We love a good road trip, so when we decided to go to Seattle it was a no brainer that we would jump in the car and head out to the coast. So last February just as the Winter Olympics were getting underway and hightailed it for Seattle. By Revelstoke we needed caffeine and lunch so we stopped at Main Street Cafe for a great latte and wonderful soup. No problem getting vegetarian and gluten-free options and they have a great specialty coffee/tea drink menu. A very mild February saw us whiz with ease through the Crowsnest Pass and we spent our Valentine’s in Merritt, BC. It wasn’t very romantic but it had that great taste of freedom from home, work and responsibility. Merritt is a sleepy little town and while it isn’t much to look at, it is home to a major country music festival every summer that boasts some of the largest names in country music. http://www.mountainfest.com The do have a walk of country music fame, legends that had actually played at the festival and it is pretty darn impressive. The next morning we hit the road and were shopping the outlet malls by mid afternoon. To be honest we could have made it to the states in one day of driving and if we were to drive out again we clip it straight on through to Seattle with no overnight in Canada. Border crossing in Abbotsford is way smarter than crossing closer to Vancouver as it sees less traffic and we had only one car in front of us.
So first stop Bellis Fair outlet mall!!! http://www.bellisfair.com/ What joy, the bargains were silly. We got ski gear for a song and, oh what was that…yes the smell of a sale at Macy’s!!! Then onto the Burlington Outlet mall http://www.horizongroup.com/our-centers/burlington/ where Darek snagged a $200 jacket for $30 bucks..ahhhh!!!! There is a Dress Barn there which is my fave shop in the states, a pretty good Nine West and a Lululemon with pretty decent deals. Hands down I love shopping in Washington state..now lets be clear Vegas and Palm Springs are pretty spectacular but just thinking about the Seattle Outlet malls…..sends shivers up and down my spine! So after a day of shopping we finally make it to our hotel, The Warwick, http://www.warwickwa.com/ great staff, nice lobby and we got a fantastic room on the 15th floor with a view the space needle and harbour, it was our piece of paradise for the week!
With hunger on our mind we headed down to the harbour to take in the sea air and the hustle and bustle of the Seattle Market. The weather was mild and just as it started to rain we settled into a romantic table for two at Etta’s, Tom Douglas’s creation, right by the bustle of the market. The scallops were to die for, the memory of these scallops bring tears to my eyes a year later…they were simply divine! I have detailed our culinary adventures in another blog post, so check there for further details on food adventures. One last word on shopping is the Premium Outlet at Tulalip, just outside Seattle- my fave premium outlet http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=71 always have a lot of luck finding great stuff at a good deal.
We lucked out with a week of clear, sunny skies and temperatures of plus 16…in February! We enjoyed a bottle of Washington state wine on a nightly basis looking out over our amazing view of this vibrant city. There is a fantastic walk that takes you along the harbour and of course the day is dotted with a dip into a cafe or two! Seattle is not just a coffee city but it is a cafe city. We found a few new treasures every day where the barista knew how to whip up a mean London fog, chai latte or real green tea. We started each morning with a cup of something amazing and the newspaper. We ate loads of fish from Pike Place Market (and got our picture taken), dropped by the space needle and the highlight for Darek he found a place called Car Toys and got HID headlights installed….I think he’ll attest that it was his best birthday present ever!
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