sweet seattle…

in the world of visual merchandising we usually start dreaming of our january vacations starting in october… right around the time we start prepping for holiday. at first it seems like it will never come then— woosh! the trees are up then down & packed away & christmas has come & gone once AGAIN. the holidays are fun but long in retail & a vacation is much needed by the time it rolls around.  when gil & i started chatting about our january vacation plans i knew i wanted to go somewhere we’d both never been before. but where? the Napa Valley & Chicago were on my list but weren’t winning. Seattle? hmmm. we’d talked about going to Seattle many times & i’ve alwaysssss wanted to visit. not only is it the home of Nordstrom Inc. (i call it the Mothership) & i’ve dreamed of visiting the Headquarters & Store #1, but everyone we’d talked to just LOVES the place. done. & just like that, on a whim, we were headed to the emerald city…

i was extremely lucky to get in touch with friends in the area who gave us lists & lists of thing to do, places to eat & sights to see. i had NEVER been west of Tennessee & was stoked about visiting the pacific northwest… it was one of my favorite trips ever & i can’t wait to see more or the glorious US of A.

my first ever view of arizona. breathtaking & like another planet…

ahhh! i tried not to faint from over excitement once i saw the view of store #1 up the street… a real dream come true.

real italian cappuccinos at cafe senso.

it was abnormally cold while we were there so we stayed BUNDLED up, but i couldn’t complain because it was sunny EVERY single day… blessed.

the famous gum wall. totally gross but i found a G!

fish at pike place market. i was dying to cook something french!!

oh so fun.

i love how retro the space needle is… built for the 1962 world’s fair!

gil rotating while we enjoyed brunch.

photos from the top: those are snow capped mountains from the distance!

quite possibly the best photo i’ve ever taken on my iphone… but this still doesn’t do mt. ranier justice. ahhhmazing.

what better way to see the whole city than from milion dollar condos? we took some fun tours to see some amazing real estate… the views & spaces are incredible.

our favorite places to eat+drink:

• Black Bottle
• Cafe Senso
• Root Table
• Portage Bay Cafe
• Crepe de France
• Hot Cakes
• Espresso Vivace

our favorite neighborhoods were Pioneer Square, Ballard & Capitol Hill.

our favorite sights+things to do:

• NORDSTROM of course! Downtown is the Original, Bellevue is amazing & don’t forget the Rack!
• The Space Needle is so fab, but beware… we wanted to do brunch at the top but didn’t know the restaurant operated separate from the viewing deck so we ended up paying twice. lesson learned. you have to make reservations & the 3 course (delicious) brunch is $50 a person but includes the viewing deck. rotating 360 degrees around the city on a clear day, eating crab eggs benedict with my gorgeous husband & gawking at the mountain… worth every penny.
• Downtown Shopping is fun, fun, fun.
• Pike Place Market is epic. along the water & just like i’ve always imagined. i was a total freak over all the sleepless in seattle spots… how many times did i say “tom hanks was standing RIGHT HERE!!!” eat the donuts, visit the crepe shop & meet the locals.
• Pioneer Square has the feel of the west village. Old bookstores, loft apartments, cute shops… it was my favorite.
• Mt. Ranier National Park isn’t too far away but winter wasn’t the ideal time to visit.
• The Music & Art world here is phenomenal… so much to to culture experience!

what we loved:

• the people were nicer than i expected! as a southerner who obsessively smiles at everyone i was surprised at how friendly the Seattlites were… people struck up lovely conversations with us everywhere we went.
• everyone seems young, healthy & in shape.
• pets are everywhere… there are twice as many dogs as children in the city, which as childless rabbit lovers we can appreciate.
• it’s GORGEOUS. i’ve never ever seen anything like Mt. Ranier… it’s utterly breathtaking & completely indescribable. we were lucky to see it almost everyday, which isn’t common. a friend of mine lived in Seattle for 3 months before she got a view!
• it has that big city feel with nature & the great outdoors mixed right in… wear jimmy choos or birkenstocks, celine or mountain hardware, either way you’ll fit right in.
• although we didn’t visit far outside the city Victoria, Canada is just 3 hours away & California is oh so close. it was hard to comprehend how far away from home we were but how many amazing places were just a hop, skip or jump away.
• it’s so fun to be surrounded by water, the views of everything around are gorgeous.

i’m really hoping to visit again soon… i’d love to experience the not-so-hot summer in the pacific northwest. seattle, you were fab.