that it was a weekday, it was nice and quiet. Absolutely beautiful.
Daniel the Explorer. Forever in search of that perfect shot!
And no visit to this city would be complete without a lift up to the Space Needle! Amazing on such a clear day.
Taking in the view from the top!
For dinner we ate at Kraken Congee. I love their spin on the traditional congee dish. I had the five spice duck confit congee whereas Dan had the red curry crab fat congee. A bowl of congee surely warms the soul!
From dinner to breakfast at Biscuit Bitch. I think the name says it all! I had the Straight-Up Bitch and Dan, the Cheesy Pork N' Bitch. The inner 5-year old in me giggled when I got to say 'bitch' as part of my order.
Seattle is filled with some of the cutest boutiques. One of my fave to stop into was Glasswing - and by this pic, I'm sure you can see why! They carry a range of items from clothing to home goods.
Ah, yes. The infamous Pike Place Market. We took a few laps to make sure we caught a glimpse of the guys throwing around a few fish and belting out tunes.
FOUND IT. The original Starbucks for our morning cup of joe!
Once I got my coffee fix, it was time for a snack. Piroshky Piroshky is where it's at! Russian hand held pies with all sorts of savory fillings. I'm telling you, the line is worth it! Dan had the salmon pate (it's the most popular) and I had one with chicken, rice and mushrooms. MM-MM-Good.
This has got to be one of the coolest/weirdest/grossest attractions we've visited. I mean, a wall full of other people's chewed up gum. But hey, when in Rome (er, Seattle). I, too, added my own piece of chewed up gum up on that wall.
The EMP Museum is probably one of the most interesting museums I have ever been to. I learned a lot about Nirvana - had no idea grunge rock started out here! A little more about Jimi Hendrix and caught the Star Trek exhibit - that was Dan's fave.
We stopped by Rachel's Ginger Beer to quench our thirst. Dan indulged in a cocktail while I kept it straight and sipped on a glass of blood orange ginger beer. We also split a GT. What's that you ask? It's spicy general tso fried chicken sandwich. The location at 12th ave shares space with Sunset Fried Chicken Sandwiches. Both pair so well together.
The GT.
We took a stroll through the Freemont Vintage Mall. Although we didn't walk away with anything, I love browsing and seeing what kind of knick knacks are out there. If you like vintage, this store is up your alley.
Late one evening, Dan agreed to go to the Seattle Art Museum with me. It took a little convincing because I wanted to catch the YSL exhibit. It was incredible to see his designs, sketches, fabric swatches, accessories and more! What a talent. Here are a few more pics for your viewing pleasure.
Now who wouldn't want a room full of jewels?
I was dying over this hat display.
On top of finding the original Starbucks, we also stopped by the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting room. It's the only one in the US at the moment. This was quite an experience. There was loud music playing (I felt like I was at club), everything was rose gold and the whole place was just buzzing. I ordered an affogato and Dan a latte that had hints of butterscotch and pepper, if I recall correctly. It only cost us a cool $20...
One night, I was seriously craving pizza. So Dan did a little research and found a place called Serious Pie. It really hit the spot. We shared the roasted seasonal mushrooms with truffle cheese (my choice) and the soft egg, smoked prosciutto, local greens and pecorino sardo.
On our last morning in Seattle, we decided to visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. The only time I had seen any Chihuly work was at the Belagio in Vegas. It was pretty cool seeing most of his work under one roof and in one garden.
Before we leave Seattle and head to our next destination I just wanted to mention one thing we did that is not pictured above. Dan fully endorses a visit to the Boeing Factory. Dan is a lover of planes so this was literally the best day ever for him. I have to say, I enjoyed it too! It was the perfect rainy day activity.