Seattle: Downtown & More

Every year, Dan and I try to take a week-long vacation as a couple.  For our 2017 trip, we decided to take a road trip through parts of Oregon and Washington!

While in Seattle, we'd heard the view from Kerry Park was the best panoramic.  Of course, our timing wasn't great, as Mount Rainier was hidden from view and it was overcast/drizzly.  Such is the unpredictable weather of Seattle, right?  There's not much around the park if you're walking, so it's kind of a "stop and smell the roses" then move on sort of thing.

Given the rain, we felt like our time would be best spent indoors, drinking!  We were going to meet a couple of my old friends at a brewery, but since we got there early we wandered over to a neighboring cider maker, Number 6 Cider.  I LOVE hard cider, and the fact that we could sample a flight!

After that, we headed over to Holy Mountain Brewing Company.  Dan loved that their beers, merch, and other themes related to his favorite metal music/bands.

And of course, since it was Dan's first trip to Seattle, we had to visit the original Starbucks and Pike Place Market.  I think he was a little underwhelmed, but that may have been because he didn't like the crowds of people.

Lastly, I didn't want to leave a city with a Din Tai Fung without having some soup dumplings.  Thankfully, our friends obliged and took us there for a wonderful shared dinner of Taiwanese goodies!

We love you, Seattle!

You're delicious and beautiful.

Seattle: Fremont

Every year, Dan and I try to take a week-long vacation as a couple.  For our 2017 trip, we decided to take a road trip through parts of Oregon and Washington!

While in Seattle, we stayed with dear friends in Fremont, a vibrant neighborhood that was full of awesome stuff!  We walked to the Fremont Troll, a public sculpture under a bridge.  It was commissioned in 1990 to help cut down on trash dumping and illegal activity happening in the area under the bridge.

For breakfast and a caffeine fix, we enjoyed some true latte art at Fremont Coffee Company, set up in an old house in the neighborhood.  My chai latte was beautiful, but Dan's skull art in his latte was amazing!

If you're a chocoholic, you might want to take a tour of organic and fair-trade chocolatier Theo Chocolate.  I've seen Theo for sale in many other states, but I had no idea where it was made!  We didn't make it in time for a tour, but we did peruse the shop and try some samples.  I also bought a couple of chocolates to take along with us as to-go snacks.

Our favorite meal of our entire vacation was in Fremont, at Joule.  It bills itself as a contemporary Korean steakhouse, and in 2013 it was named one of the Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appétit.  We ordered a ton of courses, and cocktails, and I didn't even get photos of them all, because we were enjoying the meal and spending time with our friends L & J.

“that” short rib steak, kalbi, grilled kimchi

Honestly, I loved Joule so much that it will be hard to keep me from wanting to eat there every time I'm in Seattle.  I love Korean flavors, and the fusion of it just felt very... me.  I don't know how to describe it, because as a half-Korean, half-American girl, this food basically is what I imagine a restaurant based on my life might be like!

Spicy rice cake, chorizo, pickled mustard green

Prime bavette steak, truffled pine nut, artichoke

Lamb shank, rendang, masa cake, collards

Fremont was an awesome home based for us while we were in Seattle.  There were always cars in close proximity if we wanted a Lyft to downtown, and there was so much within walking distance!  We also enjoyed the massive beer list at Brouwer's Cafe too.  We are so lucky to have been able to stay in our friends' guest room, complete with adorable kitty cats and even late night board game fun to boot.

Don't forget to visit the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle!

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Seattle: Museum of Pop Culture

Every year, Dan and I try to take a week-long vacation as a couple.  For our 2017 trip, we decided to take a road trip through parts of Oregon and Washington!

One of Dan's favorite experiences in Seattle, hands down, was the Museum of Pop Culture (a.k.a. MoPOP).  If you're a nerd like us, and you have your fav fandoms, chances are they are represented at MoPOP.

The MoPOP used to be the Experience Music Project, so it has an incredible guitar sculpture, Jimi Hendrix exhibit, and a lot of music-related stuff.  But now, it contains so much more!

The majority of the exhibit were props and other items from TV and film, which we loved.  There's a Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame exhibition on the main floor, and more throughout the building.  Dan's favorite was probably the horror exhibit, and we both loved the fantasy and sci-fi sections.  I think my favorites were the Dalek from Doctor Who, costumes from the Princess Bride, and swords from the Lord of the Rings.  We also explored the Star Trek exhibit.  

 

One of the temporary exhibits was on video games.  You could actually play a bunch of indie video games on various platforms, which was pretty cool.

A special treat at the museum was the visiting Jim Henson exhibit.  One thing Dan and I have in common is a love of Jim Henson!  I grew up on Sesame Street, and we love the movie Labyrinth.  We picked up the Ludo Funko Pop while we were at the gift store.

Dan loved the museum so much, we explored it, ate lunch, then went back through our favorites again.  It was the perfect nerd date for the two of us, and we'd go back in a heartbeat!

Fellow nerds, this is the museum for you!
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Seattle: Chihuly Garden and Glass

Every year, Dan and I try to take a week-long vacation as a couple.  For our 2017 trip, we decided to take a road trip through parts of Oregon and Washington!

We spent two nights in Seattle, staying with friends in Fremont.  They were at work since it was a weekday, so we set off to do some exploring!  I'd seen friends post about the Chihuly Garden and Glass, located right next to the Space Needle.

Yellow is my fav color, and this was one of my favorites

Dan and I love art museums, and museums in general, so he was on board to check it out.  We looked up the artist, Dale Chihuly, on Google, and I realized that I'd seen his work in the ceiling of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  I'd always assumed that glasswork was done by an Italian artist, but it was done by Chihuly, who is from Washington.  So it is definitely appropriate he have such a big presence in his home state!

The price of admission was steeper than I expected for the size of the place, but I think that's because we were officially in summer tourist season.  It's $29 per adult, but only $19 if you go during their "early morning" hours when they open.  But they do have one of the best gift shops I saw on our trip.  We bought a couple of souvenirs!

We really loved seeing all of the different exhibits.  The fragility of glass made me think it must be a challenging medium to work with, as you could complete a work and then lose it completely to an accidental drop.  I was also struck by the variety in the collection.

I also like how there were outdoor installations within landscape design, making it feel very organic despite being manmade glass.  Even the simplest pieces could be very beautiful in composition.

It was certainly crowded with tons of people (lots of selfies!) but worth taking the time to explore.  There was also a glass-blowing exhibition happening outside, so you can see a bit of the technique that Chihuly and his associates use.

If you're an art lover visiting Seattle, I'd say that this museum is definitely a must-see.

Chihuly Garden and Glass is a must-see in Seattle!
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Seattle

Sometimes, work trips take me someplace new...  and a couple of weeks ago, that meant SEATTLE!  Yes, Seattle in December...  rainy and chilly, just as I expected.  I arrived around lunchtime, grabbed a bite, then worked a bit.  But then my coworkers and I met up to see the Space Needle, which is probably one of the most touristy things you can do there!

Even though it was cold and rainy, the view was incredible!  I couldn't see the mountains, but it was still pretty stunning.

We were meeting a couple blocks from the Public Market, so one morning I walked there on my way to meetings.  It was kind of nice being there before everything opened up and the tourist deluge began.  In fact, I was there so early, there was no line at the original Starbucks store!

I don't drink coffee... I'm a tea girl.  I do enjoy chai lattes, and in my youth I would chug a vanilla frappuccino.  Dan is the coffee person.  But since I was there, I got my chai latte and a souvenir mug to take home to Dan.  It was kind of cool to say I've been there!

I came back through the market during an evening walk too, and I got to see some of the fish and produce.  It would be neat to live close enough to shop there regularly!

I also indulged in DELICIOUS macarons at Le Panier.  Seriously, so good.  I'm a sucker for good macarons, and these were some of the best I've had!

I'd like to spend a week in the Pacific Northwest with Dan.  The sky seemed bigger out there!  I even shopped at the Amazon Books store (like, a real store) and it was different in cool ways from what I'm used to seeing in bookstores.

I did get out and enjoy food and nightlife too.  We played beer and Seattle-themed putt-putt at the Flatstick Pub, a cool bar that's kind of like an indoor adult fun zone with giant Jenga, trivia, etc.

I indulged in a lot of comfort food too.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup at The Lodge, pizzas at Serious Pie & Biscuit.  We also bar-hopped, hitting the great strip of spots on Ballard Ave.  I hit up Ballard Loft, Macleod's Fish & Chips, and King's Hardware before I got tired and called it a night.

I loved Seattle, despite the cold.  Good food, good people, and a beautiful city!  I think a week in Portland/Seattle would be a great vacay.  What do you think?