Seattle – The Naked Experience

When traveling, my itineraries are typically well-researched and packed with excitement to the minute, in fear that I’d miss out on some incredible experiences. However, with Seattle, for some reason I just let go, and everything magically fell into place.

We flew into Seattle and rented a car with Hertz. I’m still in awe of how super easy it was to get our car, despite being a packed holiday weekend. I read quickly that Seattle had many eclectic neighborhoods. I wanted to try them all, but time was too short in this soulful city, especially as we were staying at the Maxwell Hotel.

Maxwell Hotel – Pineapple hospitality

AKA “The Naked Experience”

This place ruined my life forever because I loved it so damn much. Upon walking into the lobby, a very friendly lady talked to me for fifteen minutes about her recommendations for the night. She then suggested I either take a cute adorable yellow bike or shuttle to one of their hot spots for free. There’s a funky lounge and bar, a rock star pizza restaurant surrounding welcoming pineapple water, coffee, and coconut cupcakes. The elevator was quirky, the hallways were classy, and I opened my door to see an adorable husky stuffed animal named “Fluffy” on my bed. Come to find out I could even adopt him to benefit local animal shelters.

Although the complimentary hot popcorn was tempting, I took a steaming hot shower, slipped on my complimentary robe and slippers, and fell into a cloud of dreams. A friend from back home had assured me that heaven was not ready for me, and I would not be dying on the plane, but perhaps my plane had in fact crashed. Not only was the bed divine but my husband and I each had our own fluffy twin duvet. I tried to buy them later but unfortunately the Simmons Beautyrest Black Luxury Hotel Collection Mattress cost $1,395 and the two twin duvets would end up being $900.

After an hour nap, it took great effort to get up, but we ventured to an amazing restaurant in Capitol Hill.

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill is said to be an eclectic hipster neighborhood, perfect for a night out on the town with fun bars and restaurants. During my research, I too, believed the restaurant selection was the perfect entrance to a foodie’s paradise. It took me awhile to make a decision, but I finally settled on Herb & Bitter Public House.

Dinner at Herb & Bitter Public House

The Herb & Bitter Public House was a whimsical tapas bar where every table featured a menu covered by a different children’s book. I loved the atmosphere, the cheese platter was yummy, and the mixed drinks were handsomely strong.

Like the bars in Georgetown, the ones in Capitol Hill felt like they had soul, enough to inspire the likes of Nirvana. The area reminded me of the lively narrow streets in Boston, highlighted by beautiful rainbow crosswalks.

We were supposed to do some bar hopping and neighborhood exploring but we just couldn’t get that bed out of our thought clouds. Unfortunately Capitol Hill was not as exciting as the gigantic marshmallow patiently waiting for us at the Maxwell Hotel. We soon took an Uber back, put the “I’m naked” notice on the door and sank into Cloud 9. I’m sorry to say that I fell asleep at 10:00 in Seattle but I don’t regret it for a second. Days later I’m still thinking about that stupid bed, checking Seattle flights, scrolling past the haunting advertisements in my Facebook feed, and ultimately booked a night at their sister location in San Diego.

The First Starbucks Ever

The very first Starbucks to ever come into existence is conveniently right out side the Pike Place Market. We waited 45 minutes to get a coffee. To our dismay, the barista confirmed the quality of coffee found here was exactly the same at every other Starbucks. I had hoped they’d have some sort of exclusive blend but as they didn’t, I was feeling the crisp fall weather and ordered a pumpkin spice latte. I will forever be labeled as “ridiculous for being a basic bitch at the Mecca of coffee.” In my defense, there are much better brews out there, even in Seattle, so as always, follow your bliss.

Beecher’s – Cheese. Cheese. And More Cheese.

I cannot honestly say that Beecher’s has the best cheese I’ve ever had. Their grilled cheese was actually kind of meh compared to some I’ve tried at L.A. food trucks. However seeing cheese handmade and trying their mac & cheese was definitely worth the experience.

Sorry, I was too hungry to take a proper “before” picture

Pike Place Market

I’ve been to many markets around the world and after Camden in London, Pike Place Market was my favorite. It’s perfect for foodies, the eclectic, and the adventurous. You could easily spend a few hours here, taking it all in, especially on an empty stomach. I loved listening to the musicians as I tried the original Starbucks, went cheese tasting, and slowly sipped a cup of fresh apple cider.

Inside the market, you can try some of the freshest fruits, vegetables, and organic apple cider varieties.

You can even try chocolate pasta and go olive oil/ balsamic tasting

Among all of mother’s natures gifts, I was most impressed by the incredible exotic flower bouquets, ranging from $5-$15. If I ever lived here, I would need to have a serious weekly flower budget.

I bought this endearing necklace featuring stones from Puget Sound near Seattle, for whenever I needed the city to be a little extra close to my heart. I checked out some toys and other local crafts. I was beginning to wonder where I could find some hacky sacks, chili pepper lights, and zombie dolls in the same place, and as luck should have it, someone had already thought of that for me. Score.

The Seattle Waterfront

From inside Pike Place, take the elevator down and walk left towards the water. You will come across an enormous Ferris wheel, the aquarium, an artistic fountain, and a riddle to solve. Now, you may be asking yourself, why is “Ferris” in “Ferris wheel” capitalized? Which brings me to Fun Fact 206: In 1890, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., a 33 year old engineer from Pittsburgh, put up $25,000 of his own money to create a giant revolving steel wheel in Chicago to rival the Eiffel Tower being displayed for the world fair. Unfortunately, even though the wheel was a huge success, after the fair Ferris was sued countless times, went into bankruptcy, and died from typhoid fever in 6 years later. While that’s a crappy way to go out, I hope he’s sitting on a cloud somewhere watching all of the beautiful Ferris wheels turning around the world and seeing his name capitalized.

Good job, Ferris

PAX

The plan after Pike Place Market was to venture into one of Seattle’s many other amazing neighborhoods, like Fremont or Ballard. However, as we were leaving we saw this… and well… parked the car.

PAX is an incredible yet intimate gaming convention held every year in Downtown Seattle. Even if you aren’t a gamer, but can appreciate magic and creativity, I’d highly suggest checking it out. I didn’t attend any of the panels but immensely enjoyed myself walking around, looking at games, and people watching.

Cannabis Tours

You might not smoke marijuana but it’s kind of interesting that it’s completely legal in the state of Washington. I was curious how it all worked, as our hotel lobby had stacks of cannabis tour pamphlets.

We walked into a smoke shop and asked, “How does this work? Do I need some kind of special card?” She took our licenses and we entered a room with all kinds of variations – rolled joints in pretty tubes and bags, cookies, brownies, and candy. A man put a huge menu binder on a glass case, describing all the differences and all I could think, is gee, there must be some really happy people in Washington.

The Gorge Amphitheater

The main purpose for our Washington trip was to experience one of the countries most stunning concert venues – the Gorge Amphitheater. The Gorge is a nice 2.5 hour drive east to Quincy, Washington, right outside George, Washington. Yes, there are people who get to say, “I live in George Washington.”What a wonderful world…

Camping there alone, especially with all the friendly enthusiastic fans, was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Gorge was so much more than a concert. I don’t think I will ever be able to appreciate one the same way ever again, so hopefully I’ll be back here one day to hear that beautiful sound complimented by a sun setting over a scenic panorama of majestic cliffs.

The Space Needle

Some would say that Seattle is most known for the Space Needle – a 360 degree observation deck 540 feet high. While I’m sure the view is amazing and it might be fun to eat inside, to me, Seattle seemed like it would be better experienced somewhere random on the ground level.

Georgetown

A ten minute drive from downtown Seattle, you’ll find the delightful town of Georgetown. Walking around, we were welcomed by street art and some acoustic rock playing in the distance. The vibe felt like I always had imagined Seattle to be – a place with perfect combination of heart, grit, and soul.

We stayed at the Georgetown Inn for a night since it was close to the airport. It was cheap, clean, friendly, and a short walk to some intimate restaurants and bars with just the right amount of character. As we took in some homemade orangecello and happy hour pizzas at Via Tribunali, I felt comfortable just lingering for awhile.

Street Art in Georgetown

I wish I could have lingered in Seattle longer, because I loved every moment here, even when I wasn’t enjoying “The Naked Experience.” I can see why people love this unique city, but for me sleeping in thi was just a tad more enjoyable than becoming sleepless in Seattle.

© Faith’s True Tales 2018. All original words and images by Faith Brady unless otherwise noted.