Bucket List #13 | Alki Beach

A couple of weeks ago, the weather was straight up GORGEOUS. It was like 70 degrees outside. Landon had to work so I worked on some projects and played with the kids, but I started to get restless. I went in where Landon was working and said: can you be done in about an hour and go to the beach with us? He's a good sport, so we packed up and left!

We ran into some pretty bad traffic, which was annoying, but once we got to Alki we found an amazing parking spot, loaded up our stuff and staked out a spot on Alki Beach. Alki (way on the South end of Seattle) is famous for it's actual sand and it's view of the Seattle skyline. It's also the only beach in the area where you're allowed a fire. Because of these factors, it's also extremely crowded and very touristy. There are a ton of little shops and restaurants around.

We only stayed for a few hours, but it was a beautiful afternoon. Something that is good to know: there are a very limited number of fire pits, so honestly if you want to do a fire you need to get there pretty early in the day. We lucked out and a nice woman who was holding a spot for our group let us start our fire and cook our hot dogs while she waited for them to come.

Overall, Alki was a pretty fun trip and I'd be happy to do it again, especially if we had a bit longer and got there earlier. That said, Discovery Park is still my favorite beach in Seattle. 

Bakery Nouveau

While we had Landon's Dad in town, we decided to hit up a local place that always gets rave reviews. Bakery Nouveau is located in the Capital Hill area (there's also one in West Seattle) and is super popular.

Based on a recommendation from a friend, we tried the chocolate croissants and were definitely not disappointed!

 Walt got a macaroon because yellow is his favorite color and he really wanted to try it. He didn't love it but he was still satisfied with the presentation.

It's a bit pricy but we loved it, and we'll be back.

Bucket List #91 | The Root Beer Store

This is one of those bucket listers that we've actually done before - but I haven't been on top of blogging everything. (hopefully that will change this year, it's a goal) When we went for a fun family outing in January, I insisted on pictures so that we could document it!

We didn't hear about The Root Beer Store (yes, that is actually what it's called) until after we moved here. Even then, we didn't know about it until we drove past it. Obviously, we were intrigued. What is this place? Do they legitimately only sell root beer and nothing else? How can they have a whole store devoted to root beer? So on the list it went.

They don't sell only root beer...but close. They also sell cream soda, and a few specialty drinks. They are legit. There are over 200 kinds of root beer in the store! We've been 3 times now, and have only tried a few. So far, my favorite is the on-tap root beer they have (told you it's legit) in a root beer float.

They also have some extras that have to do with root beer (root beer flavored candy, funny T-shirts, etc.) The employees are almost laughably knowledgable about their product, and the store occasionally has free tasting days where they set up samples of different kinds of root beer for you to try - like a wine tasting! I don't actually recommend going on those days though. The store is tiny - like, smaller than our very small apartment - and doesn't comfortably hold that many people. Plus, with the crowds they are sometimes out of some of their specialty stuff. We liked it a lot better on a non-event day.

Walt loves this place. (naturally, he's a root beer fanatic) It's not the most kid-friendly store ever (because no space to move around and lots of breakable glass) but the staff is nice about it.

It's safe to say that we will be going back. With friends.

Bucket List #4 | Morsel

So, I created our bucket list before we moved to Seattle, and I added some restaurants to the list just based on what I found online. Over time, some of these have become places I really want to go, and others have become something I was sort of dreading. Being in grad school and all, we don't get to eat out very often, and I realized that I didn't want to waste money or a date night going somewhere that I'm not thrilled about. So, I'm making a few changes to our list, since now we're locals and can figure out the best places to eat! It's my list, I can do whatever I want. :)

Any-way...

Since having Isannah, one of things that has been killing us is that a babysitter is pretty much out of reach for us now. Babysitters are already crazy expensive in Seattle, and when you have two kids it just makes it worse. Plus, Zuzu is still so little that it's hard to leave her for very long. When Walt started preschool, I realized that I had a 2.5 hour window of time when I just had the baby, at least. So I asked Landon if he wanted to buy me breakfast. :)

We had a blast on our "sneak away" date. One of the BEST things about grad school is that Landon essentially sets his own schedule. Sure, he has one or two classes and occasional meetings, but other than that he can work when he wants to. And even though we had to bring the baby with us, it was refreshing to sit and talk to each other without constant interruptions about which Star Wars guy is the coolest. (Although we like those interruptions sometimes. :)) We've decided to make this a once-a-month kinda thing.

Morsel was a Yelp find, and I'm sold on the place. It's only open for breakfast and in the early afternoons. A short walk from campus, Morsel makes a-maz-ing breakfast sandwiches on homemade biscuits (Landon had buttermilk, I got cheddar chive) with eggs cooked to order. I highly recommend the "Spanish Fly." Also, the hot cocoa was pretty super. Did I mention that it's cheap? This place has it all. I actually can't wait to take people there when they come to visit!

We're giving Morsel:

If you're looking for breakfast in the U District, you can't beat it. Be aware that there is not much seating inside (it is pretty divey, so you have to like that kind of thing). We went in the late morning (10:30ish) on a weekday, and were able to snag a table, but I imagine earlier or on a Saturday it'd be tough. Still totally worth it!

Bucket List #26 | Outdoor Concert

Seattle has a great collection of outdoor concerts. Before we ever moved here, I knew I wanted to take advantage of this! There are tons to choose from, but for our first, we chose one at St. Edward's State Park. Mostly because it's gorgeous.

Even though the night ended in a full-blown meltdown by our oldest child, we had a great time.

We even enjoyed some good old fashioned ice cream truck spoils.

Hopefully our kids will look back on crazy things like this fondly, and remember that this family is always up for an adventure!

The music was good and the setting fun. I have a feeling some of the downtown concerts draw better vendors and musicians, but also more crowds. Overall, we think this event was worth our time!

Bucket List #97 | Cherry Blossoms

Washington is famous for a lot of things, but one of them is cherries. Before we came here, I didn't even like cherries. I never really have. They seemed like a lot of work to eat around the pits - and then they are usually just mushy or really sour and not worth it.

But that was all before we came to the land of amazing cherries. They are enormous, sold at tons of roadside stands, and I'm telling you - they are the best cherries I've ever tasted. I'm completely converted. I just wish they were cheaper!

Anyway, before you can have the delicious Bing and Ranier cherries that they sell here, you need to have cherry blossoms! And one of the best places around Seattle to admire them is right on the UW campus. I happened to have an afternoon doctor's appointment this week right when the trees were in full bloom, so we decided to come early and make a picnic out of it. :)

No joke, this quad is gorgeous. I mean, the campus is gorgeous in every season, but it was over the top with the trees in bloom.

And oh man, they smelled just as good as they looked...

I was amazed at how many people came to enjoy the day with us.

If you can catch them in the right season and get a nice, sunshiny day, I would say the blossoms on UW campus are well worth the visit.

At least, we thought so!

Gas Works Park

I actually thought this was on our bucket list - and I was wrong! Sometimes, looking at that list (which I made before we moved here) makes me laugh. Perhaps at the end of our Seattle adventure, I'll rewrite my own list of things to do in Seattle based on actual experience.

Gas Works Park is a famous landmark with one of the most beautiful views of the Seattle skyline I've seen. We took Molly and Jordan here the last day of their trip to check it out. As usual, I was reminded that getting downtown isn't as difficult as I always make it out to be. We should be doing more of these excursions!

It was a chilly day, and also, Walt tripped right when we got there and got a huge bump on his head. So he wasn't thrilled with everything. But I think on a nice spring day, this would be a beautiful spot to picnic, fly kites and enjoy the view.

It is called Gas Works Park because of a huge refinery, no longer in use, that sits at the edge of the park. They've turned the boiler facilities into a nice shelter with tables to sit on. You're technically not supposed to climb on the equipment, but I guess we're rebels. :)

It was nice to see some green grass for a change, it's been too long! The park isn't large and there isn't a ton for kids to do - it's more of a go-here-to-snap-photos-and-see-the-view kind of place. And I will say this: we found several "nests" of the homeless people who sleep inside the shelter to try and keep warm. So I definitely wouldn't recommend it at night. 

We'll rate Gas Works Park:

Definitely worth the photo op, but probably not a "must see" in Seattle.

A Little Slice of Heaven

Back when Landon went to Antarctica, he made some life-long friends, including his roommate there, Clément Miège. Yep, he's French. And yes - I could listen to him talk all day. :)

Anyway, Clem and his girlfriend Michelle, who also went to Antarctica with Landon's group, have made their way to Seattle! Over the summer, they've been living in a floating boat house on Lake Union downtown. They were gracious enough to invite us over for a quick trip out on the lake before they move at the end of the month.

I have to tell you, this might be the coolest thing I've done in this city. I had no idea this community of floating homes even existed! Clem and Michelle keep a canoe and a couple of Kayaks tied up right outside their front door, and actually use them to travel around the city. I'm only sad that they are moving and we won't be able to do this every weekend. :) The views were simply spectacular, and the company was just as great.

One of the things that has amazed me about Landon's career to this point are the people we've been blessed to know along the way. Geologists are a quirky lot in some ways - they like to camp out on glaciers, get really drunk, and are chronically disorganized. But so many of Landon's colleagues are generous, kind, wonderful people who would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. It's been great for us to be exposed to people who are so different from the community that we grew up with, who show us how many ways there are to be Christlike. 

Also: I really love Seattle! Don't tell my Mom, she's getting nervous that we'll stay forever. We just might. :)