I love SO much about Seattle. The unique vibe from one area of downtown to another. The restaurants filled with just as much character and ambiance as great food. The fact that there are so many Starbucks that you can sometimes see 2 within walking distance from any given spot. And that there are plenty of great local coffee shops with oodles more character than Starbucks can pull off. I love that in one morning walk I can hike the hilly (but not quite San Francisco hilly) city streets and end walking right along the ocean. Is it considered the ocean there? Or is it a “sound”? Either way, waterfront. And I love walking along waterfronts. Small lakes, big lakes, along the beach, along a boardwalk. You name it. Waterfront walks are the best. Unless you can hike in the mountains, which you can do within a 20 minute drive of downtown Seattle. I drive further some days to work at a decent coffee shop. We drive that far every Sunday to have dinner at my parents. 20 minutes to park and hike in forests to the top of a mountain overlooking other mountains. And sometimes lakes. Up in the mountains. Which is like the ultimate waterfront walk.
But I think if I HAD to pick a favorite thing about Seattle it’d probably be Pikes Place Market. The fresh fruit and veggies, the flowers, the bustling merchants…so much to love. Not to mention that it’s right between the waterfront area mentioned above and the hilly city streets of downtown Seattle. Yep, pretty sure it’s my favorite.
On this trip I got to spend much of our last day at the market. I started out going for a walk that last morning and ended up at the market as it was just getting ready to open. Kinda fun to see everyone setting out their buckets and buckets of flowers. I didn’t end up walking along the waterfront this time around because there was a fair amount of construction going on and it didn’t seem like it would be worth dodging construction barrels to do the waterfront part of my walk this time around. Instead I popped in at the original Starbucks and ordered a strawberry smoothie with matcha and sat and drank that while people watching. And the people watching in Seattle early in the morning on the weekends is pretty great. I probably could’ve sat there for hours but we were meeting Eric and Lisa for breakfast at the hotel before heading to the market with them on our way back to the airport.
So…I did the uphill trek back to the hotel from Pikes Place and quickly got ready to start making our way to the airport for the trip home. On my 2nd stop at the market for the day I had my real camera along to snap photos while Chris bought fruits and veggies to take home. Peaches, plums, Peruvian purple potatoes (almost as pretty as ube), and sea beans (which were a huge hit). Basically all the stuff that we either can’t find in Michigan or just can’t get till mid summer here.
And then there’s the flowers. Peonies for days! An entire booth of lavender. <3
I had to grab some peonies to take home. And they were the perfect prop for an outfit of the day shot…with construction cones as a backdrop. Doesn’t even matter. There’s peonies. And Stitch Fix.
Pixley Hadley Moto Jacket | Stitch Fix
Kut from the Kloth Catherine boyfriend jeans | Stitch Fix
Cynthia Rowley print top | Marshall’s
Silver shell leather earings | Nickel & Suede
Classic Strap Shoes
And our stylish handsome pilots. The beautiful bouquet is for Eric’s mom. And that brown paper bag is filled with $75 worth of fresh produce. 🙂
After the market we stopped for lunch outside at the Cheesecake Factory right near the airport. Mr. handsome does not much appreciate chain restaurants. Not even amazing ones like the Cheesecake Factory. Something I admire about him actually. Except when there’s a Cheesecake Factory nearby. 😀 Thankfully we had limited time and we needed something in close proximity to the airport and as it turns out, chain restaurants are about the only options near airports. In this case that worked out in my favor. : )
The scenery on the flight home was amazing. Impossible to capture though I certainly tried. Saw some crazy storm clouds off in the distance and got to spend a little time in the cockpit learning about weather radar and storms from a pilot’s perspective. We got to Kalamazoo after dark and I snapped the photo of our ride on the left. The peonies made it home safely (much easier on a private flight for sure) and lasted for nearly a week.
Seattle is still holds the #1 spot on my list of places I’d love to live someday. By a longshot.
