a quick seattle run-down

This is pretty much a quick run-down of everything we shoved into our mouths & gullets and where we laid of heads while in Seattle. Our mission was to vacation on the cheap and I think we managed quite nicely.

Sleep
First off, we got a great deal off Priceline and stayed at the Silver Cloud Stadium hotel. It had a rooftop pool & hot tub and the rooms were super clean, cozy, luxurious and comfortable. The only downside was the location which was too far from everything (but we did make use of their awesome free shuttle) and our Sunday morning wake-up call (that we had requested the night before) didn't arrive. Luckily, we woke up with the help of the ipod docking clock radio.

Coffee
Our first coffee run was in Freemont at Cafe Vita. It was nice enough to sit outside. I had an iced Americano and Cornelius had drip coffee. Delicious. Our next cafe sit down was in Capitol Hill at Victrola Coffee. We were instantly smitten with the painted signage and the airy open space inside was lovely. Again, I had an iced Americano while C had a latte. Yum!

Beer
We loved the Elysian Brewing Co. in Capitol Hill. I've been there before, but it was lovely being back. Their beers are wonderful. I stuck with IPAs (they make a fantastic floral Jasmine IPA and a very hoppy Immortal IPA) while C went with the porters and also tried their seasonal pepper-spiced Poivre white beer. Delicious! The only bummer was when we tried to visit the Elsyian Fields close to our hotel Sunday night. Despite their website saying they were open, sadly, they were closed. We weeped openly.

Eats
Señor Moose. Oh my! Fresh, authentic and delicious. I was warned by Brandon to order limes and add salt. I did just that. Perfect.

Cafe Besalu. Rich, buttery European-style bakery but better than anything I've had in Europe. It's that good. I had the ginger biscuit and an almond croissant. Yum! If I could have a ginger biscuit delivered to my desk every morning I would want for nothing.

Dick's. High marks for my first rootbeer float of the season. Not bad at $1.90. Cornelius also shared fries and a burger. Dicks, it's cheap, it's tasty and it's a Seattle institution.

The 5-Point Cafe. This is not a cafe. This is a dirty dive bar. They're open 24 hrs and some might find it sketchy. I find it endearing. I've been here before late at night, but this time we decided to go for breakfast. Cornelius ordered the famous chicken friend steak & eggs and I had to quit my breakfast mid-way just to help him eat it since it was so gigantic and so freakin' delicious. Best chicken fried steak ever. Obviously, this is not the place to eat if you are looking to eat healthy.

Top Pot Donuts. Donuts. What more can I say? They were sweet and tasty, but I like Lee's Donuts in Vancouver way better. However, the box they packaged up our donuts in? Too cute!!

sleepless in seattle

Work is busy at the moment. It must have been a slow week last week since I posted here almost every day! I'm also really lacking some serious beauty sleep...this week has been rough and the fire alarm testing going in our building isn't helping things.

But I am super excited that our Seattle plans have come into place. I tried out Priceline for the first time and after a few unsuccessful bids, we finally ended up with a stay at the Silver Cloud Stadium Hotel in downtown Seattle. It has great TripAdvisor reviews and while it's on the other end of downtown (it's right across from Safeco Field), I'm definitely excited about it! Plus, our room only cost us $69 dollars/night. Cheaper than our usual $71/night stay with shared bathrooms at the Moore Hotel and way more fancy. We're only staying one night to see the Black Lips and I'm also trying to convince my husband to stay an extra night so that we can have a bit more time in Seattle to explore and do everything we want. We'll see!

The above photo was taken on our last trip to Seattle...in 2006. Breakfast in Ballard at The Dish. I think it's time that we make a return trip!

seattle get-a-way?

Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of Seattle. I think because it's pretty much a car driving city. If you want to go to Ballard, to the U District and then to downtown and Capitol Hill there's a lot of highway driving. I'm more of a walking around girl, so that's why I love Vancouver so much. Cars aren't needed (tho everyone does seem to have them anyway). But Seattle does have The Black Lips coming April 25th and of course, a few days later, there's also Molly's book signing which I'd love to go to. However, it's easier to convince my husband to drive 2 and a half hours to see a rock show than a book signing, so I'm hoping we'll rent a car for a night for the Black Lips show.

So, if we do make it to Seattle, please give me your tips! Nice affordable place to stay! Best breakfast! Great cheap dinner! Affordable is the only way we travel, so no fancy dinners or expensive hotels please. I'm not afraid to admit that we're cheap.