northwest love: seattle, washington.

seattle.. the emerald city.. full of character, culture, and.. lush evergreens (thus being dubbed "the emerald city").  and you can also add rain to the list as well.  for those of you who have not yet been to this major northwest hub, i would suggest you make at least one trip out there.  seattle offers both the modernity and luxuries of a city and the sweet ambience of nature.

in april, and again in may, i hopped on a plane heading west to seattle to check out the scene (just in case i wanted to relocate there for work) and boy, there is much to see and do!

downtown seattle:  the downtown area is home to seattle's busy business district, full of bars, clubs, shopping, and of course, the beautiful skyline.  during my very first trip, i stayed at the hyatt olive 8 (love this hotel) for convenience sake, allowing me to walk to many of the popular sections of the city.  throughout my two visits to seattle, i probably trekked through the entire downtown area at least 5 times - yes, my feet and legs hated me every single day while i was there, but then again, it was good exercise.

one place i would recommend is von's grand city cafe and martini bar.  the bartenders here can whip up some pretty mean martinis, including the "purple haze", "pomegranate martini", and the "blueberry lemon drop" - all guaranteed to have your tastebuds dancing!  not only does von's deliver delicious drinks, this roasthouse also serves great food for those growling tummies! nomnomnom

i love sushi.  so if you love sushi, too, i would suggest you go to "imo" and ask for chris (the dude is hilarious and super fun!).   imo offers amazing sushi, yummy drinks, karaoke, and a dance floor with a DJ on the weekends (primarily an asian scene).

the glistening waters of the pacific alongside seattle certainly draws even more beauty to this city - oh how i love cities with a waterfront.  here, there are plenty of restaurants with great seafood, souvenir shops, and a little park area where you can lay on the grass and people watch or have a picnic.  the pike place market is also close to the waterfront, boasting fresh seafood, florist vendors, restaurants, cafes, and other unique stands sure to catch your interest.

capitol hill:  i absolutely love capitol hill ♥.  this trendy residential neighborhood is located east of the downtown area and is home to much of seattle's LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community and also houses multi-million dollar mansions.  coffeehouses and bars/taverns are very prominent in capitol hill, especially on broadway and along the pike-pine corrider. 

unicorn, located on pike street, is a bar/restaurant that serves up some of the most unhealthy foods  (but delicious, or so i've heard.. i dared not try anything in risk of having a heart attack).  they are well known for their "unicorn-dog," a monster corndog, fried with chili and cheese on top.  the menu includes other "junk food" such as fried twinkies and "unicorn-balls" (fried balls of pork).   this place is decked out almost like a circus or carnival with vibrant colors (teal, pink, white, and black stripes.. if i can remember correctly) and is a nice place to just sit down and grab a bite to eat and something to drink. 

moebar is definitely the kind of nightlife scene i'm into.. great atmosphere, large, cozy couches, nice bartenders, and good music (but i guess that depends on the DJ).  chris, from imo's, had actually invited me out to moebar since he had the night off and his friend was DJing, and i'm glad he did!  the alcohol was flowing, the music was bumping, and i was all over the dance floor!  i had a fun night and met some cool people, though i didn't remember much. 

belltown:  belltown is another residential area that is also dotted with many restaurants, bars, and clubs, especially along 2nd avenue.  during the weekends, the streets are jam-packed with clubgoers, probably even busier than olde city in philadelphia!  it was a fun experience, but the night that i went out, there was a shooting that occurred, that resulted in the death of a 21 year-old cambodian guy.  RIP steven sok.

i was also in seattle during cinco de mayo and really wanted some authentic and delicious mexican food to help start off the celebration.  the concierge at the hyatt recommended "mama mia," a family-run mexican restaurant at the corner of 2nd and bell.  i never did get a chance to eat there because it was so busy, but rumors are, it is delicioso!  i'm making it a point to chow down there next time. 

another hot spot i enjoyed was del rey - a restaurant/bar that transforms into a nightclub after hours.  the bartenders are uber friendly and the DJ was pretty good.  the front room offers plenty of tables for those of you who want to relax and soak in the scene with a drink, and the backroom is where all the bumpin' and grindin' action occurs.  i miss it there!

seattle center:  the seattle center is base to the space needle.  i really didn't venture out anywhere around here.. i didn't even go up the space needle, which apparently is a must-do if you're in seattle!  :(  i guess i must put that on my to-do list next time i'm out there.  i had the perfect view of the space needle from the hyatt place on my second trip to the 206.  beautiful!

international district/chinatown:  the chinatown in seattle is like any other chinatown in the major US cities - lots of restaurants, boba cafes, and little markets.  uwajimaya village , apparently the largest asian market in the pacific northwest, hosts a large food court with all sorts of asian cuisine (and i believe they also have a restaurant that serves hamburgers and fries for those individuals not daring enough to try delicious asian food.. lol) and also includes a large asian supermarket where you could find almost anything.

stadiums:  the qwest and safeco field are located near the international district.  the seahawks (football) and sounders (soccer) battle off with opposing teams at qwest field, while safeco field is home to the mariners (baseball).  both times in seattle, i attended the mariner's game, which was pretty fun.  i even got a mariner's fleece (mainly because it was really cold the one night i went).  and, by the way, i had no idea that asian ladies were so obsessed with ichiro! lol


i miss seattle and hope to visit again soon.. anyone interested in accompanying me?