3 Days in Seattle

Hubby and I travelled to Seattle for the weekend. It was a lot of fun and relaxing. Glad we built our trip around food and tea. Seattle is definitely a gourmet heaven for us. Here is an overview of the trip.

We arrived in Seattle around 9:00 a.m. on Friday and took the Light Rail to Westlake Station which was about 2.5 blocks from Hyatt at Olive 8.  We were starving when we arrived at our hotel. So I did a quick freshen-up then walked to Wild Ginger for our 11:30 a.m. lunch reservation. After lunch visited Robert Fornell studio in a beautiful setting of Lake Washington to pick up a couple of chawan. Stopped by the hotel to dropped off the chawan before strolling downtown then to Belltown neighborhood. Had dinner at Zoe -the food was phenomenal-. Walked around the neighborhood after dinner toward the Space Needle. Spent the rest of the evening enjoying the incredibly breathtaking view of downtown Seattle, suburban area and the water in three different settings; with late afternoon sun over the city, on sunset and at night.  Took the monorail back to downtown. 

We woke up early the next day and had breakfast at the hotel's Urbane Restaurant which was surprisingly delicious. Spent the morning on the 2-hour Pike Place Market food tour. (We're not big fans of arranged tour but would highly recommend this one). What a great way to explore the market and learn historical info! Tried delicious food from 10 great places during the tour that included dangerously delicious donut,  savory Russian piroshky pastries and renowned chef Tom Douglas' mini crab cake. Didn't need to get lunch after that. 

Late that day we took a bus to Ballard neighborhood. Walked around downtown Ballard, stopped by The Market Arms Pub in Ballard to take a peek at US vs England WC game on the way to Ballard Locks. Enjoyed outdoor concert performed by Highline Community Symphony Band at Ballard Locks. Ended our afternoon in Ballard with delicious Spring 2010 Oolong Teas from Taiwan with Shiuwen at her Floating Tea Leaves Teashop. Dinner at Green Leaf for a flavorful Vietnamese feast. Took a quick swim before going to bed and enjoyed a lap pool all to myself. 

Come Sunday, breakfast was back at hotel's Urbane Restaurant for its yummy zucchini & cheese frittata. Went back to Pike Place Market to pick up some goodies to take home from Beechers Handmade cheese, Chukar Cherries; Market Spice and Pappardelles' Pasta. Stopped by Le Panier for its super yummy croissant and pastries before exploring the market again. Lunch was a cup of award winning chowder for hubby and scallop bisque for me from Pike Place Chowder. Relaxed at the waterfront near the market and watched the bustle of Pike Market on Sunday. Had an early dinner at Etta's, then stopped by a Native American Art Galleries to see Northwestern Coast Native American art and artifacts on the way back to our hotel. Checked out from hotel, took the Light Rail to the airport to catch our 7:00 p.m. flight back to LA. A very eventful and enjoyable trip indeed.