The Great Wild & Wonderful Washington State [Part 1]
PIN IT!So, remember how I went to Washington state back in October for an entire week and then totally forgot to share any of the photos from my trip? I am so far behind on my travel recaps it’s a little sad, given how much I live, breath and sleep traveling. But, better late than never so here’s part one of my recap of the great wild & wonderful Washington state.
I had the amazing opportunity to fly out to Washington and visit so many incredible cities and islands during my week long stay. The fabulous Torie at Green Rubino PR put together an outstanding itinerary, giving me the chance to see more than just one city or part of Washington! So, despite having a bit of a credit card mishap when I landed, I managed to check into the stunning Pan Pacific Hotel in Downtown Seattle without any hiccups.
Guys, you have to see the room I had. I never wanted to leave.
Not a bad view, right? After I settled in, I sat down at the dining table to enjoy my three-course dinner, courtesy of the hotel! Think of it as the best room service you’ve ever had. OH, and they brought in four wines to taste. Just for me!
And then my camera died, fail whale. The filet I had after this chicken was flawless. Perfectly pink in the middle with a side of fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes. I was so stuffed by the end of it, I couldn’t even eat the dessert! If you get a chance, friends, STAY at the Pan Pacific. The service is impeccable, the location is amazing and the food is..well, you saw 🙂 After dinner, I went out with the Green Rubino girls to Triple Door to catch a Scottish band perform. Not a bad way to end the night!
The next morning was BUSY! Torie and I did some exploring around the area my hotel was at, including a stop at Tom Douglas’s Bravehorse Tavern for some pretzels and the healthy and delicious Portage Bay Cafe for lunch.
The shrimp, chicken and soba noodle salad I had was amazing! I’m not lying when I say it was one of the best salads I’ve ever had. Torie opted for the French toast bar and um, it looked pretty stellar too! Despite an amazing lunch, I couldn’t really eat because I knew I had to travel via REALLY TINY PLANE to the San Juan islands. I was really excited to see the islands but was NOT excited about the tiny plane, given my fear of flying. Luckily the beautiful Shannon (a PR rep with the hotel management group, Columbia Hospitality, that brought me out to Washington) was going with me.
Not only was the flight not scary, it was one of the most soothing plane rides I’ve ever taken. (Thank you Kenmore Air!) Maybe it’s because I could see the pilot (and see that he wasn’t a nut-job/or terrified) or because the view was so stunning I couldn’t help but relax and take it all in.
Even the landing was fun! We landed on water, like a water taxi. The view when we arrived at Friday Harbor was just as pictureesque. There’s something so relaxing and vacation-y about seeing a bunch of boats on a harbor. It reminds me of a life so less complicated than the one I lead.
The manager of the hotel I was staying at for the next two nights greeted us on the docks and took us the 2 feet to the hotel, The Friday Harbor House. My room overlooked the marina and it was, easily, the most amazing view I’ve ever had in a hotel room. The room itself could have used just a bit of upgrading (it was a little rustic for my taste), but the amazing property location and view made up for ALL OF IT.
After viewing another one of the properties on the island, we stopped into a super cute little tavern, Cask and Schooner, for drinks and an appetizer.
After some drinks here, we stopped into the adorable little restaurant called The Place for a dinner overlooking the harbor. It was good, but nothing really to write home about. The next morning, Shannon and I stopped into a cute little bakery, Cafe Demeter, to have breakfast with the tourism board director of the islands.
After the meeting, Shannon and I did a bit of walking around before she had to go back to Seattle for a meeting. We had so much fun hanging out together, it was sad to see her go! I love when PR people turn into friends!
After she left I decided to go back to my room and get a little work done. Then, at about 4, I decided it was time for wine on the patio. I’ve never felt so relaxed in my entire life. There were no sounds of loud cars honking, people yelling or sirens wailing. It was just me and nature, and let me tell you, I NEEDED that.
After wine it was time for dinner with Brian, the manager of the Friday Harbor House, and another employee who worked at the other resort on the island. Dinner was at The Bluff, the restaurant attached to my hotel. I’d heard amazing things about the restaurant from everyone thus far so I was pretty stoked to try everything! And boy did the chef deliver. To this day, I still dream of the rosemary apple pie!
On the menu was a creamy soup with a crispy brussel sprout, a fresh green salad with goat cheese and walnuts, fresh caught salmon with figs and sea salt foam, perfectly cooked strip steak with a savory bread pudding, rosemary apple pie, a salted chocolate tart and a whiskey cocktail made with tree bark (it tasted better than it sounds!)
An amazing meal and even better company. I love my job because I get to sit down with so many different people from all different kinds of walks of life and just hear their story. There wasn’t a dull moment at dinner and it’s just so fun to learn about other people, why they do what they do, how they found it, etc. After dinner I went back to my room and enjoyed a cozy fire. I did NOT want to leave the next morning! I got up super early though so I could get a few more moments of tranquility before heading back to Seattle.
PHEW. I have three more cities and more amazing photos to share in part two next week, so stayed tuned!
Comments