The Walrus and the Carpenter

I should begin this review with a disclaimer that my expectations for this place were very high and it is up there on my "places to eat before I die" list. I've heard people raving about The Walrus and the Carpenter for years and have watched some of my role models including Anthony Bourdain (RIP) and Andrew Zimmern dine in this beloved Seattle establishment. Are you excited yet? Yes, well, stay with me as I tear down my formerly high expectations.

Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum

I finally had the opportunity to check out the glass museum last month! I had always heard great things and seen amazing pictures but these works by Washington native, Dave Chihuly is unlike anything I've ever seen. My absolute favorite section was the outdoor garden and the juxtaposition of the sculptures with the natural landscaping (I even caught some cool reflections of the needle). When I was there the Glasshouse was closed for a private event which was a bummer, so I would reccomend calling ahead to make sure everything will be open the day of your visit.

For more information, check out their website at www.chihulygardenandglass.com

Coffees of the Pacific Northwest

It's no secret that I fell head over heels in love with the Pacific Northwest - the evergreen trees, the smell of the damp forest air, the awesome local restaurants, and the COFFEE. It's pretty crazy to think that this is the birthplace of the coffee culture we know today, almost everyone knows that Starbucks got it's start in the humble store front near Pike Place Market but there are so many other worthy places to check out!

Here are just some of the shops we checked out on our trip, some we scouted on on Yelp and others we just happened upon, we probably consumed at least three cups of coffee a day and we still didn't even begin to explore all of the shops in town - this is but a sampling of all there is to offer. My all time favorite was Espresso Vivace in Seattle the employees were awesome and could "speak coffee" with you for hours and their espresso drinks offer some truly unique experiences for your tastebuds. The Cafe Nico was my personal fav with hints of orange peel and cinnamon.

Our Java Journey:

PORTLAND

-Stumptown Coffee
This little Portland coffee shop has really blown up over the past year, you can now find their cold brew in major grocery stores across the country.

-Compass Coffee Roasting
This new location in Vancouver (near Ester Short Park) has an on site roaster that provides the freshest kind of brew. They also have homemade syrups and their vanilla latte (pictured bottom top left) was super delicious.

-Thatchers Coffee
Also in Vancouver, the cafe offers locally sourced coffee along with artisan pastries. They also have a huge feature chalkboard wall that displays local art which is a little bonus.

SEATTLE

-Espresso Vivace
My absolute favorite place, this is my heaven on earth. I went to the location downtown across from the REI, you can grab a window seat and look at the glorious evergreens across the street.

-Caffe Umbria
Located in Pioneer Square, this semi-swanky shop is known for the square of chocolate they serve with each beverage.

-Seattle Coffee Works
We just stumbled upon this place walking around downtown, the baristas were super friendly and the atmosphere is perfect for people watching.

Like I said this doesn't even begin to cover the coffee culture in PNW but if you're ever visiting in the area I highly suggest you check these places out - you won't be disappointed.

What are some of your favorite coffee spots?!

Where to Explore/Eat/Drink in Seattle

So after YEARS of dreaming and discussing we were finally able to take a trip out to the Pacific Northwest. It's been so long I'm not even sure when or how our obsession started - all I remember is the hours spent pouring over travel books at Barnes & Noble and scanning through endless amounts of Reddit forums and Pinterest boards.

Since I currently work for a hotel we were able to get some pretty awesome deals and keep the costs semi-low so we agreed it was time. We had no reference other than what we had read/seen online so it almost felt like we were traveling to another country (which it pretty much is compared to the southern US). Like always, I took an infinite number of pictures so I decided to break up the posts a bit so this is just a general overview of what we did, places we ate, coffees we drank, and sites we saw. even though we only had one full day, I felt we were able to hit up all of the things on our list.

THE TIMELINE

Flew from Dallas to Portland then drove to Seattle (about three hours) for an arrival time of 4pm on a Friday Afternoon.

SPACE NEEDLE

Our hotel was right down from the Space Needle and about a mile from Pike Place. We were able to walk down to the Monorail and take it straight to the market.

PIKE PLACE MARKET

While most of the vendors were beginning to shut down, it was kinda nice experiencing it for the first time in this peaceful state. The ideal time of day we came to find out is first thing in the morning (around 8-9) you get to see everyone setting up and you still beat the crowds.

Where we ate:

-Pike Place Chowder
There's a line outside for a reason. I would recommend getting the sampler, but my personal favorite was the scallop chowder. The crab roll is also good but it doesn't even compare to the quality of the soups.

-The Pike Brewing Company
Grab a cold one and take a load off at this underground brewery. Sample the local smoked salmon and chill out in their BEER LIBRARY if you're not feeling the restaurant scene. You're welcome.

-Make sure you stop by one of the produce stands and try some Washington apples! Our favorite was their new Opal apple.

-Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt
HOLY CRAP. This stuff is amazing, it's as if an angel in heaven sneezed and this fell down in a creamy delicious blaze of glory...alright, that might not be the ideal description but my point is, you gotta try this stuff! Their flavors vary from season to season but we tried the lemon cheesecake and marionberry.

-The Crumpet Shop
Nothing says cozy on a damp winter day then tea and crumpets! We ordered a steaming hot cup of English Breakfast with the honey walnut crumpet.

GUM WALL

This somewhat disgusting monument of epic proportions is one of those things you just gotta see - I didn't realize just how close it was in relation to Pike Place, there's also a cool little coffee place called Ghost Alley Espresso nearby that's worth a gander and a gulp.

FREMONT

As if Seattle wasn't cool enough already they decided to build a freaking troll sculpture under the Aurora bridge! It was SO cool driving up that hill looking up into the troll and the Fremont area itself seemed like a super cozy harbor town worth exploring.

PIONEER SQUARE

Seattle's first neighborhood, this square offers a variety of restaurants and bars. It was pretty quite on a Sunday morning, but we were still able to get a killer cappuccino at Caffè Umbria.

I am by no means an expert of Seattle and I definitely could've spent more time there and discovered new things but these are a few good starting points if you have limited time there like we did. I will be posting a lot more from our vacation including a Portland post, more about where we ate and an entire post dedicated to coffee so stay tuned!