Last month WM and I traveled to see our Seattle friends for the first time since 2018. I was a little nervous about how we’d all function in person after only having internet/movie night contact for the past 5 years but it was fantastic. Since we did many of Seattle’s top-line tourist attractions on our past trips, our focus was just spending time with the people we love.
We arrived on a Thursday via Alaska Airlines. The flight was fantastic and only a little bumpy. We stayed at friend C’s apartment slightly south of Seattle which had a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier. After unpacking we had lunch at Huckleberry Square. My very first experience with mountain huckleberries was in the syrup that I poured on my pancakes. Yes, it was lunch but if someplace trumpets breakfast all day I’m going to take advantage of it. I really enjoyed it there and regretted not buying the hoodie.
After lunch we visited Seahurst Park, where for about 45 seconds I was completely convinced I could walk barefoot on the rocky beach. I was very wrong. We took in views of Puget Sound and Vashon Island. It was a great way to stretch our legs after being on the airplane all morning. And the air always smells better in the PNW. After that the clouds rolled and we didn’t see the sun again until Sunday.
That evening we met more friends at Hellbent Brewing. We’ve been there plenty of times in the past and it’s a favorite. I love their Red Patina ale. Ironically, the food truck was from Tat’s Deli that night – a restaurant founded by former Philly/South Jersey residents that specializes in cheesesteaks and hoagies. We did not have cheesesteaks (too stereotypical) but the sandwiches we did eat were very good.
On Friday we ventured out into the mist and drizzle to Auburn, WA. We went antique shopping where friend C found some great items for his new apartment including a 4-piece bathroom set featuring Nicholas Cage, ate lunch at Zola’s Cafe. We had dinner at Fireside Tavern which was pretty expensive for merely okay food. I paid $13 for a cup of French onion soup.
Saturday’s activities surrounded the reason we ventured out west: our friends A&J’s 10-year anniversary vow renewal. It was a beautiful ceremony held in their backyard between periods of drizzle and was jointly officiated by WM and friend C. (WM can marry you as well, if you’re interested.) Hooray for love!
After a champagne toast (Kim drink total: 2 because WM doesn’t like champagne), they chartered a bus to bring us to FlintCreek Cattle Co for dinner. It’s a fantastic place that offers meats from responsibly raised livestock. We shared a bunch of small plates before our main courses. I chose fennel braised wild boar shoulder because I never had boar before. It was really good and paired well with the wine I chose (Kim drink total: 3). I also tried venison which was, frankly, amazing. I took a small bit, saying I didn’t like to eat deer and one of the other attendees replied, “I can see your morals disappearing with each chew.”
After that we walked (in the rain) to Coindexter’s, a barcade that had a lot of vintage (to current young adults) video games and pinball machines. Friend A handed us each a bag of quarters and we went to town. I spent a good amount of time on the Addams Family pinball machine and the Foo Fighters pinball machine (before I got mad at Dave Grohl), assisted by two glasses of beer (drink total: 5).
You can follow more of my bad beer decisions on Untappd. We left the bar around 11 and made it home after midnight.
On Sunday morning we awoke to clouds that made way for a beautiful sunny day. I awoke with a strong headache and a very dehydrated body. We went back to Huckleberry Square by my request and I did purchase the hoodie this time. In the afternoon we hung out at the apartment watching shitty movies on the Grindhouse channel and low-key packing. In the late afternoon we ventured out to the Lake City neighborhood to watch a lucha libre show held in a parking lot behind a local Mexican restaurant. Before the show though I finally had some Dick’s burgers.
The show was well-attended and a lot of fun. The weather was PERFECT.
After that we had some Dim Sum and that pretty much put the bow on our trip. Our flight left the next morning and despite the cyberattack on Sea-Tac airport we were only delayed by an hour. Thankfully we chose to only take carry-on bags this trip or else it would have been a very stressful morning.
We had a fantastic trip as always and can’t wait to get out there again.
