Ranger Review: Seattle, WA Edition, Part 2

Hello!  Better late than never...this is the final installment of our honeymoon trip report.  I know the scores of blog readers will be disappointed!

Mount Rainier National Park
We decided to escape the city to Mount Rainier for the day.  Because we were around in the off-season, only a small portion of the southwest side of the park was open to the public.  We had a wonderful time exploring, walking, and enjoying the scenery.  We entered in the southwest corner and made our way a total of 19 miles into the park to the Paradise area.  It was spectacular!  Of course, these rangers LOVED it.  Too bad we could only see a small part...but that leaves a lot to see when we go back!

So excited to be there...

Longmire Museum...why go into the park when you can press strange buttons...

Longmire Area...a National Historic Landmark...

Hiking under the giant trees...

Look!  A mountain!

The road was marked for snow removal...

On our way back to Seattle...

Pagliacci Pizza

Has anyone noticed that we only eat gourmet food?  Chris LOVES pizza.  When I say love, I mean that he would eat it every single day if he could...or at least alternate between that and peanut butter sandwiches.  So, we ordered pizza in the hotel room one night.  Fancy, romantic honeymoon dining.  Pagliacci is a Seattle chain.  Not sure what the locals would say, but we loved it.  It definitely gets Chris' seal of approval.

 Salumi
This gem was recommended to us by the concierge at the Alexis Hotel. Salumi is owned by Mario Batali's family. They create cured meats and other Italian foods in-house.

We made our way over to the Pioneer Square neighborhood, which was within walking distance from the hotel. Salumi would be easy to miss...it's barely wider than a doorway. When we finally found it, we stepped inside and joined a line. Along the wall to our left was a chalk board with the menu. They have a set menu with daily specials. Several things were already gone for the day, as we were a bit on the late side  and Salumi is incredibly busy.

Just inside the door...

 These lovely ladies...

Made us beautiful Salumi salami sandwiches...salami with provolone, olive oil/garlic smear, and peppers...

All of the tables were taken in the back of the restaurant, which was tiny and crowded. We were VERY lucky to score the only two stools near the front window and front door. So, we wedged ourselves in and enjoyed...

If you go to Seattle and you don't go to Salumi, you are crazy. It is absolutely charming, unique, and delicious. Our salami sandwiches were the best we've ever had. This tiny place is crowded for a reason. It's worth the wait and the cramped spaces. You must go to Salumi!

Matt's in the Market
Our last dinner was spent at this beautiful restaurant, which is tucked above the Pike Place Market.  It wasn't a planned stop...we just went up to look at the menu.  We're so glad we decided to have our dinner there.  It's such a charming place.  The kitchen is open to the dining area and the windows overlook the Market.  It's incredibly charming and the food is absolutely delicious.  We decided to share soup, salad, and our entree.  We each enjoyed a glass of wine.

We sat along a low wall, next to the kitchen...

 

The perfect end to our dinner came in the form of coffee in a french press...one of our absolute favorite things. If you still make your coffee in a coffee maker, you are missing out!  We enjoyed our coffe...and Chris tried to hold his cup...but the handle was smaller than the one on my cup.  He managed somehow... 

After dinner we stepped outside and looked up to see Matt's on the top floor...and wanted to go back inside to the beautiful little restaurant...

But, it was time to head back to the Alexis and pack up for our flight the next day. So, we took one last look at the Market...

Unfortunately, we had to head back to reality in Oklahoma.  We loved our time on Whidbey Island, San Juan Island, and in Seattle.  We can't wait to go back and explore again soon.

Ranger Review: Seattle, WA Edition, Part 1

We were SO excited to head to Seattle for the second part of our honeymoon trip.  Thanks to Big Dave, we stayed at the beautiful Alexis Hotel and enjoyed being in the city.  We didn't over-do it...we relaxed by the fire in our room and ate wonderful meals.  Our only big road trip was out to Mt. Ranier for the day.  Yep, we climbed all the way to the top and made it back for dinner.  Remember, we're park rangers.

Alexis Hotel, Seattle, WA
We loved our stay at the Alexis.  Our room was bigger than our apartment, with a fireplace, living room, dining area, separate bedroom, and nice bathroom.  The entryway alone was huge.  The decor was really modern, but there were still touches from the historic building that the hotel is in.  The service was great and our room was kept spotless.  It was located just blocks from the Pike Place Market and we really liked being able to walk down the street for coffee or dinner.  We'd definitely stay at the Alexis again!

Lobby...

Author's Suite Entryway...

Bar Area...and door to bedroom (on right)...

Fireplace in Living Room...

Rumor has it, Maya Angelou stayed in our room just days before (seriously!).  It is, afterall, the Author's Suite...

Can't get your own ice around here...

Bedroom...

Postcards at Wine Hour...

What do you think about that?

Cherry Street Coffee, Seattle, WA

We found the 1st Street location of Cherry Street Coffee just two blocks from our hotel...and we were in love. They just have a few locations in Seattle and it had a neighborhood feel.  We were shocked when they were out of bagels one "morning", only to realize that it was 1:00 pm.  We had no idea what time it was...that's what honeymoon's are for.  Chris' favorite Cherry Street drink was the Milky Way, while I could not get enough of their mochas.  They were incredibly delicious...even with non fat milk! That justified the whipped cream!  We loved Cherry Street and highly recommend a visit!

Cherry St. Coffee, 1st & Seneca...

Milky Way...

Mocha deliciousness...

The Pink Door, Seattle, WA
We had our first Seattle dinner at the Pink Door.  It's a quaint, quirky Italian restaurant.  We were seated in the bar, as there weren't any seats available in the regular dining room.  We shared the Antipasto of the House and the Paglia e Fieno (fresh white and green fetuccine with exotic mushrooms).  It was delicious, but honestly not the best we've ever had.  What the Pink Door has is atmosphere.  It's funky and fun.  While we were having our dinner, we found out that Saturday nights were cabaret and burlesque night.  Yes, you read that right.  After much debate, we decided to return later to grab a table for the show.  We didn't know what to expect...would it be sleazy or neat?  Fun or weird?  The show started at 11:00 pm...late night out for us old folks.  We enjoyed a few drinks and waited for the show to start. According to Wikipedia (this is the FIRST and ONLY time I will ever refer to wiki!), "burlesque is a humorous theatrical entertainment involving parody and sometimes grotesque exaggeration. In 20th century America, the form became associated with a variety show in which striptease is the chief attraction."  That's exactly it...it was fun, funny, exaggerated,  a bit grody, but also classy.  Yes, classy.  Don't judge. It's almost hard to put it into words.  It was wonderful.  We loved it!  If you're ever in Seattle, you should go...it's good to get out of that comfort zone every once in a while.  Just catch dinner somewhere else beforehand...Pink Door is very good, but just not great in our book.

This guy is ready for some entertainment...

Dick's Hamburgers, Seattle, WA
Oh golly, who doesn't like a good, cheap hamburger?  There are several Dick's locations in the Seattle area.  Don't go with your Gold Card...they're cash only.  We picked up our Dick's burgers and fries and took them back to our beautiful hotel room one night.  Yes, we're classy people.  And we LOVED it.

Gourmet Dining...

So wrong, but so very right...

The Market Grill, Seattle, WA
This fantastic grill is located in the Pike Place Market.  We enjoyed an incredibly fresh and delicious lunch at the counter one afternoon.  We shared clam chowder and a salmon sandwich, which was grilled for us while we watched.  It was wonderful.  You must go to this little gem.  We were lucky, we were there on a Sunday and got seats right away.  Rumor has it, it's impossible to get a seat during the week...for good reason!

The Crumpet Shop, Seattle, WA

What's a crumpet, you ask? We didn't know either.  As it turns out, it's not like an english muffin.  It's much cakier (is that a word?).  The toppings are placed on top, rather than inside the sliced crumpet.  They are delicious.  We went back to the Market (didn't care if we seemed like tourists!) for breakfast one morning and shared two crumpets...one sweet and one savory.  They were delicious!  Too bad no one in Oklahoma knows what the heck they are!

Egg, ham, and cream cheese/Maple butter, cream cheese, and walnuts...

Stay tuned for Part 2...