ADVENTURE #4: Visit 5 new states
Update: 1 state down, 4 to go
Seattle was many firsts. First time visiting the city. First excursion into the Pacific North West. First by-the-seat-of-my-pants unplanned weekend excursion. First destination meet-up with the partner-in-crime, Michelle.
Coffee #1
We arrived Friday night at almost the exact same time at the Seattle Tacoma airport, with several hours to spare before our check in. With my bright orange backpack and her rolling suitcase in tow, we did the only reasonable thing two young women with excessive baggage in a new city should do - head to the most crowded part of town. Of course, to fulfill all of our stereotypical dreams of Seattle, we stopped first to have an inaugural coffee at the Cherry Street Coffee House, which we learned later was a chain. Then we walked (in many different directions before choosing the right one) to the Market. If the retina-searing orange hue of my backpack didn’t quite destroy every attempt at blending in, the loud CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK of Michelle's rolling bag finished it off.
The Highlights (which are essentially all the -lights):
Eavesdropping and Festivals: Any time you're traveling with a TBD itinerary, eavesdropping will serve you well. That's how we discovered, during one unlucky travelers inquiry into the dearth of available hotel rooms, that "The Festival" was in town. "Which Festival?" we wondered. For the next few hours, we kept our eyes peeled for signs and posters that would reveal to us what we were missing out on. As you might expect, on a Memorial Day Weekend in Seattle...there are many festivals. But we figured out that the big one the concierge was referring to was the Northwest Folklike Festival, held just underneath the Space Needle. So we went there!
COMMIT TO THE PHOTO, MICHELLE.
Ada's Technical Books and Cafe: This was one of those "the journey, not the destination" victories. The Yelp pictures and reviews make it seem a lot cooler than it actually was, but it was a great voyage getting there by foot.
Pilgrimage to Starbucks 1.0: New Seattle-rs – BEWARE. The Starbucks at the entrance of the Pike Place Market is not the original location! The actual first location is nestled inside the Market. The wait is long. Long enough to hear live music and actually consider looking up the band's bio. Long enough to get yelled at by a Korean tour guide. Long enough to have a heart-to-heart, take photos, and plan out your weekend. Once you get in, there is a certain reverence that comes with visiting the place that started it all. Extra points go to the (exceptionally attractive) baristas, who will pose for pictures while handing you your coffee.
Original Starbucks, Gold Car
A pilgrimage of sorts
Comedy: New in a city, not quite wanting to club, but not wanting to let the night pass you by? Check out a local comedy joint! We went to Unexpected Productions, which brought us right back to the Market. The show was so funny that we ended up staying much later than we originally planned to catch a second.
Marriage: While we were in the Space Needle, I was having a quiet, solitary moment looking out over the city when someone got my attention and asked me to move so that a marriage could be conducted in the exact spot I was standing. I thought they were kidding. Lo and behold, they totally were not.
Eating well: The touchstone of any good mini-voyage (correction: voyage [correction: day <correction: a good life>]) is eating great food. Kastoori Grill did not disappoint.
Eating well again: The Confectional, where we had cheesecake.
In summation, Seattle is a wonderful weekending city. We never once took public transportation except to get to and from the airport, and were able to fill each day to the brim with free and strange activities. We visited some of the classic tourist spots, but also didn’t hesitate to go outside of the boundaries of our map. It was fantastic.
Pike Place Market
Reflecting on PNWness
The Bubble Gum Wall
A great trip