Penelicious
06-27-2007, 03:21 PM
Especially for Roya--I hope this helps!! :waving
So, I just got back from a 5day/5night bittersweet vacation to the great state of Washington. The trip was an unexpected one as I helped my older sister move to be closer to her new job at Microsoft. Part of me was super excited to visit a new city and part of me was super sad that I would be leaving behind my best friend but that's neither here nor there. I've divided up the review so that if you suffer from ADD, you can pick and choose the parts you'd like to read!
FLIGhT REVIEW--CONTINENTAL AND PET POLICIES
We started off our trip in First Class Seats on Continental (thanks Microsoft) and although this was my first time traveling first class, I have to say I was beyond disappointed in the service and overall experience of it. We brought along my 5 pound pooch Chloe along for the ride and literally from the moment we stepped on the plane the head stewardess berated and singled us out for unwarranted "abuse". She pretty much YELLED at us in front of the entire plane that we did not have a reservation for our pooch (we did) and then proceeded to call my sister a liar and started to tell us how a fellow passenger paid $65 for their pooch to fly and that we were trying to scam them and to "GET OFF ThE PLANE!!" Only when the vein in my sisters forehead appeared and this dipshit did some research and FOUND that not only did my dog have a reservation BUT we also paid $200 for her to fly, did she retreat. Unfortunately, she never apologized and I will DEFINITELY be writing a scathing letter to Continental ratting her and her ill manners out. :booted But anyway, beside that fiasco first class was NOT all that. Besides the fact that you are given a menu with your food options and are served a warm cookie at the end of the flight it isn't all that and a bag of chips. In fact, I'd rather fly Jet Blue ANYDAY over any other airline.
DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Upon arrival into Seattle-Tac International Airport, you are greeted by what defines Seattle--NATURE. That's right, although they are a mini-concrete jungle (compared to NY, everything is mini) the city is surrounded by 2 mountain ranges--the Cascades and the Olympus mountains and as a result, there is a great bounty of beautiful trees/forests/wildlife that seem to seep into the city making it a hybrid between man-made beauty and natural beauty. As a result, the skyline is vibrant (even under all those clouds) and the air is wonderfully crisp and dry (even amidst all those buildings).
My sisters temporary residence was situated in the heart of Downtown Seattle and just a hop, skip and a jump away from Pikes Place Market. Pikes Place Market is one of the main tourist attractions in Seattle so as a result, the surrounding area is filled with lots of tourists, high priced stores and TONS of homeless/meth addicts. This left a very bad taste in my mouth since it was my first impression of Seattle. Pikes Place Market is also home to the worlds first Starbucks and home to the famous "fish throwing market". I've attached pictures below...
Further West (or was it East?) was Belltown. This part of town is famous for its nightlife and restaurants. If you are expecting Seattle to be "grunge" you are totally mistaken. Instead, its a mixture of Jazz, hip hop and rock. This area resembled Tribeca in physical appearance with the heart of a Soho-ish vibe and crowd. There are less homeless folk i n this part of town as well, and the streets are a buzz with crowds until late at night. Additionally, there are TONS of high rises in this area (mostly condos) which makes it a prime spot for young urbanites to live.
ShOPPING IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Downtown Seattle is also home to TONS of unique boutiques. Besides the normall shopping center with easily recognized names (Nordstrom, Macy's, Pottery Barn, Barney's, etc.) most of the shops in Seattle are privately owned boutiques and are chock full of great deals!! Prices are relatively the same as they are here and sales tax is also the same, so don't expect to get "steals" while you are there. Instead, expect to get unique pieces that you might not find here. The majority of people in Seattle are pretty much laid back and VERY patient and this is reflected in their clothing as well. Outfits are trendy without being too worked on and there is a slight bohemian feel strewn throughout every type of image/fashion trend.
SPACE NEEDLE
The space Needle was created for the 1962 World's Fair, ,which was held in Seattle. The needle is a little over 500 ft. high and you take an elevator to the top where you have a 360 degree view of Seattle and its surrounding cities. Being that I'm a self proclaimed fraidy cat, I was definitely nervous about being that high but it was well worth it when we finally got up there and I got to witness a FULL and VIBRANT rainbow. (coincedentally, it was also Gay Pride Day in Seattle, so I thought it was really special for the gays to have that happen that day!)
CAPITAL hILL
Capital hill is Seattle's answer to NY's boroughs. Capital hill is a mixture of young students, semi-successful gays (the more successful gays are in First hill and Beacon hill) and young urbanites who are looking for a mixture of urban and suburban. Definitely wasn't my cup of tea, but it's a pretty community set atop a number of windy hills. AND YES, there are TONS of hills in Seattle--which might explain why lots of people drive rather than walk! :lostit
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
More of a tourist destination rather than a place to consider living, Bainbridge is a quaint island about a 40 minute ferry ride away from Seattle. Very West hamptonish in style, look and feel.
Queen Anne
Queen Anne is suburban living at its finest right outside of Seattle. There are breathtaking views of the city and of Mt. Ranier, but is definitely more of a family oriented place.
FREEMONT
Modern day hippies have taken over this part of Seattle and made it their home leaving their free-spirited mark everywhere you turn. Double decker buses roam the street. Funky architecture adorns the buildings and there is even a "troll" underneath the Freemont bridge which is an eclectic and precise representation of the town.
MADISON PARK
Madison Park is an ultra chic suburb with a dash of urban vibe dotting its coastline. Situated on the bay, there are high rise condos alongside the shoreline. There are also amazingly beautiful mini mansions in the neighborhood as well which attracts successful singles both young and old. There are great restaurants and bars and Cactus Grill is somewhere I would definitely recommend to go!!
KIRKLAND/REDMOND AREA
We drove into Kirkland and Redmond Area so that we could have a BBQ meet and greet with my sisters new staff at Microsoft headquarters. Needless to say, the
Microsoft campus is hUGE and they employ nearly 35,000 Seattlites!! I expected the staff and building itself to be a bit more intimidating, but it was rather quaint and "normal" looking. The Redmond and Kirkland area are TOTAL suburbia and reminded me of parts of Westchester and Long Island. Definitely a lovely place to retire to with a family.
RESTAURANTS
here are some yummy restaurants and their locations:
Cactus Grill/Madison Park
Lola/Belltown--kick ass Mediterranean food!! :yummy
Wild Ginger/Belltown--delicious Thai Food
Chez Shea/Pikes Place Market--go their for breakfast and have the salmon, spinach and cheese omelette--to die for!
Queen City Grille/Belltown--lots of fresh and yummy Seafood!
Overall, I can't say that it was life at first sight for Seattle and I, BUT, I did find myself falling in love by the end of my trip and seriously considering a move there (then again, I think about moving everywhere I visit). I definitely wasn't expecting much to do, but Seattle proved me wrong. In fact, Seattle is a plethora of variety. You can live it up in the city, take a ferry to the country or just enjoy the mountain ranges right from your balcony. There is whale watching from March to May or mountain climbing at any time (Mt. Ranier is only 100 miles away). All in all, Seattle was intriguing enough that I'm already looking for a ticket to go back and friendly enough that spending more time there doesn't seem like torture. And as for the rain? A few drizzles here and there, but overall, no humidity and average temperatures of 60 degrees ALL YEAR LONG.
So all I'm left thinking.....if Seattle was home to Grunge, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, why they hell were they so sad? :shrugger
So, I just got back from a 5day/5night bittersweet vacation to the great state of Washington. The trip was an unexpected one as I helped my older sister move to be closer to her new job at Microsoft. Part of me was super excited to visit a new city and part of me was super sad that I would be leaving behind my best friend but that's neither here nor there. I've divided up the review so that if you suffer from ADD, you can pick and choose the parts you'd like to read!
FLIGhT REVIEW--CONTINENTAL AND PET POLICIES
We started off our trip in First Class Seats on Continental (thanks Microsoft) and although this was my first time traveling first class, I have to say I was beyond disappointed in the service and overall experience of it. We brought along my 5 pound pooch Chloe along for the ride and literally from the moment we stepped on the plane the head stewardess berated and singled us out for unwarranted "abuse". She pretty much YELLED at us in front of the entire plane that we did not have a reservation for our pooch (we did) and then proceeded to call my sister a liar and started to tell us how a fellow passenger paid $65 for their pooch to fly and that we were trying to scam them and to "GET OFF ThE PLANE!!" Only when the vein in my sisters forehead appeared and this dipshit did some research and FOUND that not only did my dog have a reservation BUT we also paid $200 for her to fly, did she retreat. Unfortunately, she never apologized and I will DEFINITELY be writing a scathing letter to Continental ratting her and her ill manners out. :booted But anyway, beside that fiasco first class was NOT all that. Besides the fact that you are given a menu with your food options and are served a warm cookie at the end of the flight it isn't all that and a bag of chips. In fact, I'd rather fly Jet Blue ANYDAY over any other airline.
DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Upon arrival into Seattle-Tac International Airport, you are greeted by what defines Seattle--NATURE. That's right, although they are a mini-concrete jungle (compared to NY, everything is mini) the city is surrounded by 2 mountain ranges--the Cascades and the Olympus mountains and as a result, there is a great bounty of beautiful trees/forests/wildlife that seem to seep into the city making it a hybrid between man-made beauty and natural beauty. As a result, the skyline is vibrant (even under all those clouds) and the air is wonderfully crisp and dry (even amidst all those buildings).
My sisters temporary residence was situated in the heart of Downtown Seattle and just a hop, skip and a jump away from Pikes Place Market. Pikes Place Market is one of the main tourist attractions in Seattle so as a result, the surrounding area is filled with lots of tourists, high priced stores and TONS of homeless/meth addicts. This left a very bad taste in my mouth since it was my first impression of Seattle. Pikes Place Market is also home to the worlds first Starbucks and home to the famous "fish throwing market". I've attached pictures below...
Further West (or was it East?) was Belltown. This part of town is famous for its nightlife and restaurants. If you are expecting Seattle to be "grunge" you are totally mistaken. Instead, its a mixture of Jazz, hip hop and rock. This area resembled Tribeca in physical appearance with the heart of a Soho-ish vibe and crowd. There are less homeless folk i n this part of town as well, and the streets are a buzz with crowds until late at night. Additionally, there are TONS of high rises in this area (mostly condos) which makes it a prime spot for young urbanites to live.
ShOPPING IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
Downtown Seattle is also home to TONS of unique boutiques. Besides the normall shopping center with easily recognized names (Nordstrom, Macy's, Pottery Barn, Barney's, etc.) most of the shops in Seattle are privately owned boutiques and are chock full of great deals!! Prices are relatively the same as they are here and sales tax is also the same, so don't expect to get "steals" while you are there. Instead, expect to get unique pieces that you might not find here. The majority of people in Seattle are pretty much laid back and VERY patient and this is reflected in their clothing as well. Outfits are trendy without being too worked on and there is a slight bohemian feel strewn throughout every type of image/fashion trend.
SPACE NEEDLE
The space Needle was created for the 1962 World's Fair, ,which was held in Seattle. The needle is a little over 500 ft. high and you take an elevator to the top where you have a 360 degree view of Seattle and its surrounding cities. Being that I'm a self proclaimed fraidy cat, I was definitely nervous about being that high but it was well worth it when we finally got up there and I got to witness a FULL and VIBRANT rainbow. (coincedentally, it was also Gay Pride Day in Seattle, so I thought it was really special for the gays to have that happen that day!)
CAPITAL hILL
Capital hill is Seattle's answer to NY's boroughs. Capital hill is a mixture of young students, semi-successful gays (the more successful gays are in First hill and Beacon hill) and young urbanites who are looking for a mixture of urban and suburban. Definitely wasn't my cup of tea, but it's a pretty community set atop a number of windy hills. AND YES, there are TONS of hills in Seattle--which might explain why lots of people drive rather than walk! :lostit
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
More of a tourist destination rather than a place to consider living, Bainbridge is a quaint island about a 40 minute ferry ride away from Seattle. Very West hamptonish in style, look and feel.
Queen Anne
Queen Anne is suburban living at its finest right outside of Seattle. There are breathtaking views of the city and of Mt. Ranier, but is definitely more of a family oriented place.
FREEMONT
Modern day hippies have taken over this part of Seattle and made it their home leaving their free-spirited mark everywhere you turn. Double decker buses roam the street. Funky architecture adorns the buildings and there is even a "troll" underneath the Freemont bridge which is an eclectic and precise representation of the town.
MADISON PARK
Madison Park is an ultra chic suburb with a dash of urban vibe dotting its coastline. Situated on the bay, there are high rise condos alongside the shoreline. There are also amazingly beautiful mini mansions in the neighborhood as well which attracts successful singles both young and old. There are great restaurants and bars and Cactus Grill is somewhere I would definitely recommend to go!!
KIRKLAND/REDMOND AREA
We drove into Kirkland and Redmond Area so that we could have a BBQ meet and greet with my sisters new staff at Microsoft headquarters. Needless to say, the
Microsoft campus is hUGE and they employ nearly 35,000 Seattlites!! I expected the staff and building itself to be a bit more intimidating, but it was rather quaint and "normal" looking. The Redmond and Kirkland area are TOTAL suburbia and reminded me of parts of Westchester and Long Island. Definitely a lovely place to retire to with a family.
RESTAURANTS
here are some yummy restaurants and their locations:
Cactus Grill/Madison Park
Lola/Belltown--kick ass Mediterranean food!! :yummy
Wild Ginger/Belltown--delicious Thai Food
Chez Shea/Pikes Place Market--go their for breakfast and have the salmon, spinach and cheese omelette--to die for!
Queen City Grille/Belltown--lots of fresh and yummy Seafood!
Overall, I can't say that it was life at first sight for Seattle and I, BUT, I did find myself falling in love by the end of my trip and seriously considering a move there (then again, I think about moving everywhere I visit). I definitely wasn't expecting much to do, but Seattle proved me wrong. In fact, Seattle is a plethora of variety. You can live it up in the city, take a ferry to the country or just enjoy the mountain ranges right from your balcony. There is whale watching from March to May or mountain climbing at any time (Mt. Ranier is only 100 miles away). All in all, Seattle was intriguing enough that I'm already looking for a ticket to go back and friendly enough that spending more time there doesn't seem like torture. And as for the rain? A few drizzles here and there, but overall, no humidity and average temperatures of 60 degrees ALL YEAR LONG.
So all I'm left thinking.....if Seattle was home to Grunge, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, why they hell were they so sad? :shrugger