The Pacific Northwest files, part two…

Hello my sweet friends,

Slowly but surely I am coming out of the dark and stormy haze that came my way this month.  The privilege to write this blog for you is a big part of what lifts me up. Immediately the Dave Matthews song comes to mind, “pick me up love…from the bottom… up to the top love… everyday…”

I thought I’d continue where we left off on the trip I took back in December and share the pics from the Seattle leg of our travels. It was such a treat to finally visit this beautiful (!!!!) city I’ve read about my entire life. Vancouver, you’re next!

A gorgeous shot taken from the train ride from Portland to Seattle. HIGHLY recommend the train and if I were serious about branding and marketing, I’d find a way to bring train travel back to its glory days in this country. Make it pretty, romantic, mysterious, sexy. I will say the decorum of the train we rode in had a great retro vibe which made it feel especially hip.

The first and lasting impression of Seattle I took with me – how so very SWEET AND GRACIOUS everyone was. Made friends everywhere we went.

Other lasting impressions:  the beauty of this part of the country, the incredible food ( its everywhere!) and the emphasis on the “craft” cocktail. The “speak easy” kinds of places that haven’t quite made their way to the middle yet (I googled craft cocktail, speak easy, prohibition and one place popped up in the W downtown Atlanta). It’s a total throwback vibe. All the bartenders wear suspenders and/or bow ties and take great pride and care in mixing the perfect cocktail for you. Just before presenting you with it, they slip a straw in to taste, making sure its just right. “I feel like I’m drinking a flower” shouted my friend Jilly. It was like watching and tasting art.

I dig this pic Jill took of Lara. I have a feeling her little girl Molly “Munch” is going to enjoy having this when she is older and can appreciate Mom traveling and living life. We love the Munch…

The interior of the Portland train station. Beautiful architecture.

Whenever I think about or see a train station, I can’t help but think of the gorgeous train station that once was, in the City of Detroit. It lays in ruins now but was designed by the same individuals that built Grand Central Station. I’m holding out hope that one day it will be returned to its former glory.

You can see the striking resemblance to Grand Central. 
The owner of the Michigan Central Depot is the same billionaire that owns the Ambassador Bridge and who was recently put behind bars for not following a court order. I once wrote him a letter urging him to preserve and somehow resurrect the structure but no response. Deaf ears perhaps. 
(Via google images)

You know by now my love of creative window displays…esp those with a great message.

A green glass collection that rivals Marthas.

An excellent gallery wall display via WATSON KENNEDY. An amazing store where all these pics were taken. The place was stocked full of whimsy and “be happy” vibes. Thank you sweet ladies for allowing me to take pics. Nothing chaps my a@@ more when I walk into a store and there is a big sign that reads, “absolutely no photography!” Not even a please? How soon we forget one of the first lessons in life…sharing.

Took this one for the kiddos. Lava lamps and monster babies were on their list this past Christmas.

More whimsical window display via the experts, Anthropologie
Very cool. Very creative. Very Vuitton. 
Twinkle. 
Speaking of beautiful messages, walked out of the restaurant and right into this…some sweet soul wrote for others to read. Random acts of kindness are contagious. I texted it to lover boy and am quite certain many others had the same idea. 
The famous Pike Place Market. 
Throw the fish!!!

This picture doesn’t even come close to doing these guys justice. They were like the size of petite filets, every single one. I couldn’t help but think HOW LUCKY ARE YOU ALL THAT LIVE HERE!? No wonder everyone is so nice. You can walk down here anytime you want and pick up a fabulous meal for dinner time.

Biggest crab legs I have ever laid eyes on (again the pic just doesn’t do it justice). They were as long as my arm! I leaned over to the person next to me and said, I don’t know about you but I’d be downright scared to come up on that crab in the ocean. 
Heirloom heaven
It’s like a beautiful Monet…
A crusty old scale. Would look great hanging over a kitchen counter doing double duty as a fruit bowl. 
The mushrooms made the trek back to Atlanta at that price.  
Along with some heirlooms and the amazing cheese they sell here. Made for a nice wine and cheese tray on the plane ride home. Had to take a pic of the logo. Love it. They just opened their second location in NYC. You can order the mac and cheese on line! 
The more color in your diet, the better, they say. 
Look at that beautiful Romanesco, a popular ingredient in these parts. Its so pretty it could stand alone as its own centerpiece. A few of these piled inside a wooden bowl would be gorgeous on a table. 
For the love of orange! Beep, beep. 

Standing under a gorgeous display of “snow fall” inside Anthropologie…

Mason jar snow globes. Maybe the kids and I will try to make one of these next year.

I love everything about this picture. I thought the floors were sweet with that hint of blue stone, the weathered beaten patina of the bench (would also make beautiful floors!) and the shaggy pillow. Can you say sucker for texture?

Some chevron sparkle. These reminded me of all the beautiful ornaments my Mother-in-law Jan gave us over the years. We miss her sparkle. Whatever life Grandma Jan was dishing out, we were eating it! xo

This was the coolest store and for the life of me I cannot remember the name. It was based out of London and had over 6,000 (!!!) vintage sewing machines in the Seattle store alone.

The floors in here were gorgeous as well. Look at all those vintage spools!

DIY necklace inspiration. I was digging the tones of the pink stones and thought to myself, ut oh, maybe mauve’s making a comeback? 
LOVED this Marc by Marc Jacobs skirt while shopping at Nordstrom’s flagship store. Sadly it did not make the trip back. Boo! 

The color and shine of this top made me think of gorgeous FULL drapes and the blue fur, some fun, funky accent pillows. Design inspiration is everywhere.

And this just rocked. With some high nude platform pumps. Yeow!

Saying goodbye to the beautiful Northwest corner of this great country…cheers!

This post is dedicated to my friend Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration, information and guiding light in the blogging world. I love my gig, many thanks to you!  xo

4 comments

  1. We took our honeymoon in Seattle & Vancouver! That train ride was magical. Vancouver is incredible. Never wanted to leave! Great post, Jen.

  2. The craft cocktail is popular here in Detroit Jen! First at Cliff Bells of course, so much fun, I worked on two film sets at this great institution. Also in Ferndale at Valentine Vodka and The Oakland. Coming soon is the Sugar House Bar downtown. What I would love to do is to share one of those tasty treats at the Book Cadillac on your next visit! Miss you, get in touch next time in town. I love to read your blog Jen, congratulations on your success. xoxo

    1. Leave it to the D! Sounds like heaven. I’m sure there has to be others here. I should of asked Wendy instead of Sir google. ;-))) Can’t wait for summer to get here so we can check em out! xo

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