Poulsbo
Our friends, Bri and Kyle, came out to visit this past weekend, so we wanted to show them some variety out here in the Pacific Northwest. On Friday night after work we made our way to Poulsbo, a small Scandinavian town in Kitsap county. We walked the cute downtown strip lined with Scandinavian decorated buildings and ended up at the Paella Bar for dinner. When we walked into the Paella Bar, we felt like we escaped America and entered Spain. They definitely had plenty of great sounding dishes, but we went for their awesome signature seafood paella. After dinner, we drove to the other side of Poulsbo to check out Rainy Daze. This brewery had a warehouse vibe with some indoor and outdoor seating. Our favorite beer here was the Mind Funk – a pale stout that looked like a pale ale but tasted like a hefty coffee stout.
Downtown Poulsbo: a Scandinavian community
Paella Bar
Seafood Paella
Rainy Daze Brewery
Mind Funk: a pale stout!
Downtown Poulsbo: a Scandinavian community
Paella Bar
Seafood Paella
Rainy Daze Brewery
Mind Funk: a pale stout!
Seattle Chocolate
We couldn’t have our friends come out and not visit the big city, so we spent our entire Saturday exploring Seattle! Our first stop was Seattle Chocolate, a chocolate factory about 20 minutes south of the city center. We did the chocolate factory tour that took about an hour. It was only $10, included lots of chocolate samples, and was quite informative. If you are looking to see the factory in action, try to book a tour on a weekday. We enjoyed this tour a lot and purchased plenty of chocolate to share with friends and family in the gift shop at the end. Our favorite things to purchase were from the “seconds rack.” They sell their not so perfect looking, but still great tasting chocolate in brown lunch bags for only $10 a bag. If you opt for one of their specialty bars, they are $4.50, so these bags are a great deal!
Seattle Chocolates
$10 chocolate leftover bags!
Seattle Chocolate Gift Shop
Seattle Chocolate Tour
Seattle Chocolate tasting!
So many chocolates!
Seattle Chocolates
$10 chocolate leftover bags!
Seattle Chocolate Gift Shop
Seattle Chocolate Tour
Seattle Chocolate tasting!
So many chocolates!
Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour
After our Seattle Chocolate tour, we drove up to Pioneer Square, home of Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour. This tour was a bit more expensive than the chocolate tour at $22.50, but we thought it was worth it to learn about some interesting early Seattle history. The tour started with a history presentation in a big room with probably about 150 people. After about 15 minutes, we split up into smaller groups of approximately 35 and started our underground tour for about 60 minutes. Our tour guide was witty and plenty loud for our group size. It was interesting to learn about some unwritten history while being in tunnels that used to be the street level of Seattle before the fire of 1889. Who knew present day Seattle was built on top of an old city!?
Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour
The old first floor of an original Seattle building that is now underground.
Learning about interesting Seattle history
Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour
The old first floor of an original Seattle building that is now underground.
Learning about interesting Seattle history
Biscuit B***h
Following the walking tour, it was time for lunch. Biscuit B***h has a few locations in Seattle, but we chose the Pioneer Square location which was a few blocks from the end of the underground tour. This is a spunky restaurant with a simple menu revolving around, you guessed it, biscuits! They have both gluten-filled and gluten-free biscuits. We can’t speak specifically for the gluten-free biscuits, but we ordered some of the regular ones and they were quite delicious! They have breakfast sandwiches, several takes on biscuits and gravy, dessert options, and more! All of us gave them very high marks.
Pioneer Square Biscuit B***h
A couple of the many ways you can eat a biscuit!
Pioneer Square Biscuit B***h
A couple of the many ways you can eat a biscuit!
Kayaking on Lake Union
Now that we got some energy back, it was time to get some more activity in. We rented some tandem kayaks from Moss Bay Kayak on Lake Union and perused the area. We got a great view of the downtown Seattle skyline, got to check out some cool houseboat neighborhoods, paddled by Gasworks Park, and encountered several huge yachts heading to the Huskies game. Moss Bay Kayak also had other kayak options including single kayaks and stand up paddle boards. Their prices seemed fair for the area and we were charged hourly.
Moss Bay Kayak Rentals
Found a houseboat community on Lake Union while kayaking!
Moss Bay Kayak Rentals
Found a houseboat community on Lake Union while kayaking!
Seattle International District
After getting some kayaking in, we drove to the international district, located back down south east of Pioneer Square. This district is pretty large and it is easy to get lost in trying to pick a good spot to dine. We were all feeling some Chinese food, so we checked out Jade Garden. We were impressed with the amount of food we got, and we ended up having a lot of leftovers! We would recommend Jade Garden if you’re looking for a great Chinese option.
Seattle International District
Jade Garden
We may have over-ordered a bit 🙂
Seattle International District
Jade Garden
We may have over-ordered a bit 🙂
Columbia Center
As the night was winding down, we had this great plan to check out the Sky View Observatory at the top on the Columbia Center, the tallest building in Seattle. Online, it said the observatory was open until 9 pm, but when we arrived the doors were locked. We soon discovered that they let the last elevator of people up at 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately, we missed it this time, but we plan to return on another clear night to check out the city lights from above!
Columbia Tower
Silverdale
Recovering from our full day of exploring Seattle on Saturday, we enjoyed sleeping in and were ready for a big meal when we woke up late Sunday morning! We had already been impressed by the Oak Table Cafe in Sequim, so we wanted to check out their other location in Silverdale. This spot also had a homey vibe, great service, large portions, and delicious breakfast food. What sets them apart though is a fantastic view overlooking Silverdale with their location at the top of the hill! Be wary of what time in the morning you arrive however, as this place got absolutely packed right after 10:00 a.m.
Oak Table Cafe
View of Silverdale from Oak Table Cafe
Oak Table Cafe
View of Silverdale from Oak Table Cafe
Seabeck
After carbo-loading on delicious pancakes, we drove 20 minutes west to Seabeck where we did the Guillemot Cove Trail, a two mile out and back trail with 350 ft elevation gain. At the end of the trail is a beach littered with oyster shells and a view of the Olympics. We enjoyed the moss-covered trees and the beginning of fall colors on this trail!
Fall colors on Sawmill Trail!
Guillemont Cove in Seabeck
Fall colors on Sawmill Trail!
Guillemont Cove in Seabeck
This was another weekend where we squeezed a lot in. It was great to see Bri and Kyle. It was even better to see that they survived one of our jam-packed weekends. Hopefully this gives you some more ideas of things you can do in western Washington!
I didn’t realize there was such a variety of areas to explore around Seattle. You are doing the area justice!
Yes, there’s definitely lots to do out here! We’re glad we signed a 6 month contract for this one!