Goodbye, Seattle

This is where I... 

Broke bones,

Felt at home,

Made friends,

Broke hearts,

Found love, 

Grew and stretched.

...

But now it's time for this chapter to close, and I'm so ready for the new one to begin. It feels right to go.  

Bring it on, future!

Life Lately via Instagram

Seattle had an early summer (now it's gone),

Cafe Presse and Tavern Law with gal pals,

Just got back from a weekend in Portland,

which included a masquerade benefit and a chocolate fountain.

...

Six days until we say goodbye to Slugs.

19 days until I say goodbye to Seattle.

Delectable

Been eating lots of good food with my mom these past few days (above are buckwheat pancakes from Portage Bay Cafe). Today we're taking the water taxi to West Seattle -- the weather has been beautiful! Life is good.

Mama Visit

Dahlias at Pike Place Market

Hi blog! My beloved mother is visiting me here in Seattle ... Can't wait to share more photos!

Have a nice weekend!

Back North

{source}

Saying goodbye to the gorgeous weather (70 degrees today!) and my family... Heading back to Seattle. Where it's cold. And rainy. Ugh, get over it, Allie.

Happy First Day of Summer!

Holy tomatoes, aren't you so happy that summer is here?! Ohhemmgeee me too!

Here are some summery tunes for you to listen to and get you in a summah summah summah time mood (heard both of these peeps on Sunday at the Fremont Fair):



{Kris Orlowski. Gorgeous voice. Mellow and dreamy music.}




{Hot Bodies in Motion. Sexy music. Groovy and poppy.}

Bonus points: Hate to flatter the vanities of these rockstars, but it definitely doesn't hurt that they're all quite handsome :)

And a P.S.: Moorea Seal did the album covers for BOTH of them. She's that cool.

Walking on Sunshine

image from fryd + design

Happy weekend, everyone! Looks like it's going to be a fairly sunny one in Seattle-- thank heavens! I'm off to do a little downtown shopping, and hopefully catch some rays tomorrow and Sunday. Love you, peace!

Of Note:

A country spring wedding

Liking the kitty cover on N.E.E.T. Magazine!

Can I live here, please?

Brightly colored kitchen towels

Currently sporting one of these iPhone wallpapers

Sweet moves, sweet dresses

Dessert, Italian style

Ballard or Bust

Here's a link to an article I wrote about my favorite Seattle neighborhood (which I also happen to call home), Ballard.

No Offense, Seattle...

But I wish I wasn't coming back to you so soon...

Flying to the rainy north at six. :(

Operation: Oyster

Operation: Oyster was a success! As you'll remember, I went to The Walrus and the Carpenter last night with Danielle and Leslie. I got a Kumamoto oyster, and doused it with lemon juice, a vinegar and garlic sauce, and a little bit of grated horseradish. It was slimy, as I had expected, but the flavor was quite pleasant. I'm definitely not crazy for them like some (Leslie had, like, 11), but I'm glad I was brave.

Other than that, we had quite the feast. Here's what we got: a "death in the evening" cocktail (vodka, sparkling wine, pastis, lime), a bottle of Marchesi de Gresy Nebbiolo (a nice red), taleggio cheese with pickled beets (a new favorite cheese!), seared scallop with truffles and watercress (I die), potato gratin (pictured above), and for dessert, some kind of pumpkin bread thing with fresh whipped cream.

In other words, go there.

Back to Seattle

Had a great little Christmas break in California; saw SO MANY lovely people.

Now, back to Seattle to celebrate New Year's Eve and kick off 2011.

Bon voyage!

Goodbye, for now

I hate traveling sometimes. That's why I just upgraded to a seat with extra leg-room, as a little present to myself. Totes something MK/Ashley would do, amiright?

Bye, Santa Barbara. See you in a month.

Thursday: Poppy

So excited: Tomorrow I'm going to Poppy, a restaurant on Capitol Hill that's participating in Seattle Restaurant Week. Seattle Restaurant Week is awesome because lots and lots of wonderful restaurants in the city offer three course meals for the snazzy price of $25.

First of all, those amazing-looking things on the bottom-left are eggplant fries... YES PLEASE. Also, their cocktails sound delicious. WOOHOO!

Snuggie

Does it feel like autumn where you are, reader? It definitely feels like it here in Seattle! All I want to do is bundle up in a warm blanket and snuggle with someone cute. Have a wonderful first weekend of autumn; do something seasonal and fun, like baking a pie, knitting a scarf, or going for a brisk walk!

Of Note:

I love quirky necklaces

Read A Cup of Jo's birth story! It's so amazing!

I downloaded this app that helps you figure out what to wear based on the weather!

An interview with my beloved Garance... who turns out to be Star Wars fan!

Kate Spade's cutesie calendar is definitely on my wish-list.

A list of the top 10 stories about sisters... lots of wonderful ones!

Alice Lane is a uniquely beautiful makeup artist... check out what's in her makeup bag!

Joe's Birthday

The four of us rode our bikes to the West Seattle water taxi for dear Joseph's birthday!

Bye, Seattle proper!

It was the first day of the season that it was open, so we got to ride it for free!

I heart the Northwest

Such kindred spirits

The day was beautiful...

As was the company!

Team Coco!

The latest issue of the magazine I write for, etc, just came out, and guess who is on the cover?

CONAN O'BRIEN! We have a grad who works(ed) with him on The Tonight Show, and he was gracious enough to appear in our humble mag!
...
It was sort of an ill-timed thing-- we had no idea what drama was in store for dear Coco when we first got the story-- but we're so happy to feature him! He's an amazing man, and I have a lot of respect for him.

You can read my story on fun indoor things to do in Seattle here.

Le Panier Bakery

One of my favorite bakeries in Seattle is Le Panier, as French a bakery as you can get in the U.S., located along Pike Place Market.

My most desired pastry, a croissant with an apricot in the middle, is pictured above.

After my two week stay in Paris, Le Panier definitely calmed my francophile nerves.

Locals Only

As a Seattleite (for four years, and going strong!), I'm aware that one of the best local reads is Seattle Magazine.

Well, I just recently got plugged into the online version of it (since everything in the universe is online now) and I am not disappointed.

If you live in the Emerald City, I highly recommend you check it out!

Find out what the best restaurants of 2009 are according to Seattle Mag.

Read the Weekend Must List.

Browse Seattle's colorful 'hoods.

The End of Civilization As We Know It

One of the most depressing things going on right now is the deaths of so many national and regional daily newspapers. As NPR says, "these are dark times for the venerable tradition of newspapers." It honestly makes my heart feel like breaking. I don't want to just find my news and read the Lifestyle section online. How utterly depressing! There is nothing in the world like the smell of newspaper ink (which, fyi, is good to sniff when you have a stomach ache), or parking yourself in a coffee shop with the New York Times crossword. Maybe we should go back to the days of employing little boys to sell "papes" on street corners... Or not. I mean, seriously, my dream of being a hard-hitting reporter for a major newspaper is crumbling right before my eyes. It is the end of an era... Doesn't anyone care? For more insight, read "Chronicling The Death of American Newspapers" on NPR.

Autumn in Seattle

All taken along the canal between Queen Anne and Fremont