The Davis’ in Seattle

Seattle: one of the best vacations EVER. I want to move there, to an adorable cottage overlooking the water where we take the dogs on daily strolls, drink Starbucks, eat the most delicious food, and where I can wear a new scarf every single day. Heavenly. Oh boy, do I love scarves {I think I own about 30 of them, maybe more}, and I love the weather that affords you the chance to wear them. People think I am crazy but overcast, dreary, borderline rainy, slightly chilly, scarf-wearing days speak to my soul. They’re my favorite. I know, it’s a little depressing, but I can’t help it. I’ve always loved the bleakest of days, staying cozy indoors or layering up to go outside, and Seattle is the perfect spot for that kind of thing. I was surprised by how much Troy loved Seattle too, considering he’s more of a sunny day, lets-go-fishing-and-drink-beer kind of guy. But the emerald city left its mark on him too, and we cannot wait to visit again soon. Between the gorgeous sunsets, fantastic food and wine, larger-than-life fresh food markets, endless activities and attractions, and all the coffee you could ever want, Seattle was just the vacation we needed. On our first full day, we spent our time perusing the Pike Place Market and all of its amazingness. The biggest, freshest, non-fishy-smelling seafood you can find. It was just ridiculous. Famous fish throwing at Pike’s Place Fish Market 🙂

Let me preface the next few images by saying that I have about 500 shots of flowers from the market. I had never seen anything like it in my whole life. It was enough to make me move to Seattle right then and there and throw a dinner party for all my friends just so I could buy these amazing flowers and display them…everywhere. Peonies, poppies, white and blue irises, hydrangea, ranunculus in every color, sweet pea and freesia — Oh Lord I could go on forever. So fragrant, so fresh, and so darn affordable! Ask Troy, I wanted to buy them all. $10. That’s it. That is all it cost for a gigantic arrangement of the most beautiful and sought-after blooms. You could even pick and choose your own arrangement! H-E-B floral department, you’ve got nothin’ on this place. 

Troy was the complete mastermind behind our trip. Usually I am the one planning, booking, researching, and scheduling — but he totally took control of our Seattle adventures and I have never had more fun. Everything was an exciting surprise, including this quaint donut stand at the market. They make the best fresh donuts, in three flavors: powdered, cinnamon, or sprinkled. We tried all three 🙂This mac-n-cheese from Beecher’s will make you roll over and die from taste bud overload. It was that good. One thing we had to do while in Seattle was visit the original Starbucks. It was so different than I expected, very small and simple, and with a different logo than the one we are used to. The coffee is just as good, and the baristas were friggin cool as heck. So nice and chatty. I even learned a thing or two from the one running the froth machine, like drinking a hot drink on a hot day is better than drinking a cold drink on a hot day because your body doesn’t have to work so hard to digest the beverage and bring it to body temperature. Who knew? I do think that explains why I like room temp water after a workout though…

Another one of the many adventures Troy planned was a seaplane tour of Seattle and the Puget Sound! I was the most excited about this, although I was worried that the stereotypical Seattle weather would make for a boring, foggy trip through the sky. Wrong-o! The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and our plane ride was an experience I will never forget. Up we go! 

Perfect. We spent every night watching the remarkable sunsets over the ocean, and I couldn’t get enough photos of it. Texas has the best sunsets hands down {imo}, but Seattle’s were pretty amazing in their own right. 

We headed out to Bainbridge Island by ferry the next day, but not before stopping by the market for some picnic items…and to see Bigfoot 🙂
I swear that backpack weighed 30lbs…sorry Troy 🙁I can’t begin to tell you how good this food was. We picked out fresh strawberries, grapes, and white peaches from the market, then headed over to DeLaurenti’s to grab a bottle of wine and some savory items for our ferry picnic. We let the experts choose a few things for us {SO glad they did}, and we ended up with a delicious assortment of cured meats, a white cheddar you would die for, the best basil goat cheese spread you could ever dream of, a loaf of fresh bread, and a tasty tapenade. We also swung by the fish place for a crab salad. Can you say gluttony?  

Bainbridge Island is simple and awe-inspiring all in one. The town is sprinkled with me most adorable little shops, cafes, and bakeries, and looks as if it were out of a movie. These trees — the tall ones with the whispy branches — I call those happy trees. From the moment we got off the airplane, I saw those trees and knew that those were the exact same trees that Bob Ross always talked about. I love those trees 🙂

And because most of our adventures were more easily captured by our iPhones, here is our vacation through that lens {from left to right}:

 

1. About to deplane {we heart you, Southwest!}; 2. View from our hotel; 3. Sunset on the harbor; 4. Scrappy seagull; 5. Steamed clams from Ivar’s {yum!}; 6. Clam Chowder from Ivar’s; 7. My dinner at Ivar’s: Wild Alaskan Lingcod and Asparagus; 8. Troy and the Gator; 9. Pretty Sunset; 10. Us — sunset on the pier; 11. The ferris wheel; 12. Sunset + Starbucks!; 13. Outside Pike’s Place Market; 14. Before lunch at Jack’s; 15. Tacos at Jack’s; 16. View from the seaplane; 17. Troy the photographer; 18. Seattle from the Sky; 19. In the cab; 20. More coffee; 21. Seaplane; 22. Space Needle; 23. Oyster selection from Elliott’s; 24. Best oysters ever; 25. Chocolate soufflé from Elliott’s

26. All set for the day; 27. I had to have a salmon bagel; 28. Salmon bagel; 29. Me + salmon bagel; 30. Troy and his Tex-mex bagel; 31. Shopping for our picnic; 32. In the market; 33. The flowers Troy bought me; 34. Shopping, Harry Potter glasses on Bainbridge Island; 35. Troy, outside the bakery; 36. The island; 37. Back from the ferry ride; 38. Blue cheese and bacon mussels at Cutters; 39. Seared scallops and pulled pork risotto at Cutters. I died!; 40. King crab legs at Cutters; 41. What’s left of the mussels; 42. Oregon wine = yum; 43. Full from dinner; 44. Washington apple cobbler from Cutters (it has cardamom in it btw); 45. A tradition;  46. Sunset; 47. The city; 48. Pier; 49. Wheel; 50. Seattle

 

I haven’t had so much fun {or so much food} in a really, really long time. Seattle has seared a special place on my heart and I will be back. As fast as I can. And you’re all coming with me! 🙂 I have to thank my amazing husband for planning this trip — all of the internet surfing, Zagat searching, reservation making, and for hauling all of the gear while we were there. Thank you for making me take time for me, for us, for fun. It was perfect and I loved having this adventure with you. Here’s to the next one…