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!

Visiting Seattle - Part 1

In between jobs I had about two weeks off and knew I wanted to travel somewhere. I ended up spending a few days in New York and then hopped on a -- fairly last minute -- flight to Seattle! Seattle has been on my "to visit" list for a while. Between the seafood (Top Chef season 10!), the beer, the mountains, the culture, and the casual hipster-esque vibe, I just knew it was a city I wanted to check out.

I flew out of JFK super early in the morning and was thrilled to get my own row on the flight. It was actually one of the easiest and most pleasant flights I've ever taken. Plus, look at this insane view from the plane!

I arrived in Seattle around 10:30 am. I had nowhere to be, so I took my time and hopped on the light rail. I love using other city's transportation systems -- it makes me feel like such a local! It was about 1 hour on the rail + the subway to get to neighborhood I was staying in, Lower Queen Anne. I decided to book an AirBnB for the trip since I was traveling alone and didn't want to spend a ton of money on hotels. The girl I was staying with wasn't out of work until 4, so it was just me and my luggage for about 5 hours.

I was a little nervous about traveling alone. This was my first non-work trip on my own and I worried about being bored, lonely, etc. The first few hours in Seattle was the ONLY time I felt this way. When I made my way over to the Lower Queen Anne, I ended up hanging out in a park for a few hours because it was a beautiful day and I had nowhere to go. I was so tired from waking up at 4 am that morning and spent most of my time just trying to stay awake in fear of my bags getting stolen should I nod off. It was a weird couple of hours but eventually I got up and started Yelping for a place to grab some food and drinks. I ended up walking about 20 minutes to the Masonry, and suddenly, felt right at home.

I hung out with the bartenders, read some of my book (The Enchanted -- read it!) and ordered my first Seattle beer. Food wise, I ordered the weird combination of pickled vegetables and beer steamed clams.

Eventually I made my way over to the AirBnB. The entrance to the apartment was actually through the beautiful Kinnear park. The best way I can describe Lower Queen Anne is GREEN. There were so many lush trees, plants and flowers. It was really beautiful! My host (Libby) was great and had two adorable friendly cats named Denzel and Tori Spelling. They followed me everywhere.

Park entrance

Pathway down to the apartment

The building

Waterfront view from the deck!

Kitties!

I hopped in the shower then made my way over to Ballard for dinner. I originally planned to stay in Ballard, but it was a bit too far from downtown Seattle. The neighborhood was pretty cool and reminded me a lot of where I live in Boston -- very industrial feeling and right on the water.

For dinner I went to the Walrus and the Carpenter and grabbed a prime seat at the bar. This was my first encounter with friendly Seattle people. Like I said, I was a little worried I'd be lonely/bored during my trip, but honestly, I couldn't have sat silently even if I wanted to. The people in Seattle were SO friendly, and nearly immediately would start talking to you if you were alone. I spent this entire meal chatting with an awesome couple who gave me so many great recommendations for my trip! I also was not disappointed with my meal. First stop, some Pacific Northwest oysters, of course!

I had seen photos of this steak tartare and had to order it. Look at that egg!!

After dinner I made my way over to Reuben's Brews a few blocks away. Ballard (and a lot of Seattle) is FILLED with cool breweries in warehouses. This was just one of many I wanted to try.

Around 8:30 my phone was about to die and I was totally exhausted, still being on east coast time. The best part of traveling alone? You, and only you, decide when it's time to go. I finished my beers, grabbed a cab back to the AirBnB, and easily passed out around 9 pm.

Every time I'm on the west coast I get a glimpse at what it would be like to be a morning person. I woke up the next day at 6 am -- with nine glorious hours of sleep under my belt -- ready to bounce out of bed and take on the day. I got ready, put on my walking shoes and made my way over to Myrtle Edwards Park where I could take a waterfront path through Olympic Sculpture park. Despite it being midweek there were still tons of people out and about, walking, running and riding bikes.

The sculpture garden was very cool. As you can see in the photos, weather wise, this was my "worst" day in Seattle. It actually didn't rain once I was there. On this day it was overcast and about 65 degrees -- way better than Boston which was getting torrential rain for about a week straight!

I then walked from the sculpture park about a mile to Seattle Center, where the Space Needle and most of the museums are. On my way I stopped at CJ's Eatery for a hearty breakfast. I ordered an omelette filled with some local Uli's hot Italian sausage.

Then it was off to the Space Needle! I ended up buying the dual pass to go up to the Needle and visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit. It was so worth the price!

The Space Needle, a historic landmark, was built for 1962 World's Fair. At 605 ft it was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River (side note -- when I bungee jumped in South Africa it was from 710 ft, so...o m g). It can withstand winds of up to 200 mph and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. It also has 25 lightning rods!

Asking strangers to take my photo will always make me uncomfortable. 

Seattle rooftops have a bunch of fun surprises you can only see from the Space Needle -- like these giant monster spiders. Yuck.

Had to add my name to the visitor list to make it official!

Once I cam down from the Needle I headed across the street to the Chihuly exhibit. I spent hours in this place admiring the art work. I've seen some Chihuly pieces but never in this amount or display and I was totally captivated. At one point I sat in one of the exhibit halls for about 45 minutes talking to this older woman about how it made us feel. It was probably the most "moved" I've ever been by art. Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma, WA so Seattle definitely has a soft spot for him. If you're in town, I would 100% put the exhibit on your list, art lover or not. The photos absolutely do not do this insane blown glass justice, but here are some of my favorites anyway:

This was a ceiling. 

After the exhibit I walked over to the EMP (Experience Music Project) Museum. The EMP Museum was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and is dedicated to contemporary popular culture. I had a lot of fun in the museum exploring the different exhibits and halls: a guitar gallery, a Jimi Hendrix exhibit, a Nirvana exhibit, a science fiction and fantasy hall, a horror film hall, a Hello Kitty exhibit, and my absolute favorite, the Sound Lab. At the Sound Lab you could learn how to play various musical instruments and even record your own demo. I tried playing drums, acoustic guitar, bass and keyboard. Let's just say I am not ever going to be a guitar player. I only took a few photos in the museum...

I was definitely starting to get hungry again so it was time for the most highly anticipated part of my trip -- visiting Pike Place Market! I went immediately to the famous Beecher's Handmade Cheese and ordered a half and half (half original, half spicy pepper). I also grabbed a chocolate croissant from Le Panier and an oyster shooter from City Fish Co.

Once the market closed I made my way over to the Zig Zag Cafe for a cocktail. Of course, I did lots of research in advance on where and what I should eat and drink. Seattle is filled with amazing cocktail bars and speakeasies and Zig Zag was just one of many I wanted to check out. On the way over I stopped at the infamous Gum Wall. In November, 2015 the city cleaned the gum wall for the first time in 20 years! I was worried that it wouldn't be as "impressive" when I visited but this wall is crazy!

Once I found Zig Zag (it was challenging) I grabbed a seat at the bar and chatted with the bartender. He wouldn't let me order off the menu and instead crafted me amazing cocktails based on what I liked. I immediately made friends with the people around me (that's Seattle, apparently) and we chatted and sampled food from the menu for a few hours.

At the end of the meal one of the guys I was chatting with picked up my tab! It was so insanely nice! Just another example of how great the people in Seattle were.

Despite feeling like I had been eating all day, I really wanted to go to the dinner spot I had planned on. So I made my way back toward Queen Anne and took a seat at Eden Hill. The restaurant has only 24 seats and offers contemporary, creative food. I was super excited! I ordered a beer and two of the smaller plates: the beet confit salad (ash ripened goat cheese, honey vinegar and pear, pickled onions, borage) and the crispy pig head "candybar" (merlot pickled red cabbage, pear and champagne soup, creme fraiche, serrano peppers). The second dish is created by making head cheese (a terrine made from the head of a pig -- the parts of the head used vary, but the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed), sweetening it up with fermented black bean, hoisin and brown sugar. The chef then presses it between two sheet pans. Once set, the head cheese is cut into the shape of candy bars and fried until crisp. Both dishes were amazing.

Photo credit

I was so beat once I finished with dinner and made it back to the apartment around 10 pm. I set my alarm for an early wake up call and was asleep before I knew it.

Part 2, coming soon!