International Rose Test Garden - Portland, OR

Portland is known as the "City of Roses" so while in the city, I really wanted to visit the International Rose Test Garden which exemplifies it name.

Its free, it relaxing and satisfying to the senses (the rose smell lovely), just don't come on a rainy day. The rain cut my time short and kept me from exploring the beautiful garden in its entirety.

International Rose Test Garden

Little Bird Bistro - Portland, OR

Less than a 3 hour drive from Seattle, I had to spend at least one day in Portland on my trip. The drive was worth it and I had a delightful time into Portland, but that was not without a stop at Little Bird for lunch.

As soon as we walked into Little Bird, we were greeted by the gentleman behind the bar. Right after that, two ladies came out and after a bit of confusion amongst themselves, we were finally seated. I won't say service was bad, but throughout the meal, I didn't get that warm feeling and I could have sworn I was being served by a drone. I don't think she ever cracked a smile, a blink, anything.

The restaurant is pretty small. There is not much room for seating and I felt like I was sitting on top of the table next to me. When you have to pull out tables (not chairs) for people to be seated, tables are clearly too close for comfort.

Once I was able to settle in, I looked over the menu and ended up ordering the Steamed Clams. The broth was Parmesan based with bacon, breadcrumbs and peppers. It had rich flavor without being overpowering. It didn't come with anything nor was I given any heads up or options so I had to request more of the complimentary bread to eat it with.

My burger obsessed boyfriend ordered the ‘Le Pigeon’ Burger with fries (you also have the choice of lettuce instead). He was very impressed with the burger.

The food was simply delicious (no complaints there), but I felt a bit distracted by the service and atmosphere.

Little Bird Bistro

Mee Sum Pastry - Seattle, WA

I passed by Mee Sum Pastry one evening and saw a lines of people waiting for food and vowed to go back. The next morning, I decided to stop by and ordered a selection of items.

I first had a BBQ Pork Skewer. The pork was sweet and tender, but not juicy. 

I then had a Steamed Pork Bun which I didn't like it. The dough was too rubbery and clammy. I also didn't love the filling, it was mixed with too much cornstarch or fat (whatever that was) and not enough meat and way too sweet to be savory.

The Baked Pork Bun fared better. It tasted like it had recently been baked. It had the right texture and that lovely golden brown crust.

I also had a Sesame Ball. The flavor was right but it was just way too greasy.

This was not food at its finest, but this is street food. It may not be the best, but it is quick and affordable.


Mee Sum Pastry

Space Needle - Seattle, WA

Seattle and the Space Needle kind of go hand in hand! It is far from the highest point in Seattle but with 360 views of the city it's pretty awesome. 

Instead of purchasing day/night tickets, go just before sunset like we did and you get both experiences for the price of one!

Space Needle

Chihuly Garden and Glass - Seattle, WA

Beautiful, amazing, outstanding, spectacular, unique, revolutionizing! This is a must for any art lover or visitor of Seattle!

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Etta's Seafood Restaurant - Seattle, WA

We wanted to eat one place, but they were closed. We did a search on our phones and choose another restaurant, went there, and they were closed too. We walked back and forth slightly confused on what to do when we asked one of the guys in the fish market where to go and he lead us to Etta's with raving reviews. 

I had actually heard about the restaurant before getting to Seattle but it must've slipped my mind so when I heard mention of this place I was excited. While it is located in Pike Place Market, my experience was not all about just location, it was about nice ambiance, friendly service and good food.

I wanted to try a little of everything so I started with the Creamy Clam Chowder. Creamy was not the only word to describe it, it was Clam Chowder turnt up. The bacon was a typical addition you would expect but when you add parsley oil to that it is taken over the edge.

It was random and didn't fit into what I was eating but I ended up ordering a glass of Sangria. Theirs comprised of white wine and peach. It was cool but I felt it could have been more awesome and it just wasn't.

My boyfriend stuck to his burgers and had Etta's Double Double Burger. He seemed to really love it. It wasn't a typical burger and they added a few little twist that made it interesting.

I overheard the waitress at the next table hyping up the crab cake so I decided ordering the Dungeness Crab Cakes would be a good choice. It was all crab, light and crispy! The wheatberry salad was great too and I was very happy with the basil green goddess sauce that tied it all in and added a light, subtle flavor to it all.

I was stuffed but still I had to order dessert. We choose the Coconut Cream Pie. It was creamy coconut goodness but then there was the crust. It was too hard to cut through and just kinda ruined it for me.

On the most part, I enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere. The only complaint I had was that immediately after receiving my soup, the entrees were brought out so my main was just sitting there for quite some time while I finished my chowder and me no likey that.



Etta's Seafood Restaurant

Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Snoqualmie Waterfall & Boehm's Candies & Chocolates - WA

My first day in Seattle the weather was amazing. The second day, not so much. Much of the day consisted of on and off rain. I wanted to get out of the city so we headed to Chateau Ste. Michelle for a tour/tasting.

The ground are really nice, the woman leading the tour seemed to be knowledgeable and although the wine we tasted (which was Free by the way) wasn't high end or top of the line, I was surprised. I have been to wineries before (domestic and in Italy) and I can say that I actually learned a few things from this experience and as a tour, it was one of the better ones I have been on.

Our intention after leaving the winery was to head to Crystal Mountain Resort to spend the day on top of Mount Rainier, but on the way there, we decided to make a stop at Snoqualmie Waterfall. It was breathtaking but just a quick stop since it started to rain again.

As beautiful as Snoqualmie Waterfall was, the scenery on the way to Crystal Mountain Resort was equally as spectacular.

Once we finally arrived at Crystal Mountain Resort (after that long ass ride), we came to find out that they were closed for the day. Apparently there was high winds so it wasn't safe and since it was the last day of the summer season, I was out of luck. We had planned to have lunch there but since it was closed we decided to just head back to Seattle.

We didn't make it back to Seattle without making one last stop at Boehm's Candies & Chocolates. They have been handcrafting confections for 70 years and it tasted like it. The White Chocolate was good as were the Butterscotch Nut Sheets.

What really made my head spin was the English Toffee. Think crunchy butter brittle covered in milk chocolate and toasted almond pieces. It is expensive but worth it!

Washington is a decent size state and although I think of just Seattle (as many other probably do), there is a lot to see and do outside of the city!

Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery

Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar - Seattle, WA

Seattle is a is a large city with a lot to see, eat and do and in your case that may very well include people (for me it didn't). 

As a tourist, most if not all of your time will be spend Downtown. That is where the Pike Place Market is located, most shops, and the waterfront.

If you are a hippie, bohemian or just straight up weirdo, you will love Freemont.

As popular as downtown is, you can't go to Seattle without a visit to Queen Anne/South Lake Union, even if it is just for the Space Needle. During my stay in Seattle this is the area where I resided. 

My first day in the city was a pretty long one, so I wanted to have dinner at a place that was nearby and ended up finding a gem called Seastar Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar.

Without a reservation, my boyfriend and I were seated in the bar which was no problem since some place try to just kick you out without one. We were hungry so we ordered a starter, but my boyfriend doesn't really do the raw thing, so we started with the Fireworks Roll. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. The rice and fish were yummy and more importantly fresh.

My boyfriend ordered the Cedar Plank Roasted Wild NW King Salmon and it was fabulous! It came with citrus rice but he was afraid the citrus would be too much so he substituted for mashed potatoes. The sides were fine just not all that impressive but the salmon was outstanding. It was cooked just right, seasoned just right, was just right!

I ordered the Seafood Cappellini, mostly because I wanted Penn Cove mussels and Manila clams and this was the best way to be able to order both. The saffron creme was great but the seafood spoke for this dish. I love, love, loved the Penn Cove mussels!

I would have ordered dessert but our waiter went MIA towards the end of the meal and when he finally came to our table he simply handed us the bill and walked away with no mention of a dessert menu so we missed out on that, but as long as that waiter didn't exist, I would wholeheartedly recommend Seastar for superb, fresh seafood.



Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar