Day 1Eating and DrinkingFriday, February 16, 2018
Low: 42 High: 48 First things first; I'm starving! Mike's here already for a work trip, so he meets me at the airport, then we Uber to our Airbnb to quickly unload our things before heading right to Marination Station. I order the salad with spicy pork (plus a sauce called the Nunya sauce that's uh-mazing) and Mike gets kimchi quesadillas and a pork slider (both also very good). After, we walk up the road to Red Hook Brewlab and split a flight between us. Mike has to run to the bathroom, so he asks me to finish picking the beers for us. I struggle. Do I choose more IPAs? Go with ones I've never heard of? I end up picking my beers at random. Just throw darts at the board and hope for the best. Two of the three are tasty, so I'd call it a win. I'm buzzing after drinking nothing, which reminds me that I'm a lightweight and, yeah, probably need to pace myself. We decide to grab one more afternoon beer at Rachel's Ginger Beer. We thought there would be different flavors of alcoholic ginger beers, but it's more of a "mixed drinks on tap" kind of place, which semi-reminds me of Bourbon Street in a not-so-great kind of way. So there's all that. Mike orders a drink that's got tequila in it, which he doesn't end up liking and passes on to me. That's fine. I can't finish it anyway, because it's three in the afternoon and I'm not trying to drink tequila. After a quick stop to the liquor store across the street (with a goofy cashier who seems to say literally everything that comes to her mind), we head back to the Airbnb for a nap, then get ready to meet Mike's old friend Chris for dinner at Nue. Before dinner, we stop at Kaladi Brothers Coffee. I order a latte from the girl at the counter, who I then realize is actually a dude. Or...is he? I'm soooo confused, because he/she has the face and body of a girl, but she also has a beard. Like, full on soul patch. I stare. I can't figure it out. Mike says it's a girl. Still scratching my head over that one. After, we head to dinner and meet Chris. We order the brussels sprouts (crispy and fried with coconut and peanut satay + sweet chili dipping sauce), a kale salad (dates, curry, feta, etc.), South African Bunny Chow (which has no bunnies in it. It's chicken breast with Indian spices served in a bread bowl, probably one of my favorite things), Jamaican Jerk Chicken (that's soooo tender and also very delicious), and COCKROACHES. Or, well, they're technically called "water bugs" but we all know they're really cockroaches. Which we did not know when we ordered them. No. Definitely did not realize they'd be bringing us literal roaches. The server spends several minutes explaining how to rip off their heads and legs to get into the insides, and oh my gosh. How to explain the flavor? It's pungent and salty and not terrible, but also not...like...the most enjoyable thing ever, either. |
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Day 2
Pike's Place MarketSaturday, February 17, 2018
Low: 39 High: 48 Our original plan for today was to wake up early, have some coffee and then take an Uber to go hiking. The problem is that once we realize it's a $70 Uber ride with no guarantees about getting home, we start to rethink the plan. I'm disappointed, because I really wanted to go hiking, but alas, getting stranded would definitely put a damper on the trip. So instead we start the day at Victrola Coffee Roasters. I order a latte and Mike gets a cappuccino and a pizza croissant thing with eggplant. The coffee tastes amazing to me. Frothy and perfect. We sit and enjoy the morning. After, we walk to Verve Bowls, a smoothie bowl place nearby. We order two bowls to split, one green one with spinach and coconut and another with strawberries and peanut butter granola. They're both tasty, even after Mike mixes all the toppings on the green bowl into the smoothie part like a monster rather than eating them nicely from the top. From there, we head to Pike's Place Market. We walk all up and down, see the fish being thrown, see the pretty flowers on display. We find the original Starbucks and snap some shots, then take a long walk in place of our hike up the trail to Centennial Park and the Sculpture Park. The day is sunny and chilly. Unexpectedly nice, even with the wind. We're tired by now from all the walking and Mike is hungry, so we stop at FOB Poke Bowl. Ever since our trip to Vancouver, I've become huge poke fan, and this place doesn't disappoint. It's build your own bowl-style, so we basically do a grab of everything. We sit at the window and enjoy it. It's back to our Airbnb to nap, then shower and change for our dinner reservation at Shaker and Spear. When we arrive, they seat us at the bar, which ends up being awesome because we can see the food being made. There's one cook who's totally in the zone. No facial expressions, full-on concentration mode. The other cook is kind of a punk and angry at everything. We try to guess what they're making as we decide what to order. When the server comes, he tells us about the special, which is a coconut calimari stuffed with pesto and squash. We order that (it was only average, the texture was weird), plus a goat cheese beet salad (really tasty), rockfish with squid ink gnocchi (the gnocchi was amazing, Mike was unimpressed by the fish) and scallops with polenta (very sweet and tasty). Mike also orders a mescal drink and a whisky drink, but I choose to abstain so I can be ready to drink tomorrow. Overall, it was a good meal. |
Day 3
Great Food, Brews, Top of the TowerSunday, February 18, 2018
Low: 42 High: 48 We start the day at Starbucks Roastery, which is like a regular Starbucks, only massive. They sell pastries here. And bread. And flights of coffee. Mike gets a coldbrew flight (some of the best coldbrew I've tasted) and I get a latte (duh). Stateside opens right at 10 a.m., and since they don't take brunch reservations, we make sure we're one of the first people there. This is easy, because you can literally see the restaurant through the Starbucks window. We stroll inside and are seated immediately. This ends up being the best restaurant of the trip. It's a French-inspired Vietnamese place, and everything is amazing. We order beef pho pot stickers (served with a ginger balsamic vinegar. I thought they were amazing. Mike didn't like the texture of the shredded pork in the middle), a beef kolrobi salad (very good), crispy sticky rice sandwiches with cumin pork (dipped in a thick cilantro sauce, not even sure what it all was but this was the best thing), and an egg "baonadict" which was also fantastic. From there, we walked to the Seattle Art Museum. When we reach the front of the ticket line, the cashier asks if we'd like to pay extra to see the African American exhibit (three black artists from different time periods). We aren't sure, and the lady is no help, so we end up just going for it. It's a good move, because that ends up being Mike's favorite part. I'm not as big of a fan of that style of art, but I enjoy other areas. I do some walking meditation as we stroll through the galleries. I let whatever catches my attention pull me in. We come upon one room that's projecting videos on the wall. I try on the nearby headsets and try to make sense of what the automated voice is telling me. I walk away from that exhibit with the feeling that the artist was just trying to be strange on purpose. Next, we walk to find coffee! It's snowing unexpectedly and neither of us are really dressed to brave the cold, so we hurry into the first Starbucks that we find. I order a latte (surprise) and Mike gets a chai latte. We sit at the window and watch the snow. We heard the Seattle Central Library was worth seeing, so we go to check it out. The architecture is amazing. The downside is that the library is basically a homeless shelter. Everyone in here is homeless. The place literally reeks with homelessness. One guy is watching porn on the library's computer. We (being the non-homeless minorities) get stares from the homeless people, and the whole thing is just uncomfortable. We make it to the top floor, check out the view for a second, then leave. Up next, Sky View Observatory Columbia Center! We buy our tickets then head up to the 73rd floor observatory. It's way cooler than I was expecting. The day is clear, and we can see everything. Mountains and city both. It's breathtaking. After, we Uber to the one place Mike insisted that we must go: Freemont Brewing Company. They make his favorite beers, and it's time for a drink anyway. I order a cider and Mike disappears to the bar on the other side for his first flight. It's cold outside, but the brewery is packed inside, so we end up finding a heater on the patio and standing under it, people watching and dog watching. There are so many dogs here. Mike and I discuss getting our third dog, which isn't realistic, but is an inevitable topic of conversation whenever we're drinking. From here, we walk to another bar to grab a drink, then Uber back to downtown Seattle. Weed is legal here, and I'm curious, so maybe we take a detour. Just to look. The Uber driver who takes us has this huge TV installed in the back of his car. It's playing the Superbowl halftime show. No idea what the point of that is, but Mike and I laugh about it. |
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Our Favorite Memories
For me, it was sitting in all the cafes sipping frothy lattes out of hearty ceramic mugs. There's something so soothing about that.
Mike: "What did we do?" It's been a few weeks since we went. I list a few things. He says, "I liked the Skyview." Good enough for me.
Mike: "What did we do?" It's been a few weeks since we went. I list a few things. He says, "I liked the Skyview." Good enough for me.