sitka and spruce in seattle
my work recently took me to seattle, a city i had never visited, for a week. i had been saving articles about seattle for a few years, and was excited to finally get a chance to explore. seattle is such a unique and arresting city that i instantly fell in love. full of lush, green spaces, warm people, excellent food, and countless book stores and coffee shops, seattle was a welcome break from the always-rushing los angeles. my husband joined me, and we took some tips from nyt’s 36 hours, and headed straight to capitol hill to visit volunteer park for views of the city from the brick tower and great food from volunteer park cafe, both of which did not disappoint.
we made a quick stroll through pike place market (where the starbucks brew got its name), but the better attractions of the area are the cute stores and restaurants surrounding the market. my favorites included beecher’s cheese, which has large windows for visitors to observe the cheese-making process first hand, and the metsker map shop, where i could have spent hours perusing through travel books, city maps, and globes.
view of seattle from volunteer park in capitol hill
taking another cue from 36 hours, we headed to sitka and spruce for dinner one night, which is housed in a warehouse-like building off pine street that shares space with a bakery, a meat market, a small bar, and more. we ate at s&s on monday night, which is malafacha night, which involved a long menu of ridiculously delicious tacos, which were rich in flavor and accompanied by micheladas, my new favorite drink (beer and lime juice – how did i not know of this gem earlier?!).
victorian scene in port townsend, washington
as much a city of water as of land (views of the sea are constant), we boarded a ferry in our rental car to explore some of the surrounding area. i had read an article in sunset magazine a few years ago that mentioned the small town of port townsend, so we headed there first. about an hour’s drive from the ferry stop on bainbridge island, we indulged in piping hot pizza from waterfront pizza as soon as we arrived (buy a slice from the window downstairs or sit upstairs in the tiny dining room with the dumbwaiter for more substantial portions). the town is adorable, dotted with victorian houses and buildings, and with a charming downtown that runs parallel to the waterfront. i enjoyed browsing through get-a-bles and what’s cookin with ice cream from elevated ice cream in hand.
after a quick coffee from pane d’amore, we headed south to gig harbor, an almost too-idyllic spot southwest of seattle that was recently named one of the best small towns in america. we browsed the stores along the water (loved bayside book company), and ordered smoked salmon and rainier beer from tides tavern as we watched the boats pull into the dock for the evening.
who should go: readers, coffee drinkers, shoppers of madewell (is it me or did the entire town appear outiffted in their recent catalog?)
what to read: nothing. save your books for the countless book stores throughout seattle (i loved elliott bay book co in pike/pine)
what to watch: sleepless in seattle and grey’s anatomy (confession: i was saddened to learn that seattle grace hospital does not actually exist; don’t judge)
what to pack: layers, an umbrella, boots
ferry to bainbridge island, en route to port townsend
refreshing happy hour at tides tavern in gig harbor
checking out a mariners/rangers game in seattle