From LA to SEATTLE

Living in LA is great…most of the time.  Who can complain that the mild winters and summer heat provide us Angelinos with optimum Vitamin D all year around?  Yet, to many SoCal inhabitants there is something so alluring about that strange phenomena called “weather.” It fascinates us, in all its limitless beauty and terrifying wonder.  This past weekend, my fiance and I packed what we could in our backpacks and left the 70 degrees and mild for the crisp, fresh PNW air.

Newly engaged, my fiance Ryan and I often day dream about the places we  could put down roots. Seattle has always been at the forefront of our minds and this quick weekend trip was our first taste of what could very well prove be a far and wide city search.

We found much to love about Seattle and, as with any city, some things that gave us pause.  Ryan is a progressive, green-living type of guy so his fascination with the Seattle lifestyle was palpable and quite literally breathed a little life back into his worldview. For all of its energy and emerging trends, living in Los Angeles can do a number on your relationships and connection with the natural world. Admittedly, this Seattle excursion was only a weekend trip so we were limited to exploring only what we could fit into 48 hours, but I think any time spent outside of your hometown is beneficial. Ryan marveled at the downtown architecture, the considerable absence of smog and the city’s homage to the surrounding natural beauty.  My favorite memory of the trip was walking along Puget Sound, freezing but feeling more alive than I have in the last few months at home. This trip, we did not mean to spend our time cramming in every tourist attraction, but instead to saunter around downtown and find ourselves happily stumbling upon the community that is Seattle.

Foodie Paradise

For me, food defines a place and Seattle did not disappoint.  It seemed like the phrase of the weekend was “this is so delicious!”  Coming from LA, a foodie’s dreamland, we didn’t expect to find ourselves swept away by the pnw food-lover utopia. We tried to diversify our palates by scarfing down as much food as we could manage in two days.  I was in heaven in this coffee haven and treated myself to Anchorhead and Storyville coffee. We paid a visit to the Russian bakery Piroshky Piroshky for some tasty, gooey treats, dinned on avocado toast at Mr. West Cafe – how millennial of us!- and spent an enchanted evening overlooking the water at The Pink Door. Of course, we can’t forget Ryan’s favorite donuts at Lola! This list doesn’t include the delicacies we sampled at Pike’s Market or the Bar Crawl that was our Saturday night.

Breath of Fresh Air

If there is one thing Ryan and I took from our quick trip to Seattle, it was to remember to take a time out from our busy schedule to enjoy what our home has to offer.  By home I mean Los Angeles, yes, but I also mean our country and our Earth.  People often fantasize about travelling to distant lands across the ocean but for those of us who are busily working, trying to carve out a small piece of life for ourselves, it’s important to remember adventure can be found in your own backyard (without sounding too cliche). We left Seattle with a renewed sense of gratitude.  From an outsider’s perspective, the city is in the midst of a technological boom. Construction is underway on what seemed like every street in the city, but despite the immediate inconvenience building brings, more innovation and opportunity is being born.  As millennials in search of a place to belong, we enjoyed the change in pace form the glitz and glam of Hollywood. While we were in town, we met some really lovely people from all over the world and slowed down just enough to recharge our body and breath a little deeper.