The Seattle Diaries: Exploration
Hello upper west siders! It’s Sharon, your one and only source into Seattle’s socialites. I’ve been promising something special and I always deliver on my promises. So what has S been up to? Rumor has it she moved across the country last Sunday and is settling in to her new home. Will S find her way…or will the coffee, dead fish, and driving craziness get the better of her? That’s one secret I’ll never tell (but I actually will because this is a blog and that’s what you all want to know). XOXO….
LOL so that part of the blog definitely had a mind of its own but minus all the gossip girl stuff, I MOVED TO SEATTLE!
As I write this entry today, I am officially sipping on my first ever Seattle coffee. Sad to report that it is not blowing my mind, but maybe that’s just because coffee does not blow my mind in general. I’ve also got a request to rank the coffee places I try in Seattle so this week, Ballard Coffee Works gets an 8/10. I got a mocha (the least coffee thing they had) and was semi impressed by the pretty latte art design but the flavour was so-so. The amazing food I’ve had here though has blown my mind… but more on that later.
This week has had some pretty memorable experiences from assembling my first apartment to getting my first car and everything in between. Those of you who know me know that at home I drive a small Audi, so you can imagine my shock and horror when I pulled up to the rental company and was handed the keys to a Nissan Pathfinder. For those who aren’t car experts like me, the car can hold 7 people which is great if you’re a dad to quadruplets. Not so great if you are a 20 year old who has been driving in a suburb for about three years and will be driving solo for the next two. The cars features were incredible, but upon discovering the challenge of maneuvering the car into my apartment parking garage, I traded it for a 2019 Nissan Kicks. She may be older, but we work together much better when it comes to parking the car literally anywhere.
My parents and I also got to deal with other challenges: navigating the SeaTac airport (after sitting on the runway for an hour), navigating TaskRabbit (after the person assembling my furniture got the ick and ran away), navigating IKEA delivery (after the person delivered our things an hour early), and navigating Seattles weather. If you like any semblance of predictable weather, this is your cue to not move here. A day can start out freezing and be hot as balls three hours later— so layers are definitely a must. But no rain yet, so let’s keep our hopes up (unless you’re Yami, then I don’t want to hear it).
Everything is also mega expensive, and the food matches London in price (but definitely rivals it much better on quality). The seafood is fresh, the fruits are sweet, the pastries are buttery, and the taste of everything is incredible. I swear to god the food here might just be contender for the best in the country.
It’s okay that the food is so great though because the beautiful views also keep me moving around the city in circles. One thing I love about Seattle so far is that it’s almost european-like in that every neighborhood (and even street) is a little different. Downtown is a mini New York City, Queen Anne is a mini Boston, Ballard is a mini Edinburgh, Fremont is a mini LA, and I can go on and on.
So far, the best way I can describe it is the “intersection of everything”. When I was up on the plane, I heeded everyone’s advice (and you should too) and got a window seat. As you prepare to land in Seattle, one glance out the window puts you in the center of the beautiful shadow of Mount Rainier, endless evergreen (twilight spider monkey looking) trees, and beautiful river valleys. It truly feels like an out of body experience and I can confidently say the most beautiful views I have ever seen worldwide. One week later, I can say that Seattle is the “intersection of everything”. Kind of like London, it offers a little something for everyone— beautiful hiking trails, crowded markets, intriguing museums, cute thrift shops, luxury restaurants, and fun people (that I have yet to get to know but I’ll keep y’all updated). At the risk of sounding even more like a travel brochure, I’ll leave it at that and say that I didn’t give Seattle enough credit before coming here.
As for what I’ve been up to, I watched people scream about fish at Pike Place Market, visited the Chihuly glass museum, and took a million pictures of the space needle (did you know you can go up to the top of it? The tourism industry is getting better and better at knowing how to steal our money I stg). I enjoyed Tapas, steak, sushi, and Foie Gras at some top notch restaurants. My parents and I had our minds blown by Golden Gardens and Terry Park, which offer spectacular views as well. Oh and I saw an adorable puppy swim for an hour on golden gardens beach. This dog was more enthusiastic about swimming than I ever have been and it was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Once I see Gas Works Park later this week, I’ll offer up a comparison of those two.
On Thursday, we went on a day road trip to Mount Olympus and Olympic National Park, which was also a highlight. Once I discovered that Forks, WA (aka the setting of the most masterpiece of films Twilight) was near there, I made my parents take a detour there. I took pictures in front of Bella’s truck and house, pretending to a brooding about Edward on La Push beach, and got an “I’d rather be with Edward” mug as a souvenir. Which lasted approximately two hours before it fell out of the car and smashed to pieces, but that was good while it lasted too.
I should leave this coffee shop and go get my apartment —more— ready, so I’ll end this weeks entry there. This week was exhausting, and I’m sure next week will be a mixture of emotions, and a rollercoaster of feelings. I’m ready for it though, and as always, I’ll keep you updated❤️