Category:

Seattle

RnR Seattle

by Carly-Ann June 7, 2019

I was really on the fence about running the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon this year. I wanted to do it, but I knew it was falling on a weekend when we had two lacrosse games and I didn’t want to miss them. Now that THE weekend has arrived, I have mixed feelings. I regret not committing to it, but I’m also glad I’m not giving up anything here in order to be there.

I hadn’t fully realized how much I enjoyed the experience of that race until I was about to miss it. It was probably the toughest course that I’ve run with the kind of hilly terrain that we’re accustomed to out here, but it was also really beautiful and it was a lot of fun to learn more about a city that I was already somewhat familiar with.

At the time of the race, Kevin was already injured and he and his medical team suspect he probably had at least a couple of bulged discs in his back at back then. I was pretty concerned about him so I agreed to hang back and enjoy the race with him. We weren’t fast, but we had a really good time.

I also got to see one of my favourite bands, Old 97s. I hadn’t been super into any of the race performers at any of the other events I’ve been to, so I felt pretty lucky that my number finally came up with them.

Good luck to all the runners in this year’s events and if you get a chance to take part in this race in the future, take it. Maybe I’ll meet you there!

June 7, 2019 0 comment

Seattle TDTFYH Travel Travel review Washington State

10.29.18

by Carly-Ann October 29, 2018

written by Carly-Ann

A few things I’m thinking about today:

How people react so strongly and so fearfully to change. Everything we currently love was once different or strange. Why not believe in the possibilities of something instead of choosing to focus on perceived limitations?
How to nurture your inner Tigger when in the company of or close proximity to an Eeyore. (Related: Happier podcast, episode 12.)
The genius of this Tonight Show sketch featuring Nikki and Brie Bella. I was inspired to look for it after I found this painting while we were checking out at Anderson School this morning.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about Anderson School every time I talk about it or after we’ve paid it a visit. I know it can seem random that we stay in Bothell when we visit the Seattle area, but it truly is a case of the hotel being the attraction.

The McMenamins name has become an empire. With interests in hotels/resorts, beer, wine and spirits, coffee roasting, pubs, restaurants, theatres, music venues and I’m sure a few more ventures that I’ve either forgotten or am not aware of, the company has been spreading its unique flavour far and wide across Washington and Oregon.

I’ve been to six of their historic hotels and number of their pubs and restaurants. My introduction came from Amy back in the days when I used to be in Portland five times a year to visit and attend various events.

While all of their properties lend a very specific McMenamins vibe, it’s their hotels that are the greatest treats.

With McMenamins, the mundane becomes magical – depending on which historic hotel you choose, you may find an onsite brewery, a movie theater, a full-service spa, gardens and orchards, a winery, soaking pools, live music and more. Along with comfortable guestrooms, original artwork, restaurants and pubs, of course.

Essentially, they’ve taken old buildings and repurposed them as modern day lodgings including features unique to each property. There are hotels that have always been hotels, but there are also a few more out of the box transitions. Anderson School is similar to Portland’s Kennedy School and, I’m assuming, Bend’s Old St. Francis School. Two years ago, we stayed at Grand Lodge, a former Mason Lodge and the summer before that, Olympic Club, a former brothel in Centralia.

We have plans to visit all the locations, but time and again, Anderson School comes up as the most convenient for our Seattle-based needs and for our next McMenamins fix.

As we were driving there on Saturday, I told Kevin that my plans for the weekend were to lounge around McMenamins leaving only to attend the race and the come right back. It’s the kind of place where you just want to hang out and pretend there’s no other world outside.

And that’s basically exactly what we did.

Anderson School features:

A restaurant
A pub
Three bars
A brewery
A theatre
A store
A pool

There are also several rooms for hosting parties and events – both private and open to the public. On Saturday, there were two weddings and a christening being celebrated and there are always parties, concerts, historic talks and other fun events being held throughout the seasons.

There are 72 guest rooms (by my count – I may be wrong) and each is uniquely dedicated to one person of note who hailed from or had some other connection to Bothell. We’ve stayed in four of them, but we’ve seen five thanks to a kind front desk clerk gave me a tour of room 101 after I excitedly discovered that it was inspired by the former guitarist from Death Cab For Cutie.

Beyond their general funkiness, there are a couple of things that any McMenamins location can be counted on to provide:

Great beer
Great music
Great tots, particularly the Cajun variety

No matter the location, type of venue or product, they can be counted on to bring it. If you’re planning any kind of trip around Washington or Oregon, try to incorporate a stop even if it can’t be a stay. You won’t regret it.

I’ve written about Anderson School a few times. Here are some other links:

10.27.18

10.23.18

Writing is good, but living is better

Our *other* passports

Race Report: Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle 5k

October 29, 2018 0 comment

Running Seattle TDTFYH Travel

10.23.18

by Carly-Ann October 23, 2018

written by Carly-Ann

After this week, I’ll be out of the office for three weeks. One of those weeks is a working week and I sandwiched it between two weeks of vacation. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited, but I’m also at the point of being pretty stressed about tying up the loose ends, too. As they say, it’s always darkest before the dawn.

This weekend we’re heading to the Seattle-ish area. If we don’t have to, we don’t generally go to Seattle, but we’ve found some great destinations on the outskirts. As often as we can (which is almost always!) we stay in Bothell at McMenamins Anderson School. So far, we’ve stayed there twice before and we’ll log two more nights on the weekend. Between the pool and the comfy beds and the hallway lamps and artwork and the tots – it’s a great way to kick off the weekend. Plus, passport stamps!

The reason for our trip? Captain Jack’s Treasure Run in Redmond – an entire run devoted to dressing up as pirates. Well, and running. Neither of us are dressing as pirates for Halloween (we’re keeping our costumes secret for another week!) but we have thrown together a few pieces each and we are set to have a good time!

Outside of running, my only plan is hanging out. Reading, drinking coffee. Have I mentioned the indoor-outdoor pool?

But there are three more work days to get through before I’m home free so I’m going to just eat Halloween cupcakes and binge watch You.

What are you up to this week?

October 23, 2018 0 comment

Seattle TDTFYH Travel

Seattle

by Carly-Ann June 17, 2017

written by Carly-Ann

So, here’s the truth: Seattle hasn’t always been my favourite city. It still isn’t my favourite, but it’s grown on me over the past year or so and since my last three visits have been really, really good.

Last year, we took a good, old-fashioned road trip. The first two days of our four stop tour were in Seattle. We watched some baseball, explored some grunge era historic sites and just generally had a good time.

Next, we went down to see Happier Live, a live taping of the Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft. Again, lots of fun even in spite of the fact that it was raining cats and dogs. (I’m born and raised on the west coast, makes no difference to me.)

Now, this weekend’s trip has been a great success and I’m starting to see that Seattle can be really fun to visit.

So, as I always love to talk about travel, I thought I’d recap my most recent favourite things to do and places to visit in The Emerald City. (For whatever reason, it endears Seattle to me even more to refer to it that way.) There are, of course, your standard Seattle attractions like MoPOP, the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, but my recommendations are a little off the beaten path.

A Sound Garden & NOAA Art Walk – This famous space where Soundgarden found their name is actually on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration site. You’ll need to go through security to get to it and you’ll have to provide ID to do so. A Sound Garden is just one of several art pieces in the immediate area and your stop at security will provide you with a map. Check out all the sights, the gorgeous views of Lake Washington and even a walking trail to explore. I’m sure it’s beautiful on a sunny day, but hope for a little wind while you’re there because then you’ll actually get to hear the sound.

Black Hole Sun – This is where Soundgarden came up with the name for what was likely their most well known song. It’s a sculpture in Volunteer Park, in front of the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The sculpture is lovely, but even more remarkable is the view of the city that serves as its backdrop.

McMenamins – You can choose from two locations within the city – Queen Anne and Six Arms. We’ve been to both and each are in line with the McMenamins vibe, super comfy and cool places to hang out. Both are in funky neighbourhoods that are worth some exploration. Stop in for a beer flight and make sure you get an order of cajun tots.

Starbucks Roastery & Tasting Room – Bear with me here. Even if you’re not a fan of Starbucks coffee, there is plenty to see here. Lots of company history, merchandise and exclusive coffee and tea blends. Their Citrus Lavender Sage tea is extraordinary.

Here’s one more that is pretty popular, but has become one of my favourites in recent history.

A Mariners game – I’m not really into baseball, but we went to three games last season and all of them were a lot of fun. Safeco Field is a cool place to hang out, there’s a diverse selection of food, free wifi and if all else fails, you can even watch the game. 😉

What are your favourite Seattle stops?

June 17, 2017 0 comment

Seattle TDTFYH Travel Travel review

Our other passports

by Carly-Ann June 15, 2017

written by Carly-Ann

I’m super excited about this weekend because I get to do one of my favourite things. Run? Yes, I get to do that and I’m pretty into it. Travel? Uh huh. That’s at the top of my list. Okay, so this weekend it going to be filled with a few things I love. The one I’m most excited about, though, is the chance to get some more stamps in our McMenamins passports!

I’ve known about the genius that is the McMenamins franchise from my years of being an honourary citizen of Portland, Oregon. It was just last year that our genius friends, Amy and Tyson introduced us to the McMenamins passport program and it has been an absolute blast to work on ours since we picked them up.

What is mcmenamins?

McMenamins is a staple of Pacific Northwest American living, particularly Portland, Oregon. According to Wikipedia:

McMenamins is a family-owned business operating 54 distinct brewpubs,^[5]breweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs in the Pacific Northwest. Founded by brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin with a single Portland neighborhood pub in 1983, McMenamins today includes 46 Oregon and eight Washington properties, 18 on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the Brewers Association, McMenamins is one of the top 50 largest craft breweries in the United States.^[6]

According to me, that doesn’t even begin to cover it. Their venues are all extremely eclectic and very unique – unique to the chain, but also unique to each location. Their restaurants are cozy and their hotels are converted from old heritage sites – children’s schools, asylums – last year we stayed in two, a former brothel and a former Masonic old folks’ home. Their beers, wines and spirits are first class and their menu is legendary. When you arrive at a McMenamins, you immediately feel like you could just sink in and never leave – or you are drawn to exploring every fascinating corner.

I already knew all that, but it was fun to be there while Kevin discovered it, too. Our passports just added a new and exciting adventure into the mix.

So, what’s the deal with their passports?

It’s easy! You pick one up at any McMenamins property. They’re $30 each, but they pay for themselves in no time. Each location has one or a series of stamps for the passport owner to acquire. Mostly you just have to ask someone, but sometimes you have to do something, too. Take a picture, order a flight, buy a movie ticket… It’s basically a scavenger hunt! Get all the stamps in a location or a series of them, get a prize. Some of the prizes are food, some are merchandise, sometimes you get to pick. We’ve brought home a water bottle, a coffee mug, a pint glass and a tote bag so far. This weekend we’ll bring home something new after our stay at Anderson School, the revitalized first junior high school in Bothell, outside of Seattle.

Complete all of the passport stamps in all of the passport locations and earn your Cosmic Tripster status which includes…

Three individual nights stays at three of McMenamins historic hotels
A pair of concert tickets at the Crystal Ballroom or Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
Drinks at happy hour prices, Sunday–Thursday for one year
Entrance to the annual Passport Club Party
Exclusive Passport merchandise to show that you did it!
Cosmic Tripster Key, your ticket to getting into exclusive passport events, from tours of new properties before they’re open, to dinners and tastings and secret events, such as wine bottlings and tastings, advances on product releases from the distillery, special discounts, and who knows what else

That’s an over $500 (US!) value!

From the first completed property in our passports,
Kennedy School in Portland

So, if you like to travel and you dig an adventure, plan a road trip through Washington and Oregon. Pick up your own passport on the way and have a great time collecting your stamps and other prizes. I promise you, you will have so. much. fun.

June 15, 2017 0 comment