Blooming Seattle

Where can you get a woodsy hike and an urban stroll in the same afternoon? Let’s call it the Woodland Park to Wallingford hike. Mike and I walk the 1.5 miles (each way) to the Wallingford neighborhood fairly often; there’s a drugstore and grocery store, various shops of both practical and whimsical natures, and plenty of eateries.

The simplest route is via local streets bordering the west and south sides of the Woodland Park Zoo, down the N. 50^th St. hill, turn south (right) until you hit 45^th St. – Wallingford’s main drag. That’s the neighborhood/urban stroll.

But today, we navigated one of the paths of lower Woodland Park, a surprisingly forested oasis between the zoo and south end of Green Lake. This trip is a bit longer than the normal half an hour, but it makes for a fun – and only very slight – detour. The trick to getting from our Phinney Ridge neighborhood to any point east – Wallingford, Green Lake, and beyond – is knowing where you can cross Aurora Ave. (Hwy 99). This would be true whether you’re driving or walking, because the road is 1) a real highway with fast-moving cars, and 2) divided by Jersey wall in stretches.

On foot, you can go under Aurora Ave. by heading east on N. 50^th St. and dipping beneath the Hwy 99 overpass (stay to the left-hand side of 50^th). If you want the woodsy hike, however, you have to find one of the two pedestrian overpasses. There’s one at roughly N. 55^th St. and another at roughly N. 52^nd.  In the Wallingford direction, you’ll want the one at 52^nd. Get there by taking Phinney past 52^nd and looking for a little trail to one of the zoo parking lots. Skirt the zoo’s perimeter fence and cross the lawn then zoo’s south entrance, head toward the rose garden (a pretty, free park at which you might want to stop). Then it’s through the woods and over the highway – meander downhill and to the right and you’ll re-connect with N. 50^th St. After crossing Green Lake Drive/Stone Way, you can take a right at any street and go a few more blocks to the heart of Wallingford.

We turned on Woodlawn, the street closest to our lunch spot: The Golden Olive. Small and friendly, this Greek restaurant serves up tasty avgolemeno and other traditional dishes. We ordered pita sandwiches; Mike’s with large grilled tiger prawns, spring mix, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki. Mine had balsamic glazed veggies with fresh basil and goat cheese. It was nice to be able to choose soup, salad, or Greek fries with our sandwiches, and to specify white or whole-wheat pita. Double hits of Greek coffee finished off the delicious meal for both of us…well, Mike took one for the team and tried dessert: Galactobourieko – citrus infused farina custard with phyllo, honey-lemon syrup, and cinnamon. It was so tasty that it disappeared before I could get a photo!

After running our errands at the drugstore and family-owned lighting store (where I ordered a cool new LED light track for the kitchen – the better to cook breakfast under), we took the more direct route (N. 50^th to Phinney) home so I could get back in time to check in arriving guests.

Click here for a map of the routes (enlarge to see pedestrian overpasses).

Since this happens so often right now, our outings are leaning toward low-key, neighborhood spots that don’t make Trip Advisor’s Top Ten lists. So if that’s what you want, stop reading. If, however, you sometimes need a quiet evening of casual chilling, read on.

Setting off on foot, we decided to zigzag – left on 58^th, right on 1^st Ave NW, left on 60^th, then another block to what looks like a dead end. Dare to step through a break in the guardrail and behold a unique thoroughfare. There’s sidewalk all the way, but in place of a road is a series of terraced community gardens displaying flowers, vegetables, and other well tended flora. Oh, and it’s steep enough that there are pedestrian speed bumps in the cement (to keep you from slipping in the rain and help you grip on the way up?).

A right on 3^rd Ave NW, a few more blocks to 65^th, and there we were – not quite Ballard, not quite Phinney Ridge – back to the little strip of commerce that we visited on Date Night #3 (The Walk Home Will Do You Good).  This, time, we wanted to poke around a handful of pubs to check out the food (and it would be rude not to check out the drink, don’t you think?).

The first place that we hadn’t yet tried was 418 Public House. From the outside, you know it’s a bar, but it’s not clear what for food it offers. I’ll tell you: surprisingly fresh, fabulous Mexican. You order at the bar from a simple menu with clear choices that include shrimp, chicken, pork, and vegetarian dishes. Mike got the mahi tacos while I went shrimp. We shared a bowl of the prawn soup from the specials board. The portions looked deceptively small – two pairs of soft, mini taco shells with the filling spooned onto the top two, and a modest side of tortilla chips with individual dish of fresh salsa. But the toppings easily filled all four mini shells and were simply delicious. We didn’t really need the soup, which came with rice, but there it was, so… My mouth is watering so much as I write this that I don’t even need to talk about the beer, although now I will – very tasty Pike Kilt Lifter for me; my cocktail-loving husband had a Manhattan.

Our original intention of hitting at least one other place was less appealing with our appetites sated, yet we wandered another block or so to The Dray. We’d heard it had a good beer selection but its food offerings were a mystery to us. It turned out to be a funny, friendly place – narrow yet comfortable, with medium-high tables in one section and cushioned lounge area in another. Very straightforward menu – beer, wine, espresso, and sandwiches. Creative sandwiches from the look of things, though, and we’ll have to go back and try them.

But it was time to tackle the hill – we were glad it was cooler than a couple of hours ago and even gladder that we turned around to walk up backwards….the sunset over the Olympic Mountains was pink and misty and picture-perfect. Unfortunately my iPhone couldn’t do it justice, so no photo for the blog.

A warm summer evening made heading down the hill to Ballard an appealing option. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk to the heart of this area that sits between our Phinney Ridge neighborhood and Puget Sound. Tree-lined residential streets morph into a busier commercial district sporting a restaurant in every other storefront.

On a quest to explore unchartered territory, we headed to Old Ballard Avenue where there’s always a new restaurant. We considered a few on our way toward the end of the road to see if we could get into one of two places that have been open for about two years, but which we hadn’t visited: The Walrus and The Carpenter and Staple & Fancy Mercantile. The former doesn’t take reservations and there was a half-hour wait; we were hungry and parched, so we sat ourselves at Staple & Fancy’s bar (they do take reservations and their dinner tables were awaiting those who had planned ahead).

Mike quizzed the bartender about her most common cocktail requests as of late, and ended up ordering an “old pal,” their spin on a Manhattan. I tried a dry rosé, which went well with the two small plates we shared: fresh figs with arugula, shaved pecorino toscano, and Italian chestnut honey; and the seared scallops with seabeans, beets, and chive aioli. As a rule I don’t stalk famous local chefs, but Ethan Stowell happens to be a favorite (we like his place, How to Cook a Wolf, on Queen Anne). So, we expected to like Staple & Fancy. We did.

But we had places to go, even if we didn’t know where yet. Didn’t have to go far – we popped into Dutch Bike Co. right next door. Yes, it’s a bike shop and a café, serving coffee and baked goods. And beer. And wine. Believe it or not, we took a coffee break. Very, very good coffee – best in Seattle by some standards. My Americano with a little cream complemented my half of the salted chocolate chip cookie that begged us to buy it.

Coffee break over, we got serious and found McCleod’s Scottish Pub a few blocks back toward Market Street. The huge selection of Scotches, organized by place of origin, almost requires you to try one. Mike asked for the smoothest one for me, while he got something more peaty (that’s Scotch-talk for “tastes like peat”). An order of haggis crisps found its way to our table, and we sat back to watch a woman try to hook a metal ring by swinging it from a string (you gotta see it to believe that it can be slightly entertaining). This was another place we could’ve hung out longer – if only to peruse the long menu of whiskey cocktails, beers, and Scottish flavors.

Our final stop was a place we’ve hit several times and will again and again: Paratii, a craft bar with tasty Brazilian-influenced appetizers and dinners. Michael the bartender always enlightens us with his knowledge of cocktails, modern and ancient. This time I tried and loved the London Sunrise: Cumari pepper infused gin, lime juice, and tonic water. Definitely kicky. I forget what Mike had, but by then it was time to head home. Good thing we were walking, not driving.

Destination: Fremont – Center of the Universe (according to its denizens), which lucky for us is just 1.5 miles to the south of our Seattle B&B. In my crusade to finish the day’s work early, I had missed both breakfast and lunch, so food was the first order of business. A tiny Caribbean restaurant, Paseo, is supposedly home to the world’s best sandwich, which we had never tried. It was time. Even if we had to wait in line, as you almost always do at this place.  But we had entertainment, in the form of Terrance and Phillip, by now comfortably ensconced in their stroller. Yeah, they have a stroller. And I’m not going to make any excuses for it.

After a 20- to 30-minute wait, we had sandwiches in hand and searched for a place to picnic. A few blocks south of Paseo at 41^st and Fremont, we found a shaded stone wall on which we could perch. Messy sandwiches, but well worth the mess. Mike had the “fish of the day” creation, while I went with the Paseo Press – roasted pork, banana peppers, smoked ham, swiss cheese, and carmelized onions, all melted together. Mmmmmmmmm. On par, but different of course, with the best Philly Cheesesteaks I’ve ever had. Phillip feasted on the juices and other droppings that escaped our takeout wrappers.

Southward we continued down Fremont Avenue, eventually veering off to wander the streets and shops of this funky little neighborhood, as well as posing the dogs with some of the public art. We skimmed the waterfront, glimpsing Mount Rainier through the supports of the Aurora Avenue Bridge and getting an eyeful of boats on Lake Union, as it’s Seafair weekend and everyone is out.

Eventually we got parched, and just in time found another shady spot conveniently beckoning us to “enjoy happy hour on our charming patio.” The 35^th Street Bistro serves brunch on the weekend, dinner the rest of the week (not Monday), and happy hour every day. We parked the stroller outside the patio fence and snagged a table just on the other side of it. Quick refreshers of a Gimlet (for me) and Sazerac (for Mike) fortified us for the hike back up the hill. My hope was that the combination of pushing the stroller and walking most of the afternoon had gone a long way toward burning off the Caribbean sandwich that was so filling we wouldn’t need dinner.

Terrance and Phillip on the outside looking in at 35th Street Bistro

New waterfront attraction:                            Seattle Great Wheel

Okay, not really a whole day off, but my friend Sally whisked me away after I served breakfast, leaving Tina and Ashley to get ready for the guests checking in later. A perfect Seattle summer day awaited: sunny-ish skies and temps in the 70s (did I mention the main reason we moved from Washington, DC ten years ago was the hot, humid summers?).

Two short blocks from the bed & breakfast, the #5 bus picked us up and made record time (10 minutes or so) down to Aurora and Mercer, where we disembarked near our first destination: the new Chihuly Garden and Glass gallery on the grounds of the Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is). Very cool inside and out, offering just enough beautiful glassworks to satisfy, but not too many to overwhelm.

It was enough to make us hungry, though, so we strolled into the Queen Anne neighborhood in search of lunch. In a festive mood, we aptly chose a place oozing New Orleans spirit: Toulouse Petit, named by CNBC as one of the ten best happy hours in the United States. Of course we needed to verify this claim by ordering a Cajun Bloody Mary and a Red Snapper (Bloody Mary with gin not vodka). Best Bloody Mary I’ve had in a long, long time. The spicy dust rimming the glass sealed the deal. The tempting menu made it difficult to narrow down our food order; the waiter had to help. We shared Dungeness crab over fried green tomatoes with a tarragon-chive sauce and a hot Cajun roast beef sandwich with Provolone, caramelized onions, and Mama Lil’s peppers. Out of this world.

We would’ve been totally content hanging at Toulouse Petit the whole afternoon, but we thought it best to burn some calories. Off we trotted to the Olympic Sculpture Park, about a mile or so south. The larger-than-life art is a treat on any day, but this day offered clear sweeping views of Elliot Bay and beyond, and more immediate views of men (oh, and probably some women too) taking a free Zumba class held Saturdays in July.

Our tasty lunch fueled us to go still further – south along the waterfront where we spotted the newest Seattle attraction: the Seattle Great Wheel. Now I’m sorry, but I’m forever going to call it the Seattle Eye, for this huge Ferris wheel with enclosed cars reminds me of the London Eye. Alas, one of us – I won’t say who – wasn’t too keen on riding it, so we enjoyed a refreshing beverage from an indoor perch below. Good timing on our part, as it had started to sprinkle.

Figuring we had had enough fun for an afternoon, we hoofed it up to 3^rd Avenue to catch the #5 straight back to 9 Cranes Inn’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood. Oh wait, on the way to the bus we made a quick stop at the Pike Place Market’s Gum Wall because Sally had never seen it. Would you believe we made it home not only in time to take in the Ballard Seafood Fest but also with room to sample the wares there?

The fab slaw has horseradish and apples in it — very sassy!

There’s something to be said for facelifts. Not the literal kind – I’ve no experience with those yet – but the figurative kind. In this case, we’re talking vibe and menu makeover. One of our Phinney Ridge neighborhood pubs is relaunching itself this week, and we got a preview tonight. Not because we’re special – simply because I never feel like cooking dinner anymore and because Mike had just returned from another business trip to a dark, cold, kitchen. And because we got lucky – The Park Pub’s new menu hit the streets just 10 minutes before we sauntered by on a balmy evening.

We took advantage of the 70-degree weather to sit outside and peruse the menu – four or five pages served up on mini clipboard. There were Little Bites; Big Bites; Park Plates; Burgers, Sandwiches, and Dogs; and Sweets. Little Bites range from basic to epicurean: Hot pretzel on one end; gourmet meats with pear mustard, caper berries, and bread crisps on the other. The chef hung on to tater tots (from the old menu) as one of the three spuds options because of popular demand. Big Bites and Plates are meals – Fish & Chips (yum), baked mac N cheese, and pork sliders, to name a few – then a handful of salads and nearly 10 burgers (veggie too). We didn’t do sweets tonight, but a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich sure sounded good, as did a piece of pie from A La Mode, the tasty joint down the street that you can read about in Date Night # 7.

We had snagged one of the few seats in the narrow sidewalk space out front and did some people watching. This was especially entertaining because today was one of the first days of summer-like weather we’ve had and people were OUT. Waitstaff were attentive but not intrusive; not to be overlooked is Jesh, the bartender who extended the pub’s usual range of microbrews and token wine pours to include some serious cocktails. So serious, in fact, that we’re planning another date to try out the other establishment he bartends at in Ballard. But that’s a blog for another day.

The Pro-Doily party is setting the doily stimulus package at the forefront of their campaign, running on a platform of freedom to crochet for all. “A doily on every surface,” is the mantra of the Pro-Doily party, lobbying for tax-free status for doilies. The No-Doily party maintains that doily reform is long overdue. “Death to Doilies” is their cry – promising to support capital punishment for the lacy creations and vowing to put an end to doily excess.

9 Cranes Inn respects the right of other inns to beautify their bureaus in any way they see fit. This Seattle B&B, however, is a card-carrying member of the No-Doily party. “No Doilies Allowed” has been our motto since we opened, and we are so anti-doily that we bleed red (or white) wine and blueberry syrup onto any doily that dares cross our threshold.

Why do we hate those filigree fixtures? Because doilies represent old stereotypes about B&Bs. The new reality is that 95% of North American B&Bs offer free wi-fi and a complimentary breakfast that blows the frozen waffles at your typical hotel or motel away. 9 Cranes inn also boasts private bathrooms, free parking, complimentary snacks, flat-screen TVs, and always – honest, friendly, local service.

It’s time to cast your vote on the destiny of the doily. Pick your party and exercise your right to choose pro-doily or no-doily at www.betterwaytostay.com.

The Central PA posse at 9 Cranes Inn

The week was already a study in harmonic convergence. Oddly enough, my Seattle Bed & Breakfast was playing host only to guests from places I had lived in the past: central Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC area, to be specific. This phenomenon made for even livelier breakfast-table conversation than usual.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Today the doorbell rings as I’m flipping blueberry-oatmeal-cottage cheese pancakes for my houseful of mid-Atlantic visitors. Not expecting anyone and hoping not to burn breakfast, I hurry to the door, spatula in hand. Two ladies introduce themselves as friends of my sister (who also lives in PA) – they’re in town to judge a gymnastics meet. Surprised, I usher them in, offering coffee while saying, “let me rescue breakfast!”

Returning from the kitchen I find the new arrivals chatting happily with my B&B guests – turns out everyone in the room currently lives or once lived in central PA, which makes for a lot to talk about. Yeah, small world, blah, blah, blah. But get this: One of the judges mentions that she used to be a gym teacher. One of my guests has this “aha” moment and realizes that this woman is her long-lost gym teacher from middle school. They had to come all the way across the country to be reunited.

Barb the gym teacher and Lisa the student, reunited

Okay, that’s all I’ve got. Funny little story, though, no? I was about to make some clever reference to the album Synchronicity by the Police, but my husband says that would be dating myself. Oh well. Too late.

Tile detail in Phinney Ridge tub/shower

You should feel sorry for my husband, silent partner in this Seattle B&B adventure. He works a “real” job (being an innkeeper is everyone’s fantasy, right?) full time during the week, so he dreads these words from me: “I’ve got a project for us this weekend.”

This time, though, I promise a really, really good project: Moving furniture into the brand new Phinney Ridge room in preparation for opening it to guests in the next few weeks! More immediately, our activity will liberate the black-and-white-and-a-little-red Fremont Room for guest use. It too had been out of commission while it got a new ensuite bathroom (not to mention serving as storage central during the renovation).

That’s right, you heard it here first. The carpenter, plumber, electrician, and painter have left the building. We’ll still have a few furniture delivery folks around today, but then, the house will belong to us….and our guests, of course.

Phinney Ridge bedroom looking toward sitting room

Through the pocket doors to sitting room

Truth be told, I’m not a huge Gauguin fan, but this exhibit is a pretty big deal, with the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) being the only U.S. venue for the show. It’s nicely done – there are the expected paintings of course, but who knew that the man did block prints and wood carvings as well? (Okay, probably lots of people know that, but I didn’t.) Anyway, the exhibit tells a coherent and captivating story about why the artist went to Polynesia in the first (and second) place and what he was trying to accomplish with his art during that time.

It took us just under an hour to go through the exhibit. Better students of art than I could spend more time, but hey, I did listen to every entry on the audio tour. Plus, we were hungry. With a 9 p.m. parking lot closure looming (more on that in a minute), we chose not to wander too far in search of food, and ended up at the museum’s own restaurant, Taste.

They could call it Tasty, for everything we had was excellent, if served ultra efficiently. Cocktails to start were imaginative and flavorful. Mike got the BLT, served in a martini glass and tasting exactly like its namesake, albeit puréed. I celebrated the reason for our visit to SAM with “Paull’s Voyage,” a refreshing martini made with cilantro-infused gin, dry vermouth, and lime. Mike’s red beet and pomegranate soup was a vibrant crimson and disappeared before I could take a photo. My simple green salad was sprinkled with a bright grapefruit vinaigrette that I’m going to try to reproduce at home. We shared two main dishes that weren’t huge but certainly enough to eat: scallops on mashed potatoes and a mushroom risotto.

It was fun to run into our friend and fellow innkeeper Korby from The Sleeping Bulldog B&B (who enjoyed his Alsatian pizza by the way), but it was all too brief a visit because of our parking curfew. Had we only done our homework, we could have taken advantage of the Gauguin parking special at the 3^rd & Stewart Garage, where you get up to 4 hours for $6. Or, just take the #5 bus from our Seattle Bed & Breakfast to and from downtown for no more than $5 per person roundtrip.

We check these details out so you don’t have to. But you say you don’t have an invitation to a special showing of Gauguin? Just because we were special doesn’t mean you can’t be as well. At least if you get your discounted VIP tickets while staying at 9 Cranes Inn, you can show up at the museum and get the next earliest available time, rather than waiting in line with the masses. The Gauguin show runs at the Seattle Art Museum through April 29.