Japan to Italy in One Seattle Morning

On September 23, 2017 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Festivals, Gardens, Seattle, Seattle Neighborhoods, Travel, Uncategorized, vacationLeave a comment

On a sunny fall Seattle morning, it was time to visit different cultures without leaving downtown. Thom and I love to experience new places so, from Japan to Italy, we decided to get out and savor the warm weekend weather. Time to explore!

I’m hungry

The koi are hungry

First stop-Seattle Japanese Gardens in the Madison Park neighborhood is a 3.5 mile oasis of tranquil ponds and flowering trees. Now, parking is scarce especially as the garden parking lot sits next to soccer fields filled on a Saturday morning with cheering/jeering parents coaching their little ones on ferociously. Be quiet, Mom and Dad, and let the tykes play.

After driving by and circling back with no spot in the lot, we just parked on Madison St. and walked down. For only $6 per head, you can achieve zen and see some very hungry koi. Bring your camera as everywhere you look is an Instagram moment. They have a teahouse where you can buy tickets for an authentic Japanese tea, which I’ll have to try sometime. Winding through waterfalls, streams and bridges over the ponds, I was so happy to see lots of turtles (I have a fascination with these ancient creatures) sunning themselves on the plentiful rocks in the pond. The koi were colorful and hungry, being fed by the small children visiting the gardens. A few of these koi may want to consider eating less carbs and swimming a few more laps around the pond-they were HUGE!

After wandering back by the soccer fields (we can’t wait until Mia starts playing!), we enjoyed putting the top down on Sexy Beast and driving back home to check out the Festa Italiana Seattle at the Seattle Center. Oh my holy Hell those meatballs were delish and I rarely eat meat. I didn’t even take a pic of them because I ate them so fast. Swimming in lots of spicy sauce, my “tub of meatballs” went down quickly-tub being an overstatement as there were only five so I refused to share with Thom. Waddling down to the exhibits where they had music, dancing, a wine garden and lots of vendors, we quickly sought out the Borracchini Bakery table and purchased cannoli’s, biscotti and other treats to take home to enjoy later. When in Italy and all. To be honest, they didn’t last long after we got home so I just might have to visit the Festa Italiana again tomorrow for another bakery run. So. Good.

Serious bocci ball going on!

Kicking their heels up!

In another building, there was a fierce bocci tournament going on. Such a game of finesse. A show with elaborate puppets for the kids was enchanting and well attended. The festival also showcased Italian dogs, Cirneco dell-Etna, small, wiry and high-strung Sicilian hound that hunts rabbits, as well as cute Vespas and classy Maserati cars. Oh those Italians know how to live!

I love living in Seattle and going from zen to festa in a matter of minutes. I’ll never take living here for granted. Now it’s time to lift a glass of vino to toast the start of another great Seattle weekend. Cheers!

Seattle Neighborhood: Fremont

On June 11, 2017 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Seattle, Seattle Neighborhoods, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Freaky Fremont was looking a whole lot more mainstream on a recent visit. While it was once THE place to live if you favored tie-dye, nude bike riding during the Solstice and feasting on organic granola, you now had better make some major bucks to call this your home and enjoy the trendy cafes, boutiques and bars. Fremont is still a cool place no doubt but definitely more trendy and sophisticated than in the past.

WP_20170611_14_44_05_Rich

After a quick Metro ride from our Lower Queen Anne hood, I wandered Fremont to check out all it has to offer in an urban community. We don’t get up here often but did recently enjoy The Barrel Thief with friends for an Ardbeg whiskey tasting. Right up the street, our friends told us there was a great place to satisfy our foot massage yearnings. Two Smiling Feet does a 60 minute foot massage for $35 which we plan to check out soon. One of the experiences I miss most from living in China is our weekly foot massage date. Damn that was habit-forming! I look forward to seeing if Two Smiling Feet delivers a true Chinese foot massage that makes me cry with pain but leaves me smiling with happy feet.

Ardbeg Whiskey Tasting

The Barrel Thief

Two Feet Massage

Fremont does has a movie theater, Century at Pacific Commons, as well as Ophelia’s Books where you can get a .50 book bargain from the outside rack or wander the many titles inside while the shop cat prowls the book stacks. I never leave there without at least a bag full of “must read” used books. Next door to Ophelia’s is Jive Time Used Record Store where Thom likes to browse to feed his vinyl habit.

Lenin statue

Local hotel in Fremont

Ophelia’s Books and Jive Time Records

Of course, there are bakeries, cool cafes, gelato places and more to feed your appetite for anything you could want to eat plus a downtown PCC Market for a wide selection of groceries. The shopping is good too with an always packed Warby Parker store (trendy and inexpensive glasses) and boutiques selling $200+ upscale clothes as well as some vintage bargain places. A great walking neighborhood with a concentrated few blocks of everything you could want and need, you can also take advantage of a gorgeous river trail that is shaded and lovely to stroll on a sunny Seattle day.

Get great glasses at Warby Parket

PCC is the downtown market

Dogs are welcome at the Sunday Fremont Market

Fremont is also known for their Solstice Parade in June where a Mardi-Gras style parade proceeds with Solstice Cyclists stripping down and painting their bodies to lead the merriment. I’ve never been to the parade but look forward to experiencing it soon. Their Sunday Farmer’s Market is also top notch and showcases lots of vintage clothing, accessories and kitschy stuff along with food trucks/stalls galore. Not a “farmer’s” market with produce but more a place to shop and eat that is very dog friendly. All in all, Fremont would be a good place to call home if you want to be outside the Seattle downtown core but close enough for a quick commute.

Seattle Neighborhoods-Lower Queen Anne

On June 10, 2017June 11, 2017 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Seattle, Seattle Neighborhoods, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have lived in many places from Seattle to Shanghai. I’ve loved them all but if I’m living in Seattle, I will always choose to live in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood. I love everything about this place. It has beautiful views of the water as you walk the streets and from our home. The Seattle Center is our backyard where we walk our dogs daily under the Space Needle. I love the Space Needle silhouetted in the sky, both day and night. While Seattle has many great neighborhoods, this one is mine.

Captured this on early morning trip to work. These are actual colors in the sky.

View from our balcony. Love the sunsets!

This is a diverse neighborhood with all levels of income and many homeless. It can be dangerous here no doubt and you don’t see many families living here. Awakened at 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning recently, a squad of police cars and ambulance were taking care of a belligerent homeless guy fighting arrest. It was loud. That’s life in the city and it’s heartbreaking at times. Our fellow volunteers and guests at Shared Breakfast, where we volunteer every Sunday morning feeding 300+ homeless, are part of our family now and very dear to us.

Moon over Seattle

Police action subduing homeless man in the street outside our home

I will never, ever take this view for granted or leave if I can help it. I told Thom the other day that I would even get a second job if I had to in order to afford to continue living here as the rent just keeps going up every year and this view is costly but totally worth it. Life is short and I want to enjoy what’s left with a view that makes me appreciate life.

One has to eat and there are enough restaurants in Lower Queen Anne that we are still trying out new ones although we have lived here for years-in fact, longer than anywhere else in our life journey. We tried a new one the other night and it was fantastic-Crow. Eat the chicken. Toulouse Petit is always a favorite with long lines on the weekend for brunch-hint: go for happy hour with lots of small bites that are delish and cheap. Whatever cuisine you want-you can find it in our hood. We like Agave for Mexican and Athina Grill for Greek. For a colorful experience, try Mecca Café-a dim diner with good food, especially breakfast. Of course, the most popular place is one block north of our home-as we like to say, nothing beats a big bag of Dick’s! Line up and get a burger, fries and a shake-now finally accepting c. cards.

Do you know how hard it is to find a good mani/pedi shop AND a place to cut my hair? While I do have to travel up the hill to Upper Queen Anne to The Shop for my hair, it affords me the opportunity to shop at Trader Joe’s which is right across the street. Not that we don’t also have a Safeway and Metro Market in Lower Queen Anne but Trader Joe’s just has stuff I crave. We visit Upper Queen Anne frequently, which is lovely for families but we prefer our more urbane environment at the bottom of the hill.

Every good neighborhood MUST have a bookstore and a movie theater. Check and check. We have the cutest Mercer St. Bookstore with their .50 cent cart out front with used books to browse and my go-to for travel books for our next adventure. The Uptown is one of the finest small theaters in the city and hosts the SIFF, which we have yet to take advantage of but do love going to those quirky indie films typically shown here. All in all, Lower Queen Anne is our home and what a lovely place it is.