I have not had much time in the past few days to write about out Seattle trip. We came back yesterday after an amazing stay, even though the temperatures were low and the days were gray. The weather was still nicer than in Toronto at this time of the year so we were happily going around and exploring, over all, the city’s cuisine and beverages. 🙂

The food is spectacular in the city. On our first night someone recommended a restaurant called Thai Ginger, located on the top floor of their Pacific Place Mall and we were surprised to find such a nice restaurant with excellent and spicy food IN A MALL. At the same mall, a couple of days later, I tried the richest clam chowder I have ever tasted. I have not tasted too many clam chowders in my life but I do know how to recognize a good one. People seemed to love this place so we followed the Seattleites… always follow the locals is the best tip.

We continued on our quest to find good dishes and we were successful but I should probably mention The Pike Brewing Company Pub, where every next beer I sipped was my favourite. The Kilt Lifter beer seemed to be a popular one and was indeed special. Thanks Seattle for your beer!

We really took it easy this trip regarding places to see. We walked slowly, ate lots, had some coffee and walked some more, grandma’s pace. We spent two hours at the city’s main REI which is almost a castle and makes Canadian MEC store look like a child’s playground. The selection of camping gear, shoes and clothing is incomparable.

A friend of ours insisted we should go for breakfast to a shop down at the Pike Place Farmer’s Market that sells Russian Piroshkys and we specifically followed instructions of buying the beef and onion piroshky and smoked salmon piroshky so doing that early in the morning was pretty rewarding.

The Gum Wall appears to be a famous destination in Seattle and we were not aware of it. Walking around the market we were thrilled to discover it and learn about it on the spot.

The city is very modern and cosmopolitan, also very industrial. One aspect that I pointed out and enjoyed were the various sculptures that can be seen around the town. The Space Needle Center and EMP Museum were closed to our hotel so we were able to take nice pictures of the monorail and the architecture of the area. Across the street from the Space Needle tower there is a bar called “The Funhouse” that had a band playing heavy metal at 4:30 pm on Sunday. That was unexpected.

We can now say that Seattle kept us well fed and warm during our first visit. I think a longer second visit is now mandatory. 😉

I wonder if northern cities have more decorations and lights for Christmas since it seemed to me that Seattle was way more lit up that San Francisco. The Christmas spirit felt really intense. I am not sure if that may have been due to the colder weather or due to us strolling only the touristic streets of the city.

We were satisfied to fly with Virgin America. The airplane had fancy leather seats  and clubby purple lights. My only concern was the Spanish translation of the safety manual as it was very poor. 😉 The tickets were cheap so you have to pay for food or movies. You can pay for Internet service as well.

All in all, the trip was pleasant and we made it back to SF with a couple of souvenirs that will be used for Christmas presents. We now need to take advantage of the next 10 days as we are coming back to Toronto for the holidays. One thing I am sure about: it is going to be though to leave San Francisco, we feel at home here.