Madison Neighborhood

One of the lovely and easier to find Seattle neighborhoods is that of Madison. A long, diagonal  street NE of Downtown along Lake Washington. Click here for map.

Jeremy and I used to come here on Sunday afternoons between our church's morning and evening services. There are great little coffee shops all along Madison, but we usually shared a latte at the Essential Baking Company. I always like to admire their award winning pastries. There are some fun little shops to browse, our favorites being City People's Garden Store, Pharmaca and a beautiful home decor store with linens and dishes, I think it's Our Distinctive Home Shop. There are several eating choices ranging from casual cafes to sit down restaurants.

The neighborhood Starbucks is one of the few Black Label stores around

and home to CEO Howard Shultz.  

The newly renovated neighborhood park.

Some unique play equipment with a space-age, modern feel.

I love the homey feel of this little corner of Seattle with towering trees 

lining the streets, old homes to admire, nurtured gardens, 

a relaxing drive along the BLVD and don't forget the Arboretum.

Snohomish

I've always heard about the shops in Snohomish. I love anything vintage, retro, antique-y and rustic. So a couple Saturdays ago, we set out for a lengthy drive.  We have pretty much exhausted the whole Puget Sound area, so it was exciting for us to discover a new destination.

 

 Annie's on First had quite the display of antique chandaliers.

 Simply Sweet, is just one of the cupcake shops on 1st, only a couple doors 

down from the sassy Bite Me cupcakes specializing in catered events. 

 Faded Elegance captured that perfect balance 

between old and new pretties.

 In the basement of Joyworks, 

I loved this cozy corner of aqua and neutrals.

Want to make one for Valentine's Day!

 A kitschy soda fountain shop full of retro signs for any collector.

Warmed up at Crepe Escape and Coffee House with a 

Vanilla Latte roasted by ZOKA and their signature 

Crepe Suzette filled with creme fraiche and garnished with 

fresh lemon and orange zest...a unique treat! 

The Snohomish Bakery & Cafe had some 

additionally tantalizing pastries.

Such a fun daytrip or weekend getaway to spend with girlfriends, moms, sisters, daughters...and of course husbands. For all the information you need to know about the shops, food, drinks, lodging, and directions click here.

We took the direct route on I-405 getting there, but decided to take the less traveled HWY 203 for the drive home. Always a treat, no matter the time of year. Every time we drive through Duvall, I'm impressed with their growth and charm.  If you are still craving antiques, they have a few shops worth the stop.

All Things Shopping

Seattle has some of the best shopping in all of the Northwest. When friends come to visit, there is usually a trip to some store, somewhere on the itenerary. No matter your style, price range, or interests, there is a store or maybe even a whole district for you.

High End (aka: Window Shopping)

• 5th Ave in Downtown - this is prime real estate, so not where you're going to find independent boutiques, but some of your favorite chains like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic, Gap. Be sure and venture over to 4th and 6th, and of course Westlake Center and Pacific Place for Barney's, J. Crew, and True Religion, just to name a few. 
• Bellevue Square Mall and The Shops at the Bravern- you might want to dress well if you're coming here, we made the mistake of going to the Bravern after work and didn't realize we stood out like a sore thumb, until the concierge politely asked us if we needed any assistance. Oops! 

Outdoor Shopping Centers

•  University Village - or commonly referred to as "the village" is beautifully lit all year round with white Christmas lights. We love the Home Decor stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn, gourmet Kitchen Shops, Book Stores, Impress, one of my favorite paper and stamp stores, and Fireworks, not your typical souvenir shop, featuring gifts from local artists.
• Redmond Town Center - features the only iPic Theater in Washington where you can see the latest blockbuster while enjoying a gourmet meal in a classy atmosphere.
• Kent Station - a central place for South Sounders to meet for lunch or see a movie. Other great shops on Meeker and 1st Ave S.

Malls

• Westfield Southcenter Mall - Tukwila: recently renovated, close to SeaTac Airport, has a well-rounded variety of stores for any price point. 
• Northgate - North Seattle
• The Commons - Federal Way
• Tacoma Mall - Tacoma
• Alderwood Mall - Lynnwood
• South Hill Mall - Puyallup: our hometown mall, gotta love Target!
• The SuperMall- Auburn: kind of a hybrid outlet mall
• Kitsap Mall- Silverdale
• Westlake - Downtown Seattle: the top floor has a pretty impressive food court, we usually eat lunch here on our Seattle daytrips.
• Pacific Place - Downtown Seattle: definitely worth a trip during the Christmas season to catch the indoor snow every night at 6pm accompanied by live music!

Be sure to drive the streets surrounding the malls for other great stores.

Antiques

• Snohomish - the largest antique district in the Seattle area. In the neighborhood: Duvall
• Sumner - the shops on Main Street do a great job of hosting special events throughout the year. In the neighborhood: Puyallup and Tacoma

For the Dudes

• REI - based in Seattle, the downtown store is something to see with it's 60 foot climbing wall and outdoor bike trails to test ride thousand dollar mountain bikes.
• Cabelas - inconvenient to get to, but worth it once you're there.

Sumner

As the holidays approach, I get anxious to visit the Main Street shops in Sumner. One of our traditions we look forward to each year is attending the Autumn Evening Open House. The downtown shops stay open late and serve all kinds of cookies, candies, doughnuts and cider. It's a fun event to attend with your family, girlfriends, or even husbands who love all the treats! We still have yet to make it to The Old Cannery's Bridge Lighting during Thanksgiving weekend, with cider, coffee, roasted nuts and kettle corn ... maybe this will finally be the year!

 My favorite store and interior decorating icon. Check out their blog.

 One of the classiest paper stores around.

 I love their generous and elegant selection.

Autumn Evening is the same night as the 

Scarecrow Celebration Contest who perform every half hour. 

The Old Cannery a few blocks from town is worth a visit, boasting 10 acres of furniture sold at low prices; a Fudge Factory with 24 flavors including sugar-free options; 7 scale miles of overhead G scale trains; and during their Hometown Holidays, free pictures with Santa and Sleigh Rides.

For a listing of Sumner's year round events, click here.

Whidbey Island

Whidbey is one of my favorite islands in the Sound.  Deception Pass was one of the first day trips my family took when we moved here from California, and years later we discovered the quaint little coastal towns of Langley and Coupeville. Whidbey is the largest island in Washington and 4th largest in the lower 48 states. It's known history dates back to 1792 when it was first discovered by Joseph Whidbey and Peter Puget. Later settled by Isaac Ebey, a potato and wheat farmer who rowed daily across the inlet to work as Postmaster for Port Townsend...busy guy. The north end of the island's economy is cultivated by the Navy base and home to many military families, while the south end is marked by tourism and home to many working artists, writers, musicians and performers. Penn Cove, famous for it's Mussel Farm offers 27 varieties of freshly harvested shellfish...if you're into sort of thing. If you're a NW gardener, keep your eyes open for all the independent nurseries, my mom particularly likes Cultus Bay. And if you're a pizza lover (who isn't??), you gotta check out Langley's Village Pizzeria and get the Sicilian Crust.

Your tummy will be so full when you leave. 

 Downtown Coupeville's main street is lined with shops and restaurants, 

such as the craveable Knead and Feed.

 Jeremy and I have gotten to bike the trails at Fort Ebey a couple times, 

the Bluff Trail is the most scenic we've ridden yet, 

also great for walkers, this is must for any Washingtonian.

 Killing time, taking photos while Jeremy got the bikes ready.

 Got in some Disc Golf at the newly constructed Fort Nugent Park.

 Deception Pass

 Walking the Beach

 Keep your eyes open for wildlife

 A cheerful little chipper at our campsite.

Whether you've been here or not, I hope you will get to spend some time on this island gem. Enjoy! 

Bend, Oregon

One of our best camping trips was back in September of 2008, when I was just moving into the 2nd trimester and getting over morning sickness with our son. My family and I had vacationed in Bend a few years before and enjoyed it so much, I was anxious to take Jeremy and relive some of those great memories and make new ones for ourselves.

The trip started with a night in Portland and good friends. 

We heard about Voodoo Doughnuts and well, Jeremy needed 

to try the "Captain my Captain". We also got the Mountain Dew  

and my favorite, French Cruellers.

 We came early September and did not realize that East of the Cascades 

would be so frigid after the sun went down. We spent our first night awake, 

shivering until 5:30am when we decided to go find a coffee shop. 

We found this gem, Thump, in the artsy downtown. I loved the cozy decor, 

they had wooden slats hanging from the ceiling that guests had written 

their wishes on: my favorites were "that Bryan Adams would come 

to Bend" and one a child had written "for families to have a good time". 

 Thankfully, the yurt next to our campsite opened up and we moved on in. 

Tumalo State Park was awesome, close to town, but near the Deschutes 

River for early morning fishing. Our neighbors were the nicest camp host 

you'd ever meet, he brought us chips and a bowl of his freshly roasted salsa.

 One of the many parks you can hike or ride.

 One of the highlights, the Lava Caves. 

Bring a jacket! Not for closterfobes!

 This was a fun trail to ride which followed the edge of the lava flow, 

you can also drive to the beautiful Benham Falls.

 We took a day to visit Sisters, and got in a game of Disc Golf.

 Got to fly fish the Metolius. Yikes, the white balance is way off!?!

Oh yeah.

 Best find in Bend, The Sparrow Bakery, 

tucked away, all by itself, this rustic little bakery.

A uniquely gourmet menu.

   

The River Trail which extends for miles along the Deschutes River 

is a peaceful walk in town with beautiful homes and gardens to drool over.

In all our travels, Bend is the one place Jeremy says he could settle. We learned that a few years ago Donald Trump was asked where to invest money, his answer: Bend, OR. The town has seen tremendous growth in the last decade and continues to thrive. The Old Mill district is a unique shopping center with a lot of your favorite stores. Other local attractions: the popular ski resort at Mt. Bachelor; the touristy Sun River and the rock climbing hub at Smith Rock.

For more information on things to do, places to stay, food to eat, click here.

The Lavender Festival - Sequim

Another floral gem in our state are the Lavender fields. I love Sequim, I love the Olympic Peninsula, I love, I love Lavender, call me an old lady, but an old lady that smells good. I have sweet memories of going to Sequim on numerous trips: picking berries with my Grandma, Lavender Lattes with a friend on our way to Hurricane Ridge, and most recently a camping trip for our anniversary.

 Another time, another place.

 We would stay at Sequim Bay State Park again: quiet, hot showers, 

convenient, close to town. We pulled in, got our tent set up 

and went to town for hot drinks at The Buzz.

 Always gotta remember your site.

 Jeremy was sweet to let me visit as many fields as I could, 

my favorite farm is Purple Haze, who have been featured in magazines.

 Sequim's other claim to fame is the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

home of the popular delicacy: Dungeness Crab.

 Where we wanted to eat at Cedarbrook Herb Farm...

...Where our budget wanted us to eat. 

(You can't beat Costco Polish Dogs anyway.)

We had our morning latte at Hurricane Coffee Company, their beans roasted by Tully's. Cool atmosphere, Lively shop. A lot of gifty boutiques to browse downtown along W Washington St. The city hosts a Farmer's Market every Saturday during the summer season.  My parents also went to Sequim for an anniversary trip several years ago and recommend visiting the Olympic Game Farm, especially if you have little ones.

For their official tourism website click here.