Visiting Seattle - Part 2

I knew I wanted to do a little hiking/nature sight seeing while in Seattle. I didn't want to rent a car so I decided to book a Mt. Rainier hiking tour through Tours Northwest. I was picked up super early at a hotel near my AirBnb and shared a small, comfortable bus with just 5 other people of all ages from all over the world. It was a very intimate tour! It's about a 2.5 hour ride out to Mt. Rainier. During the ride I got my first glimpse out the window of the beautiful mountain!

Mt. Rainier, standing at ~14,000 ft, is one of the most dangerous mountains to summit because of the rapidly changing weather conditions. We saw firsthand that in one moment it can be sunny and perfectly clear, and the next the mountain will be completely concealed by thick clouds. We heard plenty stories about hikers getting lost and killed on the mountain. It's certainly not for the faint of heart!

We made a few stops along the way to the mountain, including this cute cabin of Thomas Cobb Van Eaton, the man who settled the town of Eatonville.

Eventually we made it to the park entrance! When we arrived they said the mountain was totally clear and sunny. We had about 5,000 feet to climb (in the truck).

Once we made it up to "Paradise" (named after its beautiful views and wildflower meadows) we had a few hours to ourselves to hike and explore. As you can see, in the short ride up to the area the clouds and fog really came through. It was still super beautiful though!

Once back on the bus I munched on some snap peas I bought from Pike Place and warmed up.

We made our next stop at a little waterfall on the side of the road.

And another stop to look at the river bank turned rocky landscape.

One of our last stops included a walk along the gorgeous "Trail of the Shadows" trail. The trail loops around old forests and wetlands. We even saw some wild life!

At one point our tour guide decided to go off road to take us to a huge canyon. It was awesome and totally deserted. Apparently I have a good eye because I spotted a white mountain goat in the distance. Our tour guide FREAKED out, exclaiming that in her 10 years of giving tours she's never seen a mountain goat! I wonder if I was able to spot it because my Israeli/Hebrew name is Yael :-) If you look right in the center of the below photo you can see the tiny white goat. We watched it scale a couple of cliffs which was pretty amazing.

As a reward for spotting the mountain goat our tour guide bought us all huckleberry ice cream! I had never eaten huckleberries before but they grow all over the mountain. It tastes like a mix between a blueberry and a raspberry -- I loved it!

Eventually we make it back into downtown Seattle and said our goodbyes. The tour was really awesome and I'm so happy I decided to do it. It only cost ~$120, which would have been about the cost of renting a car + the park entrance. Plus, I got all of the information from the guide, the extra stops, and didn't have to worry about driving alone through a mountain in dense fog. Wins for me!

After the tour I went back to my AirBnB, took a shower, then took myself out to dinner at Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar, which I had bookmarked after it was featured on Top Chef Seattle! I once again grabbed a seat at the bar and got ordering.

I started with some oysters, obviously.

And then ordered an oyster dip with house made chips...

and a geoduck crudo! This was my fist time trying geoduck and I really enjoyed it. Geoduck is a type of clam that can grow 3 feet long!! They are pretty crazy looking in their natural state.

After I finished eating I went to the bar next door, grabbed a cocktail, and chatted with the bartender for a while.

I had some energy after dinner and it was a beautiful night, so I spent some time walking around the neighborhood before calling it quits and passing out.

The next day was my final day in Seattle. Libby had another guest coming to stay so I had to pack up my bags before heading out. Luckily she let me keep my bags in her hallway and pick them up before my red eye flight later that night. Before I left I got some QT with her little cats. This guy would not get off my lap!

My final day was the most beautiful day of my trip. It was 80 degrees, sunny and the sky was perfectly clear. I took the long walk down to Pike Place Market for breakfast and to pick up some snacks for the day. Look at the gorgeous flowers!

After the market I walked down to the waterfront and hopped on a ferry to Bainbridge Island. Random fact: in 2005 CNN called Bainbridge Island the #2 place to live in the US. I thought that was interesting considering how small it is (size and population wise). The views on the way out and back in were phenomenal. City views on one side, and clear, snow capped mountains on the other.

Once I got to the Island I walked the waterfront trail, did a little shopping, and went to a few wine tastings. The Island was really adorable, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. It reminded me a lot of Martha's Vineyard.

On the way back I snacked on some of my treats from Pike Place, including this cinnamon cardamom braid from Piroshky Piroshky Bakery...

...and these gorgeous big blueberries.

Once the ferry arrived at the port I hopped in an Uber and headed over to Fremont for some drinks and dinner. First stop: Fremont Brewing. I loved this place and the beer was awesome. I wish we had more breweries like this with outdoor space in Boston.

I wanted to soak up as much sun, air and views I could before getting on my red eye so I walked over to Gas Works Park. I spent about one glorious hour laying on the grass and reading my book. It was wonderful.

Eventually I walked over to Manolin for my last dinner in Seattle. I ordered an amazing cocktail that I would love to recreate: cucumber gin, byrrh, lemon and agave.

The restaurant was packed but eating alone has its perks! I got a prime seat at the bar right in front of where the chefs prep the dishes. Most of the restaurants I ate at had chefs prepping out in the open. I really loved watching them plate.

The menu looked amazing and I would have liked to order everything, but I settled on: albacore ceviche with almonds, habanero peppers and raspberry...

And black rice, squid, ginger and English peas (the squid is hiding underneath the rice).

Both of these dishes were phenomenal. I was so impressed by all of the food I ate in Seattle but this meal was definitely one of the best. I rounded out my meal with one more delicious cocktail, and then made the journey back to my AirBnB to grab my bags.

At this point I was a little drunk (hello drunk eyes) and had a really funny triangle sunburn on my chest...

I had enough time to take public transportation back to the airport and hopped on my red eye. The flight sucked but luckily I had a few more days to rest before starting my new job.

My trip to Seattle was so amazing. I never imagined I'd have such a good time by myself! It was so awesome to be able to make every decision on my own, do WHATEVER I wanted, WHENEVER I wanted, and pick all of the restaurants! I never got lonely or bored and really lucked out with the weather. I also loved meeting and talking with all of the locals -- I found out about so many places I wouldn't have gone to had they not pointed me in the direction (Bainbridge, Eden Hill, Manolin,etc.). I finished this trip so happy and relaxed, and ready to take on the next chapter of my career.

Here's to more solo travel in the future!