The skyline as seen from Kerry Park in Queen Anne
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Seattle and it almost seems insane that it took me this long to visit the Pacific Northwest. I mean, I've never even been to Vancouver, for Christ's sake - which seems weird for a Canadian. Shouldn't we see all of our own country before we venture outward? Maybe that's another post, that idea.
In any case, I loved Seattle. The rain never lasted longer than twenty minutes, and the sun always came out immediately afterward. It kind of reminded me of the way it rains in the islands - with the most severe storm happening one minute, and clear skies and sunbathing the next. Makes no sense.
If you ever have any desire to go to this fine city, I beg you to wait until mid-April. Clearly I'm biased in saying that since that's when I went, but my God... I can't imagine it being as lovely any other time of year. Every single cherry blossom is in bloom and it's in the heart of the tulip festival season (more on that below). Anyway, I'm rambling. Here were my highlights.
These are Walla Walla onion rings. They're named after a county in Washington state that grows them, and they are the sweetest of all onions that you can find. I wanted to try them especially 'cause they're harder to find (maybe impossible) on the east coast, and thank God I did. Best homemade onion rings OF LIFE.
The Pike Place Market was the first thing I went to in Seattle, mainly because bloggers won't shut up about it online. And honestly, it was a pretty good time.
Endless rows of flowers for sale and fresh fish/meats/cannolis/fruit/vegetables were the types of things sold at the market, a lot of touristy small shops as well. Nothing crazy special, but a nice walk. The real reason it stands out in my mind as memorable was because of this place.
...where I proceeded to eat this.
The chowder itself was great and all, but I think it was the bin full of free oysters crackers (and no oyster cracker monitor) that really made my eyes bulge. So, so good. Oyster crackers make almost anything heavenly. The market as a whole? Decent, but don't spend more than $20 there 'cause you'll likely regret it later.
I also managed to eat lunch at this lunch-only place Il Corvo that has a different pasta of the day each day, and how does that not sound amazing? This was the special the day that I went: Cresti Di Gallo with pancetta, spring onions, tomato & chiles.
I really tried to do as many Seattle-centric things as possible. And the thing that I associate most with Seattle is coffee (as I'm sure 1000% of the rest of the world does). But the thing is, I hate coffee. (Not, like, Coffee Crisp, don't be stupid.) But I mean, this is how I react to coffee.
But when it comes to real, adult-like coffee, I don't get it. I don't need it the way that other people seem to (or claim to) and I've never really understood the appeal. (Granted maybe that'll change the day that I get a real job and have to wake up at 6am like most of the world and need the caffeine to wake up? Ugh. I hope that day never comes.) IN ANY CASE, I wanted to try what other people thought was "good coffee." So a few Yelps later, I ended up at Moore Coffee Shop and ordered this beauty.
Will I say that it converted me into a full fledged adult ready for her 401k? God no. But look how pretty!
I also saw the Fremont Troll (which is basically just a big troll under a bridge). Why did I want to see it? I don't know, Seattle's not that crazy of a city, man. Sometimes you gotta see a troll for kicks.
I also tried a Dutch Baby! I've wanted to try one ever since that Bob's Burger episode where Linda gets real excited about ordering one since they're hard to come by.
Apparently Dutch Babies originated in Seattle, so I figured I ought to find one so I went to The Original Pancake House in Ballard to eat one. Verdict? Big. I should've put a dime or something on the table for scale. It tasted pretty great, but I did slather it in butter and syrup and ate approximately 1/16 of it before begging for my bill. More of a "let's get one for the table" type of dish, but good nonetheless.
Oh! Also, you know the house from Up? It exists and it's here.
It's hard to see from the photo, but it's housed between two large commercial buildings. It was owned by Edith Macefield and you can read her whole story here, if you so please.
Okay, now onto the best part of the trip. I have forever wanted to visit a tulip farm. I can't remember how I first heard that they existed, but I saw a photo of one a long time ago and stuffed this dream in the back of my mind intending to make it a reality some day. I don't think I need to explain why I've wanted to see this in person. I mean.
I refuse to describe how beautiful it was. That memory is mine and mine alone and I can only implore you to visit one some day as well.
Some other things I did that I didn't photograph as much: visiting Kerry Park to see the skyline, eating a luxurious meal at Canlis in Queen Anne while listening to Taylor Swift being played on piano (and having one of the best salads I've ever had), walking the beautiful grounds at the University of Washington, trying AND LOVING steak tartare for the first time on Earth, eating all the oysters and having seriously one of the best poutines of my life at Elysian Bar. Look at this monster. (UPDATE: this restaurant is now closed, but I can’t bring myself to delete that beautiful poutine photo, so let’s just let it live on.)
The truffle beef poutine consists of house cut fries, cheese curds (real curds, yes), green onions & "truffle scented beef glace." I'm not sure if "glace" is just a typo on the menu for "glaze," but who knows - maybe "glace" is just some sort of magical element that I'd never heard of since this poutine TASTES AMAZING.
It was such a great trip and I'm beyond thankful that I got to experience it all.