I knew I loved you before I met you Seattle!

I knew I loved you even before I met you, Seattle WA!  The scent of wet pavement as you walk the streets.  The way you look around and see art in every corner is sure to inspire any artist.  The way the city comes alive with music and people.  The places you can find that are quiet and serene.  The delicious food and incredible coffee in almost every corner.  If you’ve never been to Seattle, don’t delay, it’s definitely worth it.  As a Californian, I can most relate Seattle to San Francisco, only it seems to be a cleaner version of San Francisco.

As much as I had been desiring to go to Seattle prior to when I did, it was business that drove me there!  Every year I invest in the growth of my knowledge and business and this particular year (2017) I knew that I wanted to be influenced and in the presence of one of my favorite artists: you can read about that here – Mentorship with Jordan Voth. So I turned this opportunity into a little getaway with my husband as well!

There was definitely so much to enjoy and appreciate about Seattle and we were in the midst of celebrating life together.  God had done so much in our lives as husband and wife and we had also recently discovered we’d be expecting our third baby (which was a total surprise).  Despise the hiccups at the beginning of the trip-like Jimmy throwing his back out at the airport on the way to Seattle and me dealing with terrible nausea, we got through it and enjoyed our trip.

I’m definitely a planner when it comes to vacationing.  Jimmy would love vacations where we had no plans and cruised through it all…lol….but not this time.  I was going to experience Seattle and he was going to LOVE IT!  First plans I made was booking through Airbnb.  It was important that where we were staying felt artistic and created an experience for us.  I was extremely thrilled to run into Tipsy the Tiny House!  It was perfect.  My husband and I had always talked about owning one some day so it only made sense to stay in one.  It was so well crafted and it was cozy and fun.  We smiled every night and every morning as we slept and rose in this environment.  If you are looking for somewhere to stay while in Seattle….I highly recommend it!

Here are some of my favorite things about Seattle and what I believe are must do’s when visiting-we did this in about a day and a half:

1. Catching a view of Mt. Si on the way to Seattle was simply epic and stunning.
2. Stopping by to shop for the coolest things at Tides & Pines and maybe running into Jordan Voth!
3. Eating at Cactus Restaurant in Seattle: it is incredibly delicious, has incredible service and is nestled right across a beautiful area with a gorgeous view.
4. Walking around downtown and Pike Place Market:  it was such a great experience.  We were cold and caused us to snuggle up together with a cup of coffee in our hands that we purchased from the FIRST STARBUCKS ever created (which was small, stuffy and super packed).  Listening to live music from a band called “Speakeasy Jazz” was surely a highlight.  I love live music and it just created a perfect vibe.  We stood in front of them watching them for a good 30 minutes.
5. Heading on over to Kerry Park just right before the sun started setting to catch that nice golden light of the skyscraper.  It was so nice.  We caught great views of the Space Needle and just enjoyed each others company.  It wasn’t as busy as I expected and we got there early enough to get parking nearby the small park and found the area we wanted to sit in so we can get clear views.
6. Space Needle was something I wish we had more time to physically experience.  Like having dinner in the top of the revolving needle.  One day we’ll be back to do that, meanwhile it was beautiful to look at and walk around all the art galleries nearby.
7. For any COFFEE LOVERS out there (can I get a woot woot!).  If you are looking for a coffee lovers’ Disneyland, you will find it at Starbucks Reserve Roastery.  I just could not believe my eyes and the scents that came out of this adorable factory.  It was jammed packed with beautiful things-I wish I could buy everything in the store.  You look around to see copper and black trimmings on all of their items and factory machines.  If there is a BAR you will find me at…it’s definitely the coffee bar!  I wish I could’ve indulged but again just finding out I was pregnant limited my caffeine intake! BOO!  The experience we had here was enough for me to go back.  We sat at the coffee bar and watched baristas make coffee like chemists.  It was so awesome and delicious.  They release coffee that hasn’t been released at Starbucks stores, so you get to taste it first (which is way cool).  They even have the cutest little coffee library.  As you can see…I’m a fan and I think any Starbucks lovers need to go!
8. Fogon Cocina Mexican (600 E. Pine St, Seattle WA 98122) in Capitol Hill is a restaurant you must try if you’re a fan of authentic hispanic food and homemade tortillas.  The service was great and the food was even better!  Loved the downtown city vibe around there as well.  Thank you Yelp for always coming through!!!!
9. Yes, another coffee must have!  Moore Coffee Shop was our last stop before heading out of Seattle.  We almost didn’t make it but I’m so glad that we did.  Not only was the shop adorable, the coffee was extremely tasty.  It was actually the personal touch that we received at this coffee shop that made me appreciate it and value it so much more.  The owner and ladies working were so friendly and my husband and I were missing our kids.  We wondered if there was something we could do to express to our boys that they were being missed and so I asked if their baristas were able to put their names on the foam of our coffee art.  They didn’t guarantee they could do it but they were certainly going to try!  And they did, and it was perfect.  Our boys loved it and it was a great personal touch to our experience there.
10. As mentioned before….stay at Tipsy the Tiny House if you want a very organic and creative experience inside of Seattle! You will not be disappointed.

Those are simply a few of the things that stole my heart in Seattle.  It was perfect from start to finish.  It was a short trip with so much richness packed into it.  My husband and I both say we would return.  If you haven’t visited Seattle, you must, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it just as much as I did.  Seattle….I love you….and I’ll see you again.

Mt. Si

 

Recap of Mentorship with Jordan Voth

Cactus Restaurant and the beautiful view across the street.

Pike Place Market

Kerry Park with Skyscraper View

Space Needle

Starbucks Reserve

Fogon Cocina

Moore Coffee

Tipsy the Tiny House