book review: so you’re going to travel

Posted on July 19, 2013 by jaunt blog

so you’re going to travel, by clara e. laughlin, a travel gem!

combing through the travel sections of denver’s west side books last week, i found a charming and somewhat humerous (so i thought) book titled so you’re going to travel. written by clara e. laughlin in 1938, the book provides all the information a traverler in the 1930s would need. i grabbed it immediately, and flipped through the pages, laughing at its entire chapter devoted to steamships, sailing day, and motoring abroad.

i had planned to write a post listing some of the more humerous advice ms. laughlin gave in regards to travel. however, while reading it on my flight back to LA, i started to realize something pretty quickly: that clara laughlin was one smart cookie. her advice is perfect, albeit somewhat out of date (i mean, this was written over 70 years ago). i googled old clara, and learned that she founded a travel service company that specialized in travel advice for women, and gave weekly radio talks on travel on the chicago daily news station. pretty great job, that clara had.

great advice for “landing day,” when you arrive at your travel destination

a few things we can all learn from clara:

travel used to be incredibly different. this seems obvious, yes, but not obvious enough until i read this book. for example, if you wanted to travel to europe, you had to book your fare on a steamship through a steamship or travel agent (clara’s opinions on steamship agents is one of the more humerous rants in the book). the voyage would take at least eight days, and perhaps up to twelve! this meant that if you wanted to go to europe, you had to budget at least a month to include two weeks of transportations and one to two weeks of actual travel. and while i’m no expert on inflation, it seems like the costs of the trips back then were prohibitively expensive for most of america (unless you were willing to travel in the “no collar” or “immigrant” section, as clara lovingly refers to third class).
people traveled for the same reasons they do now. clara’s first chapter explores why we travel, and why we should travel. probably one of the most written-about topics on travel blogs, clara seems to nail it instantly: “perpetual discovery is, i say, the best equivalent i know for the fountain of youth. while we can keep staleness at bay, life is a continuing adventure. we crave new scenes, new faces, new sensations, new ideas; and only travel can give them to us. we’ll bring back new longings, of course; new wistfulness. but those are nothing to be afraid of; for our longings are one measure of our soul, and the trouble with too many of us is that we haven’t enough of them for things that really matter.” i think i would have been friends with this clara.

safety first! a chapter on healthy precautions while traveling.

we shouldn’t travel for others. in clara’s second chapter, she discusses the importance of traveling for yourself, and not for your friends back home. what she means by this is that we should find what we, personally, would like to get out of travel, and not be persuaded by tour books or friends’ recommendations to see what we think we should see. this is such a basic concept, but is unbelievably hard to do. for example, i am really not a fan of impressionist art, preferring fauvist, modernist, and surrealist art much more. therefore, it seemed a natural choice to choose the pompidou to visit in paris over the orsay. holy smokes, you would have thought i had spent the entire trip in my hotel room based on the reactions of my friends. you went to paris and did NOT see the orsay? why even go at all?? well, its just not my thing. i love that clara identified this, and stresses to be true to yourself in travels.

i’ll keep you posted as i read more. there is a quite humerous section where she warns of diarrhea when travelling without ever using the word (upset is the word of choice). check it out, and remember to always travel for yourself!

clara has “known many interesting people, and talks delightfully about them!”

jaunt chats: wine country, california

Posted on July 16, 2013 by jaunt blog

allison *trying* to overlook the castello di amorosa vineyard

i’ve spent the last five years in california, and at times it is overwhelming to think of all the places within the state to visit. between the beaches and deserts of southern california, the cool and dramatic coastlines of central california, and the nature-defying beauty of the lush parts of northern california, there is always something to see (don’t even get me started on the cities within california and that little park out east called yosemite). i’ve tried to hit up as many sites as i can before leaving for dallas, but there were just some i had reserve for future jaunts. the northern wine country (i.e. sonoma and napa valley) is one such area that will remain unexplored by me for at least the near future. luckily, my friend, allison, spent some time there last july, and was willing to share some of her favorite places.

jaunt blog: where did you travel, and why?

allison: my boyfriend, dan, and i took a super relaxing trip to wine country in northern california over the summer (july). we stayed in sonoma for just under a week, but spent significant time in napa valley, sonoma valley, and the russian river valley. sonoma is in between the russian river valley (to the west) and napa valley (to the east). we were looking for a vacation spot that gave us a nice mix of opportunities for activity and relaxation, being indoors and outdoors, and didn’t require huge spending.

sonoma town square, one of many photos allison snapped of the square!

jaunt: how did you plan for your trip? any good sites or books you’d recommend?

allison: we mostly perused the internet for things to do. i’m a loyal marriott member, and the website for our hotel (the lodge at sonoma renaissance resort & spa, which was amazing) had a little “local attractions” section that we used as a starting point. we also did clever google searches like “sonoma things to do” and “wine country visit.” we are clearly super advanced travelers. also, all the people we met in sonoma were super friendly and happy to offer tips on where to go, what to eat, etc.

old theater in the sonoma town square

jaunt: tell us about your favorite moments on your trip. what do you remember most?

allison: my absolute favorite thing of the whole trip was the sonoma town square. i know, it sounds lame, it’s a town square. give me a chance here. you wake up at your hotel that you love, grab your glorious cup of illy coffee, and take a stroll just under a mile to the town square. the square is a giant spread of grass with trees everywhere, paths lined with benches, and little fountains/ponds with ducks cruising around. surrounding the square are all independent restaurants, tasting rooms, art galleries, and little shops. there is no law against open wine bottles in the town square, so you can enjoy a picnic, which we did on the 4th of july, while we watched the fireworks. the bear flag revolt happened here, which, for those of you who didn’t have to learn california’s state history, was in the 1800s when california pulled a texas and became its own country for a hot second. did i mention the lack of open container law?

dan, geeking out at the rock commemorating the bear flag revolt

another favorite of the trip was our bike tour with ace it bike tours. our tour had us and one other couple, and our guide was awesome. the tour went through the russian river valley, which has adorable mom & pop wineries. we biked along the santa rosa creek, and through scenic backroads that went along farmland and vineyards; we tried some wine; it was grand. the total trip was about 20 miles of biking; while it wasn’t at a rapid pace or anything, this definitely wasn’t just a leisurely ride for a few miles.

jaunt: sounds pretty great – definitely feeling this trip. if i were to visit wine country, what are some places i shouldn’t miss?

allison: you must go to gott’s roadside (formerly known as taylor’s refresher); i recommend the st. helena location, but there is also one in napa and one in san francisco. their burgers will change your life, and you will be totally okay with the onset of the food coma from this, as it is the BEST CHEESEBURGER OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. you can’t go wrong—traditional cheeseburger (i recommend adding grilled onions and avocado), mushroom burger, BBQ burger. people say their fish tacos are good, but i mean, it’s a burger stand. get a burger.

delicious hamburgers at gott’s roadside (formerly taylor’s refresher)

you must go wine tasting, duh! we were aiming to hit up a place called far niente (which has a classic car collection dan would consider stealing), but didn’t plan far enough ahead. we went to castello di amorosa, which is a castle that has a winery, a little disneyland (literally – they had the brave premiere here not long before our trip), an awesome tour, and legitimately good wine. my favorite winery was silver oak—make a reservation for the tour because it’s really fun, and they literally just keep refilling your wine glass and giving you some of their super fancy reserve. the grounds are breathtaking. dan and i were recently back in the area for a wedding and went to a place called cade, which had a fantastic view of the valley and delicious wine.

if you also like beer, stop by the russian river brewing company in santa rosa. dan’s a big beer guy and apparently russian river has amazing stuff.

barrel room in the caves of the castello di amorosa winery

jaunt: what was the funniest thing that happened on your trip?

allison: if there is one thing we are all going to remember about the summer of 2012, it is going to be the great phenomenon of fifty shades of grey. given that dan and i were rocking some awesome hotel points to fund our stay at the lodge, and that the going rate for rooms is otherwise a bit out of our price range, we were more of the outliers in the hotel crowd. poolside, just about every woman was between the ages of 35 and 65, and just about every one of them was reading fifty shades of grey. my book of choice for the trip (recommended by the jaunt blog author herself) was the black dahlia. for those of you who don’t know about the black dahlia, it is a very dark novel about a detective who becomes obsessed with a very violent murder of a young woman. additionally, the cover is kind of gross and shows a dead woman with a giant cut coming from the side of her mouth. i totally fit in.

jaunt: any travel tips for others taking this trip? any must-pack items?

allison: plan your trip loosely in advance so that you don’t end up driving all over the valleys; we chose one or two things to do each day in generally the same area so that we could minimize the time in the car. when we were up in napa later in the year, we spent a lot of time in the car and wished we would have planned as well as we had over the summer.

outside the silver oak winery

yep, it’s a castle: castello di amorosa winery

reading my way around the world

Posted on July 8, 2013 by jaunt blog

marfa book company, where i found the history of giant, which was later written into a movie filmed in marfa

in case you haven’t heard, my husband is now a doctor. not the real kind of doctor, as he likes to say, but the kind that still gets some awesome initials after the name (i’d like to think that “cpa” still counts for something, but so far it’s not working in my favor). these initials (ph.d. in case you haven’t yet caught on) are from his five years spent learning everything there is about government and history. this proves to be a really useful skill when we travel and i say things like “now this country was on which side of the war?”

it’s official: he’s a doctor!

history was always my worst subject (ok, and chemistry). i could never remember the names and the battles, and the years just always blended together for me (is there really much difference between 1225 and 1290?). thankfully, travel is changing that, and making it more real to me than the pages of my former textbooks.

i have found that i really enjoy immersing myself in a travel destination through books, movies, and music. when traveling last summer to monterey, california, i read john steinbeck’s cannery row. not only did we visit cannery row and see the places on which the book was based, but we were also able to visit the steinbeck center in salinas and learn about steinbeck’s life growing up in salinas, and the true stories that inspired the book.

the pacific biological laboratories, fictionalized into western biological labs in steinbeck’s cannery row (monterey, ca)

i watched vicky cristina barcelona before my trip to barcelona. i read giant while traveling to marfa (still a favorite). i picked up a copy of a moose and a lobster walk into a bar while stopped at a light house in portland, maine. and a tale of two cities made the french revolution come to life much more than that world history class i took as a freshman. what better way to learn about the people and culture of a place than to read their stories and learn the history that defines the location?

interior of marfa book company, with tons of books on art, texas, and art in texas

other suggestions:
– read don quixote when in madrid and alcalá de henares (alcalá claims to be the birthplace of cervantes)
– read the age of innocence when in new york
– watch paris, je t’aime before heading to paris

what are some of your favorite location-specific reads/movies?

update: after writing this post, i was strolling through elliott bay book company in seattle (great bookstore if you are in the area), and came across an amazing resource, book lust to go. this book lists reading options (fiction and non-fiction) based on destinations. since i was about to head to barcelona, i checked the spain section, and it had the recommendation of the shadow of the wind, which takes place in 1945 barcelona, and was perfect for my trip (and long enough for the trans-atlantic flight). book lust to go is exactly what i’ve been looking for – pick up a copy!

visiting park guell in barcelona, as seen in vicky cristina barcelona

map of steinbeck’s travels in “travels with charley” at the steinbeck center in salinas, ca

bidding adieu to los angeles

Posted on July 2, 2013 by jaunt blog

clouds ain’t gonna scare crowds – santa monica beach in the middle of june gloom

it’s official: we’re leaving los angeles. parker was offered a position at a university in dallas, and we are headed back to texas in a few short weeks. what started as “westward, whoa!” (a very unsuccessful blog we started many moons ago before life took over) is now “tally, ho!” as we head home.

it is unreal to me that we have spent the last five years in this crazy city! i remember the night we decided to move to LA and try our hand at the big city. half a decade later, and it’s one of the best decisions of my life.

blueberry/lemon and grapefruit donuts – thanks, pinterest!

this past weekend we decided to explore a few sites of the city with our friends who have made these five years so special. all were invited as we took one last jaunt (westside on saturday and eastside on sunday) to explore some new places and return to some old favorites. the westside day started out at the beach with some homemade blueberry/lemon and grapefruit donuts (see above), courtesy of pinterest (yum), and a whole lot of june gloom (if you’re not from LA, it is the creepily prevalent gloomy mist that hovers over the beach cities for the entire morning in the months of may and june).

next up was a spin around the santa monica pier, which i’ve always found a little tacky, but let’s be honest, it was really fun (although i’m not sold on the safety of the roller coaster; there were a few too many bumps along the track while i was parallel to the pier).

ambiguously safe carnival rides at the santa monica pier

i purchased an “old LA” map from poketo last month that spotlights the vintage sights around the city. first on the list was the carousel on the pier and it did not disappoint (don’t forget to buckle your seat belt – apparently carousels are danger waiting to happen due to the high amount of injuries from children falling off).

the carousel at santa monica pier, open since 1916

we were ready for lunch at that point, and walked a few blocks north to the blue plate oysterette, a delightfully east-coast-ish oyster bar that i’ve been dying to try since kate spade and fathom added it to their los angeles city guide. one clam chowder, one peruvian ceviche, a glass of allagash, and a half-dozen east coast oysters later, i was sold. i’m not sure if it was the spicy fresh seafood or the crisply dressed waiters (not matching, but all in the same sky, navy, and white hues), but it made for a satisfying stop.

lunch at the blue plate oysterette on ocean boulevard

east coast oysters at the blue plate oysterette

a few blocks further north, we cooled off the at the bungalow, a much-too-cool yet i-can’t-get-enough-of-it bar set in a bungalow on ocean boulevard in santa monica. beautiful twenty-somethings wander from room to room (and patio to patio) wearing bright sundresses and crisp blazers playing games of ping pong or checkers while sipping on mojitos. love? love.

the bungalow at the fairmont on ocean boulevard

once the buzz wore off, we headed east to century city for the annenberg space for photography. i have been meaning to check out this place for years, and finally had the chance – oh, and it’s free (free!). i thought we were going to see a war exhibit, but instead we were welcomed with a retrospective of helmut newton’s strong nudes. lucky us! i used to love looking at newton’s photographs in vogue (i saved his obituary from vogue after he passed away, and still have the article – also from vogue – that sofia coppola wrote about his photo of charlotte rampling), and couldn’t believe we unintentionally arrived on opening day of the exhibit. what luck. you must visit.

annenberg space for photography

we ended the day at a westside institution, also listed in the old LA map: the apple pan. a burger bar in its simplest sense, we plopped down on the red bar stools, ordered burgers and egg salad sandwiches, cream sodas, and pieces of pie. simple, flavorful, classic, perfect. maybe the west side isn’t so bad after all.

the steak burger and famous dollop of ketchup from the apple pan

the apple pan

do you have any westside favorites i need to check out before leaving? please let me know!

my jaunts: valparaiso, chile

Posted on June 28, 2013 by jaunt blog

quote from f.g. lorca as seen on the streets of valpo

a few years ago, my best friend and i traveled to chile and argentina over the thanksgiving holiday. we visited valparaiso, chile, which instantly stole my heart. an unesco world heritage site, valpo (as it’s referred to by the locals) is a study in color, frivolity, and joy. read below a snippet from my travel journal from my day trip to valpo:

“valpo was simply perfect – reminded me of a clean puerto la cruz or a large murano – colored houses in bright hues, steep hills with slopes only ascended by funicular, unique boutiques, friendly residents, and everywhere a gorgeous view of the sea.

brightly hued buildings of valpo

we visited pablo neruda’s house (one of three), la sebastiana – loved – very narrow passageways, staircases, nooks, sweeping views of the ocean, four floors, different bright colors on each wall, pictures/art everywhere, etc. the bar was fabulous – so perfect with its eclectic mix of plates, glasses, and more. stained glass doors,too. how content he must have been with his quirky designs and unbelievable view.

view from la sebastiana of the sea

we strolled through valpo with the pretty views and bright colors, and ate lunch at el gato tuerto – what a giant view of the pacific – where i ordered gazpacho with scallops (yum). we strolled through the open air museum with murals (very into murals these days, it seems), and down a funicular – what fun! we hailed a random bus, which happened to be going to viña del mar – held on for our dear lives as we sped through valpo taking turns at an ungodly speed!

el-gato-tuerto

we meandered through viña del mar – very much like spain – and ended up at the beach, where we sipped coffee at the sheraton on a giant patio overlooking the water – very nice. we took the subway back to the bus stop, where a quite nice lady and her daughter directed us to the station. caught the 830 bus and had to run to catch the last metro to santiago – barely made it. :) we’ve ordered pizza and off to bed.”

who should go: writers, the young at heart
what to watch: il postino, based on the life of pablo neruda while exiled in sicily
what to bring: your camera, comfortable shoes

the beach at viña del mar

valpo, as seen from a funicular

looking up the funicular path

how to survive (and thrive!) on a red-eye

Posted on June 26, 2013 by jaunt blog

red-eye flights used to invoke strong reactions of fear and loathing from me, as i am completely unable to sleep sitting up. the entire point of the red-eye is that you travel overnight, thus arriving first thing in the morning and reducing any hotel costs for the first night. clearly these are good ideas, but i needed to find a way to actually sleep on the red-eye to reduce my general grumpiness on day 1 of my trips. my recent trip to barcelona – which required a departure time of 8pm and an arrival time in london of 10am, proved the perfect time to experiment, and to much success! read below for some of my tips on arriving fresh and well-rested (and please leave me any of your tips, as well!):

sleep! – if you have any trouble at all sleeping on flights, i highly recommend an over-the-counter sleeping aid. i purchased the target version, and was out like a light for most of the trip. though i woke several times, i was so sleepy that i would return to sleep immediately, a large change (in the right direction) from my previous experiences. tip: do not take the sleeping aid until you have boarded your flight. i mistakenly took it in the gate prior to departure for a new york red-eye from LAX. my flight was delayed and it took everything out of me (and a strong cup of coffee) to stay awake for flight updates – lesson learned!. i have also found that a good eye mask will keep out any unwanted light from neighboring laptops or seat screens that keep me awake.
get comfortable – most flights will provide a blanket and pillow, but often these are not perfect for everyone. i am fine with the free pillow, but my husband prefers the neck pillow to prevent his head from dropping while he sleeps. these come in inflatable versions, as well, if you are worried about space in your carry-on (always an issue for me!). i also have ridiculously cold feet, so i pack a pair of socks to slip on during the flight.
hydrate and circulate – drink lots of water and stand up to stretch your legs every now and then. it’s all fun and games until someone gets a blood clot.
take out your contacts – sleeping in contacts causes my eyes to dry out and gives me actual red eyes, which are not so great. i try to not wear mascara, as well, as that proves problematic when i put in my contacts again.
bring a “freshen-up kit” for landing – i like to include hand and face wipes, powder, lip gloss, a brush, and breath mints/ mouth wash. nothing fancy, but it makes me feel more like someone ready to explore a new place and less like the grumpy frazzled morning person i usually am!

1. the reflect kanteen, $29.95 2. inflight comfort kit from flight 001, $22 3. zebra print socks from madewell 4. chic and chilly eye mask from henri bendel, $16.80 5. west 57th contact lens case from henri bendel 6. f1 seat pak in mint from flight 001, $28

jaunt chats: charleston, south carolina

Posted on June 24, 2013 by jaunt blog

college of charleston

i’ve heard such great things about the laid-back vibe of charleston, south carolina; with its beautiful and lush scenery and delicious food it has always been high on my “must visit” list, though i have yet to book a ticket. my friend, patricia, traveled there regulary, and always had the best stories about the city. i sat down with her recently to get a flavor for charleston’s southern charm.

jaunt blog: tell us a bit about your travel and how you planned for your trips.

patricia: i traveled to charleston extensively to visit my boyfriend, tom, who’s in the navy and was stationed in the area. i flew there one weekend a month for that one and a half year period. yelp was the website that i used most in planning my trips. tom and i are huge foodies, and we planned all of our trips around great restaurants. our favorites were FIG, the glass onion, kilwin’s ice cream (ohmygoshsogood), husk…the list goes on and on. we also like to watch diners, drive-ins and dives and get restaurant ideas from that show. that’s how we found the glass onion (get the cornbread, and don’t be stingy with the fresh honey).

also, I highly recommend paying the premium to stay in a hotel in the downtown area so you are walking distance from everything. we were able to find a great priceline deal for the andrew pinckney inn which we LOVED. stay there if you’re able to; it was my favorite hotel of all my trips.

patricia and tom at kilwin’s in charleston

jb: tell us about your favorite moments on your trip. what do you remember most?

p: i have wonderful memories of walking around downtown charleston. it’s so historic and it feels that way; you feel like you’re walking through the setting of Gone With the Wind. one of my absolute favorite memories was watching 4th of july fireworks at patriot’s point. there’s a decommissioned aircraft carrier and submarine in the water at patriot’s point, and on the 4th of july, they shoot off fireworks from the deck of the aircraft carrier. we walked around the aircraft carrier, drank beer (there was a little 4th of july fair in the parking lot) and then watched the fireworks from the back of tom’s truck. the view was spectacular; probably the best view of fireworks I’ve ever had.

patriot’s point in charleston

jb: that sounds amazing! if i were to visit charleston outside of the fourth of july, what are some things i must do or see?

p: you MUST have the cinnamon crumb cake ice cream at kilwin’s. i know it’s a chain, so you could have it in a number of kilwin’s on the east coast, but you have to have it. a walk around downtown charleston is definitely in order, to see as much of it as you possibly can.

oh my gosh i can’t believe i almost forgot my absolute FAVORITE place in charleston: the gin joint. you will have the best cocktails of your life. it’s tucked away downtown, and they also have brunch if you’re in the mood. my favorite cocktail is the new orleans gin fizz, which i discovered at the gin joint.

oh and also! go to folly beach if you’re there in the summer, and hit up the folly beach crab shack. get an oyster shot if you’re feeling adventurous (a raw oyster in a shot glass filled with a bloody mary). their seafood buckets are soooo good.

charleston beach

jb: who should visit charleston?

p: i would recommend charleston to anyone who likes history, food, beaches/the ocean, a delicious cocktail, and a lively downtown scene where everything’s within walking distance.

jb: i’m totally sold; you had me at “cocktail.” what should i pack?

p: it gets very hot and humid during the summer (a great excuse for a trip to folly beach!). as a result of the humidity, there are a ton of bugs, so bug spray is a must. pack loose clothes if you’re going to be there in the summer, and warm clothes for the winter (it’s right on the water). tom and i got majorly into the help and read it together while he lived there. it’s a fantastic book and even if you’ve seen the movie, i would still recommend it.

college of charleston willows

downtown charleston

the battery, the promenade in charleston

my favorites: markets

Posted on June 17, 2013 by jaunt blog

vintage soda bottles at the san telmo antiques market in buenos aires

i love a good market. i’m not sure if its because i like a good deal, or because i like sifting through old junk in search of a treasure (is the hunt better than the catch?). but one thing is for sure: find me a market, and i’ll be happy as a clam! here are a few of my favorites i’ve visited:

san telmo antiques market, buenos aires, argentina – there are many markets in buenos aires (maybe why it’s one of my favorite destinations?), but this one was a real gem. full of old world treasures including old musical instruments, china, jewelry, and postcards, i was hooked. i took home a green soda bottle (see above) for about $20 (before pottery barn made them famous, charging 4x what i paid), and had a comical exchange in my broken spanish where i learned to not use the bottle due to the nozzle being made of lead (good to know – definitely would have given future dinner guests lead poisoning!).
san lorenzo central market, florence, italy – ok, this place is overwhelming. bring some cash and some big bags. florence is known for its leather and paper products (i love a good stationery set), and this market delivers loads of both. also throw in olive oil, shawls, and decorative wooden trays, and you’ll see why its so great. pretty sure i purchased a white linen blazer, sequined silver flats, a traditional florence wooden tray, a stationery set for my mother, a leather bag for a friend, the list goes on and on…
madrid book market, madrid, spain – slightly under the radar on a quiet street near retiro park, this market houses stall after stall of books. a reader’s paradise, great people-watching, and sure to deliver a nice gift for your favorite bibliophile. most are in spanish, but you can hunt for a few in other languages and find the picture books if you don’t read the language.

madrid book market

favorite trends: floral

Posted on June 14, 2013 by jaunt blog

one not-so-great part about traveling is the functional travel gear that tends to come in solid, neutral colors. not so this season! floral prints are everywhere this summer, from handbags and pouches all the way to luggage and sleeping bags. such a refreshing look; i hope you enjoy them as much as i!

1. miss modern iphone case, $35 2. florabunda sleeping bag at anthropologie, $188 3. liberty scalloped tank in phoebe floral at j. crew, $89.99 4. tumi ‘super léger’ wheeled carry-on, $395 5. jack wills fortrose make-up bag, $29.50 6. vintage roses pattern luggage tag, $8.95 7. tory burch printed robinson dome satchel, $395

my jaunts: seattle

Posted on June 12, 2013 by jaunt blog

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

jaunt: one girl's search for adventure

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