SCENES FROM SEATTLE

The decision to visit Seattle for our five year wedding anniversary was unanimous. Long before we could travel without supervision, Jordan and I felt a pull toward the city. What put it on the map for me was The Real World Seattle, circa 1998  For Jordan, it was a  steady flow of alternative rock bands and indy music.  If Disneyland is for the kids-at-heart, Seattle is the playground for the 90’s babies. 

Coming out of the airport, it was like the volume got turned down a few notches, to an almost imperceptible chatter. I rarely heard the raucous of sirens, car horns and random TikTok clips blaring from strangers’ phones. Compared to other cities of its size, there was less hustle and bustle. Locals took more time chatting in line and getting to and from places. I think it’s a big reason why everyone was so friendly. A hospitable clerk at a clothing store eagerly offered to write a list of her favorite local spots. She even went through the trouble of going through my existing lists and made note of what we “couldn’t miss.” At the crosswalk someone complimented my outfit from their car window. The warm welcome into the city stretched throughout our stay. My sneaking suspicion is the gray skies and lush greenery puts folks at ease. When you’re relaxed, you’re naturally more open. And maybe the proximity to Canada came into play, too. 

If I had to describe Seattle in one word, it would be approachable. I felt invited to be myself, to wear my checkerboard pants and beret with confidence, to chat with fellow storytellers and connect beyond small talk. At night, I felt safe walking down the unfamiliar streets that I was easily able to navigate by the next morning. Gloom may be the city’s M.O but I found so many vibrant things about it. 

I love to wander. The best way to get to know a place is on foot and by eating your way through it. There’s not enough meals in the day when you’re in a foodie-city, here are the most notable food stops from our visit:  

Hot Cakes (Ballard): Traveling throws my routine out of whack so we doubled down and stopped in for a pre-dinner dessert. The classy atmosphere matches the elevated menu. They’re known for adding their own spin on ice cream sandwiches, impressive pastries you would find on The Great British Bake-Off, and dessert cocktails. We decided to order the molten cake and ice cream. The cake was rich and moist with just the right amount of bitterness. Accompanying it, was a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with delicious cocoa nib toffee in each bite. The nuttiness of the ice cream was top tier, it’ll be hard to look at other vanilla flavors the same again. Open from 4pm-11pm, Hot Cakes is the perfect date night for you and your sweetie. 

La Panier (Pike’s Place Market):  I’m always a little wary of super touristy areas but a long-time Seattle resident and friend reassured me that even locals frequent Pike’s Place.We strategically visited their farmer’s market on a Monday at the tail-end of off-season. The food stalls and restaurants that typically experience hour long waits were whittled down to 15 minute lines or less! La Panier is a French Bakery next door to the famous Russian bakery Piroshky Piroshky and the original Starbucks— probably the most lively strip of shops in the market. La Panier doesn’t have much of a seating area, which is fine with me because I love a pastry on the go. The man behind me in line mentioned whenever he’s in town visiting his daughter, he can’t resist stopping in for a raspberry croissant. I imagine it’s a crowd favorite because the customer in front of me ordered one, too. Since we planned on getting bites from several places, I kept to my plan of ordering one chocolate and one almond croissant. They also have a chocolate almond croissant, if you can’t decide. Each were flaky, buttery and well worth a long wait if you happen to visit the market on a busier day. Truth be told, almond was the winner but next time I’ll be trying the raspberry variety. 

Beecher’s (Pike’s Place Market): Jordan’s name was written all over their famous mac n’ cheese made with penne pasta and a creamy white jack cheddar. He inhaled it so I only got the chance to try one bite. But who can blame him, it was packed with flavor and leaves a fun little peppery spice mingling on your tongue. Passersbys can stop and watch the staff masterly prepare cheese curds through a glass window. They still squeaked as we snacked on them, a sign of true freshness. Lucky for us, we were able to snag another container of curds at the airport that I made sure were split evenly. 

Ramen DANBO (Capitol Hill): We couldn’t visit Seattle and not get a piping hot bowl of ramen. There’s no shortage of ramen and pho joints in the city, in fact I lost count of how many I came across on google maps. What I loved about Ramen Danbo was their extensive menu for vegetarians. Instead of having one broth to choose from, they offered a variety of four and even had a faux hard-boiled egg option for vegans. You could also personalize the spicy level and noodle texture to your liking. The place was packed but service was quick and efficient. After a particularly long day of meandering, it was really nice to feel the communal experience of slurping noodles on a cold night. 

Plum Bistro (Capitol Hill): I wish I could convince the owners to open a Plum Bistro in Santa Cruz. They fill a gap in the market that I honestly think most U.S cities could benefit from. It’s a vegan and sustainable comfort food restaurant with American, Asian, Southern and Italian influence. Where else can you order a pimento cheese BLT and pesto gnocchi on the same menu? They also offer bahn mi, burritos and overflowing colorful salads. The ambiance was cozy and intimate enough that I could gaze at fellow patron’s meals—every plate was a piece of art. I know it may sound like a mish-mash concept but it works. The quality ingredients, excellent service and fancy presentation turned the dining experience into a show. 

With the exception of Glossier, every shop I visited was local and had such a unique feel to them. Seattlites embrace an individualist style. I found myself taking notes of people twice my age as inspiration. I wish I could recall the names of all of the cool shops I visited but here are some standouts: 

Ballard Furniture Consignment: Fresh after checking into our Airbnb, we stopped into Ballard Furniture Consignment and immediately daydreamed of how we would furnish our home if we lived in Seattle. The two story building was full of pieces that spanned decades and styles. Beyond the unique selection, there was an artistic sense of curation. Living room vignettes were put together tastefully.  Items were in excellent condition. On the way in and out, happy customers were loading their cars with lamps, chairs and paintings so I get the sense the inventory moves quickly. If I lived locally, I would have such a fun time making monthly trips to see what’s “new.”

Fremont Antique Mall: After visiting the Fremont Sunday Antique Fair and the Fremont Troll (highly recommend both), we headed to the neighborhood’s downtown with an open mind for the rest of the day. Fremont was a neighborhood I didn’t know very much about so it felt very serendipitous that we stumbled upon an inconspicuous Antique Mall. The unassuming front door leads you downstairs to their basement and into a colorful treasure chest of the coolest vintage collectibles, clothes, accessories and furniture. Sprawling room after room of goodies spanning across 6,000 square feet of vendor space, I recommend giving yourself a generous amount of time to peruse. 

Lifelong Thrift: The non-profit’s proceeds help to provide food, housing, and health needs to individuals with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions.​ Imagine the nicest Goodwill you’ve ever been to with a staff of stylists and interior designers, and voila! The store was spotless and organized and resembled more of a boutique. Everything I came across was under $30. I overheard numerous other shoppers mention a similar sentiment to their companions, “can you believe this only costs x?”, “This is something I would find at Nordstrom’s.” Despite the curated sheen, the racks were still full and plush for digging. The staff just makes the hunt a lot easier. 

Elliot Bay Books: It’s not a vacation if I don’t check out a bookstore or two… or five.  Similar to having a vacation soundtrack (for us, it was a lot of The Verve, Ben Folds Five and other 90’s gems), I love the idea of a fictional story mingling with your own memories from a trip. The atmosphere was inviting and cozy upon walking in. An added perk of Elliot Bay Books was the cool cafe attached to it, Oddfellows. Wood panel floors creak as you walk the aisles, people respectfully spoke in hushed tones similar to a library and there were plenty of communal tables that welcome you to stay a while. It reminded me of the really, really old days at Barnes and Noble when you could spend hours parked in a corner of the kids section under the carved out tree or cozy up at the cafe or bench by the magazines. I rarely feel encouraged to read in bookstores, that was always more of a library activity. I enjoyed taking my time in each aisle and letting myself be immersed in someone else’s shoes for a bit before buying them. 

We couldn’t check off National or State parks on this trip since we didn’t rent a car. But I will definitely be saving places like Olympic National Park for the future. Turns out, you don’t have to go far to find great green spaces to tuck into within the city.

Gasworks Park: My iconic Seattle moment was walking to Gasworks Park. It was our first full vacation day and we hadn’t yet been downtown in the heart of the city. I just remember standing in front of the lush green hills taking it all in as the wind blew on my cheeks. I’m shocked the park wasn’t more busy. There’s a major payoff when you reach the top of the hill – a sweeping view of the Seattle skyline and our first glimpse of the Space Needle. On the other side of the hill were a handful of family and friends picnicking. Seattle has some of the best behaved dogs I’ve come across. We enjoyed pointing out our favorites and imagined what our crazy girls would be doing if they were with us. It was such a relaxing stroll and one of the peaks of the whole trip. If I were a local, I imagine myself spending many afternoons there being pulled around by two happy but misbehaving-in-public pups. 

Volunteer Park: I search “nearest botanical garden” in every new city I visit. Volunteer Park was one of the things I was looking forward to most so I’m glad we saved it for the end of our trip. It was the perfect place to unwind. Similar to Pike’s Place Market, I was surprised to have the conservatory practically all to ourselves. The white glass house is full of impressive plants from all over the world. After experiencing so much rain and cold weather back in California, it was nice to step into somewhere warm and temperature controlled. The climate was a lot like Florida’s. My skin loved the humidity. I tend to gravitate to the desert cactus rooms but the room of pastel colored tulips was a nice surprise. It was like getting a sneak peak of Spring in Washington. I highly recommend enjoying a Top Pot Donut amongst the flowers because it’ll do something euphoric to your brain-chemistry. 

I hope my rambly Seattle recap has convinced you to visit or revisit the magic of the Pacific Northwest. I was worried all my years of romanticizing would lead to disappointment. Turns out that wasn’t the case at all. The elements of an effortlessly cool and creative city came as no surprise. What I wasn’t expecting was how inviting the locals would be. I buddied up with fish-mongers at Pike’s Place market, Gen Z’ers at Glossier and an older gentleman in line at a bakery who called me a snazzy dresser. The infectiously joyful staff at the original Starbucks were singing and making jokes with one another, it was refreshing to see people having so much fun at work. The lovely interactions colored in my trip. I usually don’t leave a vacation feeling so connected and centered. 

With all of its offerings, the city encouraged me to stay curious and intentional. There was little pressure to be constantly moving. Like my lifestyle in the woods, I enjoyed things slowly and left a lot of things worth returning for. One thing’s for sure, Seattle is more than a one-time visit city.