Seattle Tourist

These past three days I was a tourist in my own city. Recently both N and S wrote about being a tourist in Seattle- what would you suggest to someone coming to explore the city. My friend had lived in Tacoma, so she was somewhat familiar to Seattle, her friend had never been here before and the other visiting from Phoenix had been here a handful of times.

We started off Thursday with a concert at Chateau St. Michelle winery- this winery on its own is beautiful- but adding Chris Isaak, brilliant. I had prepared a picnic of mostly local ingredients- salumi sausages, local cheeses (Mount Townsend, Beachers and a new one at MetMarket), fresh local berries, salmon mouse, crab dip, lavender shortbread and bread from Essential Baking company. Another girl who joined us brought salmon freshly smoked by her father. Unfortunately we drank all 4 bottles of wine then to find out that they had stopped selling wine. After the concert we had passed a dive bar- of course we made a spot- I ordered cans of Rainier for everyone- its the local version of BudLight fresh from the mountain.

Friday we headed to Snoqualamie Falls- yes its a tourist attraction- highlighted by my poor friend throwing up in front of the tourist bus! But it is an incredible view and a way to see nature at its finest. Returning to Ballard we ate lunch at Ray's Cafe- good food and amazing view. Afterwards wandered around the locks- boating and salmon- quinessential Seattle. Then a trip up to Queen Anne- Kerry Park, my favorite spot in the city for reflecting. We were blessed with clear sunny skies to highlight the skyline. Friday night we did Belltown and Pike Place. Started at Cascadia for miniburgers and the Alpine Martini (whats more Northwest than a little douglas fir in your drink!), then onto Flying Fish for a spur of the moment stop for fresh oysters (my first time actually), which turned into crab, calamari, salad and oysters. Finally time for our "dinner" reservation at Matts in the Market. Matt's is not a tourist spot, rather still seems to be the local gem that hasn't been invaded by the masses. Our table was still being used so we were treated to some free wine. A fabulous meal (everyones favorite so far) with a view of the market and the sound that was spectacular. Karen came from the dessert it was that good. I was contemplating a trip to the Lusty Lady, but per our server's advice we checked out the CanCan club below for a burlesque show- perfect. Men, women and some cross-dressers decked out flaunting their stuff, we didn't even need to go to Capital Hill for a bit of the "other" side of Seattle tourists miss.

Saturday we started off with pastries from Cafe Besalu near my house- another hidden gem that most tourists would not know about. Then onto the ultimate tourist activity- the Duck Tour. The brownies I consumed before made it a bit more enjoyable, but I have to say even as a local I had a blast- learned a few facts I did not know. It's a great overall tour of the basic neighborhoods in the downtown area. Plus even the local saw the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat for the 1st time. Afterwards lunch at Aqua Verde- we had planned to kayak but it was a bit chilly. Then onto the Central District for a stop at a friends house- real live gentrification in action in Seattle! Back to Ballard for the Sea Star (H was obsessed with Dangerous Catch!). Dinner in lower QA Phucket- sometime simple and cheap then onto the Torchlight prarade for a bit (H had to see the guy from deadliest catch!- we even chased after him) and then onto the Space Needle for a glass of wine. Being at the Space Needle I remembered why I love this city- its the ultimate tourist experience, however myself I could see all the spots that mean something to me- my gym, Noelle's work/South Lake Union, QA, Alki and the incredible beauty that makes Seattle home. We did a LOT in two days, however there was still more I wanted to show them- we didn't ride the SLUT (tried to buy t-shirts but they were closed), would of been fun to go out in Capitol Hill, the Seattle Art Museum or even better an outside art tour with local galleries and graffiti art, a walk around Greenlake, Skillet, Bainbridge and the 5 Spot (we were supposed to do breakfast but were a bit full from the 3-restaurant dinner the night before).

Yes, Seattle isn't a New York, Chicago or like a European city. People still are too dependent on cars. I observed Friday night that downtown was really dead (maybe everyone was in Capitol Hill), people don't walk nor use transportation (we did a quick jaunt on the #2), but we are changing, making our city more Urban. We are young, but Seattle is a vibrant thriving Seattle with quite a bit to offer.