I’m finally back in California after spending four fun-filled days in Seattle visiting my friend Trisha. I’ve traveled to numerous cities around Europe but I haven’t seen that many places within the United States so I was excited to explore a new city and visit a friend.

I had met Trisha last year in Florence where she was working as an au pair. She’s originally from Spokane, Washington but recently moved here after leaving Italy this past October. So when I told her I was going home for a few months, she suggested that I come visit her! Tommaso and I were more than thrilled to visit her since she was one of the people we would go out with in Florence last year. We arrived in Seattle around noon on Thursday and checked in our Airbnb where you can rent a room or an entire house/apartment. If you’ve never tried using Airbnb, I highly recommend it! Our apartment was located in Capitol Hill, a quirky hip area about 20 minutes walking distance from downtown Seattle.

Once dropping our bags off at the apartment, we headed to Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Farmers markets, fish markets, crafts markets, speciality food stores, and unique collectible stores all in one place!

After exploring Pike Place Market, which took a good amount of time since there’s so much to see, we walked down to Waterfront Park and then visited Seattle’s Aquarium. 

Later, we walked to Pioneer Square, one of my favorite areas of the city. Pioneer Square is known as Seattle’s first neighborhood, historically rich with Renaissance revival architecture, unique boutiques, and trendy restaurants.

After exploring the downtown area, we relaxed back at our apartment before our dinner reservation at Canlis, a beautiful restaurant with a spectacular view of the city.

Their menu is designed where you can choose a tasting menu of three or four courses or choose just a few dishes from à la carte menu. We decided to do the four course tasting menu and we were each able to choose different dishes.

Canlis served elegant and delicious food to match the beautiful ambience. My favorite dishes were the roasted sunchoke, Muscovy duck, and the mille-feuille. The roasted sunchoke was earthy and tender with sweet caramel black garlic and crispy kale. The Muscovy duck main course was without a doubt the best dish of the night. The duck itself was cooked perfectly (medium rare to medium) with crispy crunchy skin and tender meat. The croquette, which was made from duck confit, was packed with loads of flavor. All the other components only enhanced the dish. Lastly, the mille-feuille was expertly crafted with layers of milk chocolate, banana, caramel, and peanut butter. The dessert was served with creamy banana ice cream, chewy macaroon, and a piece of slow cooked banana. The only disappointing dish of the night was the Canlis soufflé. While it looked beautiful, the soufflé had an eggy smell and eggy taste, a big no no when it comes to soufflés. The crème anglaise itself was delicious but not enough to salvage the dessert. Overall I’d rate Canlis at a 7.5-8/10 for delectable food in a stunning atmosphere.

After dinner, we headed to Q Nightclub for a night on the town! We were so excited to not only see Trisha but also my other friend Curtis from back home who was visiting Seattle the same weekend.

What a fun night with some of my favorite people! I don’t drink that much anymore but this night I got slightly carried away because I was so excited to see both of my friends. The next day, I definitely felt the consequences of the previous night’s shenanigans :(. Once I felt better, Tommaso and I went to a small Mexican restaurant for lunch called Taco Chukís in Capitol Hill. The food was scrumptious! My favorite item was the Adobada house taco, marinated pork with spices, beans, salsa, guacamole, and grilled pineapple (the pineapple added a delicious sweetness to the taco).

After lunch we went to Kerry Park, a great place to get a scenic view of Seattle. We stayed at the park till after sunset to also get a beautiful view of the city at night.

After enjoying a spectacular view, we headed back to Capitol Hill for dinner at Sitka and Spruce, a hip restaurant located inside a small market.

The food at Sitka and Spruce is definitely unique but not for everyone. If you’re not a true “foodie” or open to trying different flavor combinations then I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant for you. While I respect and admire the chefs creativity, some of the dishes were even a little “too out there” for me. Unquestionably, the best dish of the night was the quail with smoked mussels. Moist pieces of quail with tender plump morsels of mussels paired with crisp raw slices of rutabaga (yellow turnip) and a flavorful seafood jus. Overall I’d rate Sitka and Spruce at a 5.5-6/10 for innovative food in a casual fun atmosphere.

The next day, Tommaso and I went to Seattle’s famous landmark, the Space Needle where you can enjoy a 360º panorama of the city! Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day so we got an amazing view of the city.

Afterwards we headed to Chihuly Garden and Glass, right next to the Space Needle to see some incredible glass sculptures.

Since it was a beautiful day out, we walked down to Olympic Park and then to Myrtle Edwards Park for a nice walk.

Later in the afternoon, we met up with Trisha at Fremont Brewing Company where you can try many delicious kinds of beer.

Then we headed to the Fremont Troll, a public sculpture, under the Aurora bridge. The troll was even featured in the 1999 teen comedy, 10 Things I Hate About You, one of my favorite movies!

On our last day in Seattle, we enjoyed brunch at Restaurant Roux where they serve French Creole inspired food. We ordered chicken and waffles, jambalaya, andouille sausage, and creole fries; everything was tasty!

After a hearty brunch, we walked down to Gas Works Park, a public park on a former gasification plant site. Here you can also get a stunning view of downtown Seattle from across Lake Union.

Our last night in Seattle, we dined at a new modern Vietnamese restaurant called Stateside in Capitol Hill.

Stateside completely blew me away! All the food was fresh and delectable; every dish was extremely flavorful. Some of my favorite dishes of the meal were the duck rolls, pork ribs, and crème fraîche cheesecake. The duck rolls with savory meat and aromatic herbs all wrapped up in rice paper was a great appetizer. The chili cumin pork ribs were delicious and the meat literally fell off the bone! Lastly, the crème fraîche cheesecake was so light yet satisfying with airy lychee “snow” and lime zest. Stateside was my favorite restaurant that I tried in Seattle and therefore I’d rate my overall experience there at an 8/10.

I had a fantastic time in Seattle visiting friends and exploring a new city! I really enjoyed this city because it reminded me of San Francisco due to its laid back yet hip and quirky atmosphere. Even though I loved the Emerald city, it feels great to be back in sunny California!