washington

seattle – day 2

kdavis 1 Comment

our final day in seattle was a full one and started with a cozy breakfast at the condo. that is one of the advantages of a rental vs. a hotel: you usually have lots of space and kitchen access to cook for yourself if you care to. on our way back from the falls the day prior, we had stopped at the grocery store and scored a package of snoqualmie falls pancake mix! over sausage and pancakes and mugs of coffee, we gabbed and laughed and solved all the world’s problems. :)

we then washed up and made the short drive over to pike place market. the rain couldn’t keep us nor the locals and other tourists away. the streets were busy, and i can only imagine how swarmed it gets on the weekends and when the sun is out.

our first stop was a quick visit to the original starbucks. the line to order was stretched out the door, so we settled for a picture. i mean, a caramel macchiato here is a caramel macchiato there, right?

as we weaved in and out through the stalls and storefronts, we ended up joining in the fun at pike place fish market. this shop is known for its fish tossing attraction. yes, fish tossing! we did get to see some salmon thrown, and i decided it was time to face a decades-old fear of mine: eating a raw oyster. ages ago my mom and i were with some extended family for a west coast girls’ luncheon. the cousins insisted i have an oyster, and since my parents raised me to be a polite southern lady, i obliged. all i will say is that it’s a miracle i kept that slimy sucker down. now, older and maybe wiser, i figured if i was going to give them another chance, there was no better time or place. i paid my ten bucks, ripped the lid off the shot glass, and consumed that oyster with reckless abandon as the crowd cheered me on. the oyster was actually pretty small, and all the cocktail sauce certainly made the experience more tolerable. the best part, though, is that it was an historic moment that got captured in three parts. :)

i felt unstoppable and convinced mom and aunt cindy we should test our bravery with another seattle staple: the gum wall! folks, this thing is exactly what it sounds like and is as gross as you would think: two alley walls covered in gum. the smell is less than pleasant, but it was still fun to see it for ourselves (despite the faces i’m making here).

all this excitement had us hungry for a little snacky-snack, so we popped into piroshky piroshky bakery for some rolls. under flaky pastry were incredible aromas and big flavor, and mine reminded me of the meals you can get in the ikea cafeteria! the meatballs were well seasoned, but i definitely could have gone for more gravy. maybe a cup on the side for dipping? yes, i think that would have satisfied nicely.

now, what i have left untold until this moment is that aside from aunt nancy’s birthday bash and a general few days of pto, one of the next biggest reasons i was stoked for this trip was because of all the dates in all the cities in all the world, my favorite musician jamie cullum was performing in seattle that evening! the live music gods perfectly aligned all these things so that i could see him perform again. i’ve seen jamie’s concerts in atlanta, birmingham, chicago, and atlanta again. phillip and i had plans to see him in london once, but that trip was derailed due to the pandemic. so, i mean it when i say i’ve been waiting for years for this opportunity. now, we still had a couple hours until the doors opened and did not want to go all the way back to the condo and come all the way back out into town again. so, we spent some time nearby at pennyroyal. this spot is moody and dark but still inviting whether you’re there for a meal or just a cocktail. the drinks and food kept us warm, and it was the perfect way to bid the city farewell.

the time had come, so we hustled across virginia street and dodged the rain to arrive, at last, at the moore theatre for the concert. does this picture say it all? i was beside myself!

this intimate, old venue was full of character and drew a packed house to see jamie jump around on stage, dance with the crowd, hop on the piano, and sing all my favorites. mom and aunt cindy did not know his music and were so sweet to go along with me. as always, his performance was non-stop and energetic and reminded me why i love music (especially live music) so much. there was a lot of anticipation for this trip and this concert for so many months, and it delivered in every way i could have hoped.

seattle – day 1

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our first full day in seattle was packed with adventure and started with a proper french breakfast at le pichet. this spot had been highly recommended by several coworkers and was a delightful way to begin our morning. the space is narrow and cozy with tables close together. they have quite a spirits selection and proper espresso equipment, so i had the cutest cappuccino, and aunt cindy had a pretty and delicious latte.

our waitress mentioned the chef had a few buns left, so we ordered the last of them for the table. don’t these look food magazine worthy! they were slightly sweet and melt-in-your-mouth tender. so far so good!

we knew we’d need more than a little bread to hold us over for our upcoming excursion, so mom ordered the yogurt (a small serving but tasty, she said), aunt cindy enjoyed the oeufs plats jambon et fromage (i was grateful she offered me a bite!), and i ate the salad de tomates avec fruits a noyau, chevre et vinaigrette au jambon. all that produce was so fresh, and as fancy chefs say, a bite of it all at once just made everything “sing.”

with fuel in the car and our bellies, we drove east to tour snoqualmie falls. aunt cindy had heard of it and always wanted to visit, so visit we did! the fall colors were just starting to show off, and we lucked out with a warm (albeit windy) afternoon.

aside from the mighty power of these falls, my favorite element were these words all about the grounds. they were so playful and inspiring and very unique.

the clouds and rain eventually arrived, so we moseyed over to downtown snoqualmie and took refuge in snoqualmie falls brewery. i would have liked to belly up to the charming covered bar, but the weather just was not in the mood to cooperate. oh well, you can still drink beer and eat snacks inside! between sips of this and bites of that, we talked all about the latest in each others’ lives. it’s so interesting and fun getting to still be a daughter and niece to these ladies but having adult conversations. times change, life forms and reforms. i feel lucky to have this pair in my circle.

evening approached, and it was slow going back to seattle. by the time we shrugged off our coats and untied our boots, we were tuckered out and in no mood at all to head back into the city. cue doordash! since it had grown cold, we concluded big bowls of steamy ramen would hit the spot, and they sure did! we tried ramen-ya teinei, and our order was accurate and on time. while mom spooned up dinner, i worked my tech magic to get dancing with the stars streaming on the tv. the host didn’t have regular cable, so after logging into aunt cindy’s directv account and then airplaying her ipad to the tv, we were in business! hot ramen and reality tv. what more could we have wanted?

seattle – evening 1

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our visit to anacortes had come to an end, but we weren’t done with washington just yet! mom, aunt cindy, and i decided to tag on a few extra days and explore seattle. i’ve been to seattle once when my small group was passing through for a trip to alaska. so, it was like a whole new world!

we got a bit of a late start so only had time to really check into our airbnb and grab some dinner that monday evening. our airbnb was a clean, spacious, well-stocked condo in the queen anne area. the owner refers to it as the “kraken cabin,” and all the host instructions were easy to follow. i imagine this view west (and the sweet little porch) is even more pleasant when the sun is out. 🙂

we unpacked a bit and started to do a little online looking to figure out what we wanted to eat. sometimes you know just what you are craving. that night was not one of those nights, lol. so much sounded so good! however, the travel gods looked down on us because we found in the condo a binder full of recommendations from the host. what luck! page after page listed different types of food and different parts of town with all sorts of suggestions. you could find just about anything in there! with the rain picking up and our bellies rumbling, we decided the nearby queen anne beerhall was worth a visit. oh, and worth a visit it was!

as mentioned in another recent post, i have never had the pleasure of going to europe, but wow, this experience felt very authentic! long tables and benches as far as the eye can see, raucous kraken fans ready to root on their hockey team, and pint after pint of beer. what a find!

we squeezed into a table between two pairs of coworkers who were humorous and kind to us out-of-towners and all our questions. if any of you knows us three, you know we are not afraid to strike up a conversation. two of those folks we met were mustafa and christopher. mustafa is an attorney and christopher is a soon-to-be-attorney at a local law firm. throughout the conversation, we found out mustafa grew up in huntsville (what are the odds?) and that christopher has a little eastern europe heritage (again, who would have thought!). it was such a serendipitous meeting, and i could not have planned it better if i tried. we got their stories, they got our stories, and they were so sweet to recommend a whole bunch of local spots for us to try during our stay. i love that they obliged our “old school” request to write the restaurants down instead of just punching them into our phone. plus, this napkin will make for a great page in my scrapbook!

over our chatter and cheers and laughter, we shared the giant pretzel, grilled corn, beet salad, and cheese curds. everything was fresh and rich and flavorful, and i bet if i lived within walking distance i’d be a regular. even though it is good to go through life with a plan, sometimes the most unplanned things end up being the best. mustafa and christopher, thank you for tolerating our little trio. if you’re ever in atlanta, i’d be happy to return the favor!

an anacortes occasion

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earlier this year, i was pleasantly surprised and quite flattered to receive an invitation to my great aunt nancy’s 90th birthday celebration up in anacortes, washington. with plenty of pto and some miles burning a hole in my virtual wallet, my mom and i took a week off from work to venture up to and around the pacific northwest.

our flight saturday morning to seattle was, blessedly, uneventful. however, our luck was short-lived once we got to the rental car center. long story short, i couldn’t pick up the car my husband reserved for us because my name wasn’t on the profile. then, i had the pleasure of waiting for an hour to get a car from a different provider. after declining all the add-on insurance and taking the elevator down a couple floors, we threw our bags into the trunk of our zippy kia soul and hopped on i-5 to make our way north. you know, i feel like we got the true washington state experience right off the beat. downtown traffic, cloudy skies, and rain.

thankfully we weren’t really in a hurry, so it was nice to cruise along and take in the sights of the evergreen state. we all know atlanta is called the city in the trees, but everything here is just so lush. some leaves had started changing, but i think in a couple weeks’ time, the trees will really be showing off.

about two and half hours later, we turned into wisteria gardens. this place was just so picturesque! from the chic farmhouse to the nearby pumpkin patch, i couldn’t imagine a better backdrop for the evening, which was a whirlwind of hugs, meeting new people, re-meeting family i hadn’t seen in decades, eating, drinking, and dancing. the elvis cover band was a huge hit, and i am so grateful we were included in the celebration. aunt nancy, i hope i look as good as you when i’m 90! if you have any secrets to share with my generation, i’m all ears. 🙂

once the party wrapped up, we headed back to the cabin nearby. it had a peaceful view of skagit bay, and we spent the night enjoying some red washington wine while puzzling and solving the world’s problems. it’s so interesting to hear how our conversations have transformed over the years and through different stages of life. so grateful for these women!

sunday was our final day in anacortes, and we piled up and headed to mark’s and shamay’s for some brunch. there were cars and people and food everywhere, and i grabbed a seat out on the porch. what a pleasant view! i feel lucky to have family like this, where you are welcome to join the fun as you are and, generally speaking, the more, the merrier.

after brunch, mom, aunt cindy, sara, julian, and i went to fernhill cemetery to visit and pay our respects to some of the extended family. these grounds are so quiet, and even if i do not make it back up here in my lifetime, i am glad we took some time to remember where this side of my family comes from and who part of me is.

as i am certain i’ve written before, our family is always ready to eat. so, we met our cousin lorri in nearby la conner for a little small town afternoon. the drive there was so relaxing, and i cannot believe all the dahlias we saw along the way. i mean, these things were mondo-sized and everywhere and in every shade you can imagine. i didn’t get to snap a picture, but my mom was sure to because my sister-in-law kari loves these blooms. kari, you would have been in heaven up here!

we ended up having lunch at la conner seafood and prime rib house, which was the same place that catered the party the night prior. we started with the spinach artichoke dip, which was scarfed down quickly. i then treated myself to a cup of clam chowder and crab cakes. the chowder was fine, but the crab cakes were worth every penny and every bite (despite this poor photo quality, i promise).

while we’d been having lunch, phillip had separately mentioned to me that it recently was national ice cream day, so it was easy to convince julian we should go for a scoop! just down a block at lulu’s espresso & ice cream, he had a cone of cherry ice cream, and i went for a cup of triple chocolate. i think he liked his, yes? 🙂

that night was extra dreary out, so we stayed in and munched on leftovers. julian and i got to play in the loft upstairs, and i was quick to fall asleep after such a fun day. i’ve a feeling it’s easy to do that up here. thank you for the memories, anacortes!

introducing mr. jefferson

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jefferson

when we went to washington, dc last december, i insisted we visit the jefferson memorial before we leave; it’s one of my favorites!  this memorial isn’t necessarily out of the way, but it isn’t exactly near a whole lot either; it sits in west potomac park, across the way from the white house, where third president thomas jefferson once lived.  there were plenty of folks involved in the creation of this memorial, including designer john russell pope (who also architected the national archives building), philadelphia builder john mcshain, and sculptors rudulph evans and adolph a. weinman.  the pantheon-inspired building was completed in 1943, and the 19-foot, 10,000 pound bronze statue was then added in 1947.

eric, kyle, kari, and i made the brisk trek over to see him and snapped this picture.  I LOVE IT.