We got up and Taylor decided we were going on a hike. Which I had been fighting her on since my plane landed the day before. I was like, "um, I did not fly here to work out." But after the day of eating we had, a hike wouldn't be so bad. She lied to me about the distance to convince me though.
We left her apartment and walked to a restaurant called Portage Bay Cafe. Their motto is "Eat Like You Give a Damn." Well, I do, and yes, I will. We got a mushroom and apple sausage scramble with all kind of local vegetables...so good. And oatmeal crusted french toast. There was a fruit and granola and whipped cream bar to dress up your baked goods. Yes please. I'm pretty sure I gained pound 4 there.
We walked 2 miles from breakfast to get to Discovery Park. The walk took us through the locks for boats to get in and out of the port/sound. We watched a couple boats go in and out while they added and took away water. It was pretty cool. They also have a salmon run area that no fish were using because the salmon breeding time is over. But it was pretty cool.
Then we got to the park area. After being in Las Vegas for 3 years, I gotta tell ya. The foliage was GORGEOUS. Fall had definitely arrived in Seattle and I was loving it.
We picked (and ate) wild blackberries. The ones sitting in the sun were delicious and sweet.
And then another 2 miles back to her apartment. There were some crazy stairs up and down in that park. I was ready to be done. Taylor lives in Ballard, which is one of the neighborhood areas. Everything is super walkable and accessible. On the way back, Taylor suggested, in between my whining about my hurting feet, that we hit up the massage place. It was $30 for a 60 minute massage. Taylor says they "push all the air out of your fingers when they massage your arms and hands." Seriously Taylor. That is not a thing. There is not air in your fingers. Just saying.
The catch is for the cheap price, you're in a room with 10 other people with your clothes on, so you hear all the rubbing, slapping and clapping while they massage other people. DONE! It had it's moments where I was like, "do these people know what they're doing?" or "Ouch, do know that's a bone?" But for the most part, for $30, it was totally worth it.
Here's my phone pedometer for the morning. We got back to Taylor's apartment by about 3, after our massages.
When we got back to her apartment, we opened a bottle of wine and made a plate of snackies. And watched Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.
Went back downtown to get a drink, Taylor's favorite drink in Seattle. It's at a bar called RN74. I can't remember what the drink is called. I ordered a drink called "what she's having" so when you order you say "I'll have 'what she's having.'" My drink was champagne and lemonade and had some basil in it? I think. We spent the time at this bar watching the sommelier. Which is basically a wine expert. There's a documentary on 4 guys trying to pass the advanced somm test on Netflix that Taylor has seen (she's such a foodie) that we watched the next day as a result of seeing this guy. His only job is to taste wine and pair them for the restaurant with different foods and desserts. I want that job.
This was my "official birthday dinner," so we went to a restaurant called Radiator Whiskeys. I know, more eating right? It was located on the second floor of a building right across from the Pike's Fish Market, so we had a good street view for people watching. The food was bbq style and the restaurant was teeny. The drinks were strong and the food was good. We ordered a turkey leg with fingerling potatoes and braised beef brisket and a green apple salad with radishes. SO delicious.
Here's me with a picture of the menu. Apparently, you can call ahead an order half a pigs head. But they only have 4 of those (so two pigs heads a night) and they're supposedly delicious. The cheeks and jowls are "amazing." I don't care if you're a foodie, Taylor. That sounds kind of gross.
The we went down to the bottom floor of the same building to a little tiny theater called "Can-Can" for a burlesque show. More drinks. Big drinks. Taylor ordered bengiets. I passed. Because wine.
The show was kind of "broadway" themed. They did songs from Hairspray, Grease, and ? a few others that I don't really remember. Because wine.
We got home late and slept late. And got up to do the ONLY thing I wanted to do in Seattle. Go to a local farmers market. We walked to the one in Ballard and bought all of the stuff we would need for dinner and making my birthday cupcakes there. And flowers. And apple cider.
Here's our loot for the farmers market. We pretty much cleaned up.
We watched that documentary on sommeliers (called Somm, I highly recommend it....it was great) and Orange is the New Black. And drank 2 bottles of wine.
My birthday dinner. Butternut squash and mushroom risotto with leeks. Yum.
Lemon and blackberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing.
My plane was scheduled to leave on monday afternoon about 1:20pm. And I'm a paranoid traveler. I like to be at the airport the 2 hours early. Even when I'm traveling alone and am carrying on bags. So we got dressed and headed downtown again to the Starbucks roasting and tasting room. It's the only one in the country. And check out the door. It's really serious. Seriously heavy.
This is Taylor and me waiting for our flight of coffee. I gotta admit though. I drink coffee every day. And I like my creamer. I buy the fru-fru flavored creamer, I buy pumpkin spice lattes and I love seasonal drinks they serve at Starbucks. This flight of coffee made me feel like a baby. Black coffee is serious. But seeing as we went to the roasting and tasting room, I felt all this pressure with the baristas. They stand there at the bar (like where they serve alcohol) and take orders, making them, while all the patrons watch. So after they make you a drink, you have a barista staring at you, as well as the rest of patrons, making sure you don't wince or make a face. I play poker face well. I wanted to like it.
But after we finished our "flight" I was relieved and excited to order my menu regular, a skinny vanilla latte. Yum.
This was the center of the bar, where all the baristas received their fresh roasted beans from the ovens. They ground them up and made fresh coffee.
My regret is that I didn't buy a Seattle Starbucks coffee mug. You know, the ones with the city skyline on them? I almost bought one like 5 times in the airport.
I had a good flight back to Las Vegas, and took a cab to meet some friends from Dover when I landed. It was hot.
Overall, I give Seattle a big old fat stamp of approval. I loved that the whole city seemed supportive of small businesses, buying local, living within your means, being considerate, and walking everywhere. I can see why Taylor loves it. I can't wait to go back! I gotta lose this weight first...
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