Sunny in Seattle

Tres and I just got back from Seattle, and I can honestly say, this city ranks in the top 3 for me! The people, the personality, the food, the WINE… something about this city glows in this so-called dreary city. Actually, when someone tells you Seattle is rainy and gloomy, the weather facts may not can be denied, but the personality of this city is nothing related to those two adjectives. And to make mine and Tres’ trip even better: we didn’t see a trace of rain or a cloud in the sky one time while we were there. I don’t know if we were just lucky, or if cold, dark Seattle is just a myth.
Top of the Needle

On the other side of the city... amazing views!
At Chinooks... great views as well (a restaurant with a view can't be beat!)

As you know, when Tres and I visit any city, food and wine are at the top of our list of things to do. I always do a massive amount of research on the most notable restaurants. Not to mention, we get to know locals while we are there because we have learned, no one knows a city’s food the way a local does. It’s fun comparing tourist restaurants with what the locals suggest. The Travel Channel and Food Network (especially Man vs. Food… my dream job haha) are also great sources, but on this trip, we found a LOCAL in Seattle KNOWS the city of Seattle. They are all very proud of their city and have no problem sharing their knowledge and love with tourists.

If you ever wondered what the Original looks like!

One of our favorite restaurants (recommended by a local of course)... Chinooks

It was ironic, our only full day in the city was on National Drink Wine Day, and whatdaya know? Seattle is a total wine city! Knowing Washington was quite the wine state, we never imagined the big city of Seattle would have so much to do with their wine industry, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that “wine” just may be this city’s middle name. As a matter of fact, it’s the best wine city I have been to since Napa Valley. Imagine Napa city-style! Can’t get any better than that! At nearly every corner of each popular street, there is a wine tasting bar with flights and small plates galore! We couldn’t get enough!
Wine Tasting

Wine....

Wine....
And LOTS more wine...

Our favorite part of the trip was Pike Place Market. WOW! TV shows and movies do this place no justice. The people who live in Seattle are the luckiest people in the country. Tres and I decided we would never even look at another grocery store again if we lived there. Why would you? You have the gigantic market with the freshest fruit, vegetables, fish, and meats in the country! The thousands of fish and millions of veggies sit right in front of your wandering eyes in never ending rows… it’s a cook’s heaven! And I must, too, bring up the fresh flowers that you can purchase for $10-$15 dollars a (huge… seriously abnormally large) bouquet. And these aren’t just your typical Kroger arrangements – I saw some of the most unique and beautiful flowers I have ever seen in my life! And for $10… I would have a new fresh bouquet of flowers in my house every few days. So… WHY?! Don’t we live in this city? Ahh… I can only dream!



Why go to Seattle and not do the one thing Seattle is known for?! Check out this video of me catching a fish in the market! The guy had to throw it to me three times (no surprise… he was fairly warned) before I could catch it! Too funny, and such an experience… it was the best part of the day! (Ummm... can't get the video to upload. It's only like 1 minute! Can anyone help with this?)

To sum up Seattle… the personality and ambiance has to be mentioned. I have concluded in my travels that every city has a “personality,” but this one? The charisma leaks through in everything you do. It’s not your typical big city feel. When walking down the street, you almost think you can hear Pearl Jam or Soundgarden playing in the distance. The stories you hear are true… the people are very grunge, laid back, carefree. Think of the people you typically see in coffee shops – cool, calm, intellect, artsy – these are the people you see in Seattle (no pun on the coffee shop thing, but very ironic!). No one is pretentious or hoity-toity here… they just simply “live,” and it’s clear that they thoroughly enjoy life. But why wouldn’t they? They live in Seattle!


***** By the way, for my Social Media class, I am required to write a Beat Blog. With my current travels and future travels underway... and of course, my obsession with food, I decided on my Beat Blog topic to be "Food Travel." I just created a blog on Wordpress that I haven't put much in yet but it should be full of food and wine suggestions from cities galore in the next few months! The goal of the blog is to compare touristy restaurants with restaurants suggested by locals. Shoot me an email (aletard@varsityspirit.com) or tweet me (@tatumletard) if you would like the link!