Seattle!

Matt and I took a quick trip up to Seattle to check out all the great things we'd been hearing about this city. Both of us have only briefly visited before, so we decided to spend a few days exploring. We rented a little apartment in the Queen Anne neighborhood and spent our first day exploring that section of the city. Our host suggested checking out Kerry Park for incredible views of the city, and she was right. The view from the park included the Space Needle, downtown, and Mt Rainier in the distance.

View from Kerry Park

Queen Anne is a beautiful neighborhood with lots of craftsman-style homes and pretty gardens. This particular section of the city also has tons of older trees, and many shaded streets reminiscent of the east coast.

Lush, colorful gardens in Queen Anne

Typical craftsman home in Queen Anne

On our second day in the city, we headed north to explore the Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods. Both areas have their own little "urban village", which are typical of all Seattle neighborhoods and usually have a handful of restaurants, pubs, and shops. Fremont was a little funkier and had more of a college vibe to it (more like Dupont Circle in DC), and Wallingford was a little quieter.

Eclectic Fremont

Walking through Fremont

On Thursday evening, we made our way back to Queen Anne to check out the local farmer's market. We'd heard about Seattle's famous farmer's markets, and it seemed like each neighborhood had its own on a different day of the week. Queen Anne's did not disappoint, with lots of fresh veggies and fruit. There was also an impressive offering of street food, so our dinner was a sampling some some of Seattle's best. 

colorful veggies

Cherries were everywhere

The best Greek yogurt I've ever had (and I've had a lot of yogurt)

On Friday morning, we popped in the local bakery for a quick breakfast before heading off to Mt Rainier National Park.  Macrina Bakery is filled with so many delicious treats, it's hard to pick just one. Matt and I loved their blueberry oatmeal, rocket muffins, and leek quiche.  We wished we could have stayed longer so we had the chance to sample everything.

Friday morning at Macrina Bakery

Oatmeal for breakfast

Rainier is about 2.5 hours from Seattle, so we figured it would be a shame not to visit.  The mountain was shrouded in patchy clouds for most of the morning, but by the afternoon it started to peek through. We were treated to some breathtaking views as we drive through the park. I was surprised to see snow this late in the year (Paradise still had vast swaths of snow next to the parking lot at 5,000 ft), but apparently it's common.

Rainier from the roadside

Nerada falls just of the main road

We decided to do a short out-and-back hike through the woods.  We chose a trail that skirted a few waterfalls and wound its way up the side of the mountain.  Once we hit the snow line about 2 miles in, we turned back.

Young ferns

Christine Falls

The trail through the forest

On Saturday, we headed downtown.  Since both Matt and I had seen Pike's Market already, we skipped it and took the ferry to Bainbridge Island instead. We spent a few hours walking around the waterfront there and then ate a massive amount of delicious ice cream for lunch.

The view from the ferry to Bainbridge Island

Next we headed over to the Columbia Tower observation room, which gives 360 views of the city from the tallest skyscraper.  Matt read that the views here are better than from the Space Needle and for less money without a wait.  It was cool to see the layout of the city and the geography of the surrounding areas.  

Looking Northwest toward the Space Needle

While we were downtown, we decided to make a quick stop at the Seattle Public Library. We only had a few minutes to look around before closing time, but the architecture was really cool and there were lots of interesting interiors.

Seattle Public Library

I did not do justice to the interior -- where's Eric Taylor when you need him?

Before dinner, we headed over to Capitol Hill to see the fancy houses and stroll around Volunteer park. It was a gorgeous day, so there were tons of people out in the park. There were lots of kids, dogs, and inexplicably, a very large goth party (complete with silver candelabras and black picnic blankets).

Picnickers in Volunteer Park

Colorful houses in Capitol Hill

Dinner on Saturday night might have been at one of the best restaurants we've been to in a while (possibly ever?). Cafe Flora in Madison Valley had amazing food, which is saying a lot since the whole trip was full of great meals. We were tempted to go back on Sunday, but we couldn't quite squeeze it in. In total, we were only in Seattle for 5 days, but we managed to experience many of the different neighborhoods and some of the more touristy stuff, too. Seattle is so close to SF, we might need to go back for a second round.