Despite a busy conference schedule of workshops and lectures, I made sure to make some time to enjoy the self proclaimed Coffee Capitol of the World.If you missed the title sentence, Chase took this trip over a year ago when he was still working for the state of Texas. Due to our travel and work schedules, this trip got swept under the rug, really, because no one knew he went. Alright, no more delaying! Here’s Chase’s trip to the northwest! Now, this was a business trip first and foremost and I understand that my exposure to the Emerald City was consequently limited by my other obligations; however, this was an overall underwhelming tour of a city that should check my number one box: good coffee! I’m getting ahead of myself and while I intend to drag all of you readers along through my culinary misadventures, I suspect the reason for my disappoint lies in one simple travel preparation omission: research. Danielle and I have written about researching a destination before and I failed to follow our own advice. Typically, we approach traveling as if we are preparing to write a thesis, we gather all the previously written articles and data on the issue of interest before we attempt the experiment of adventuring for ourselves. This methodology has rarely disappointed and has made incredible trips out of even mundane locations (have you read our Home Grown: Touring Indiana post?). For this trip, I read the first three articles that popped up when you Google “Best Food Seattle” and it showed. The reason you want to find the local bloggers, taste makers or just the social-media-active is because these people have spent years developing their recommendations organically and have so much more opportunity to find and evangelize for the exceptional but off the beaten path spots. I realized, through unapologetic eavesdropping (save your dirty looks, I was traveling solo) that most other patrons were discussing having done or intending to hit the exact same spots I did. I could only assume this was because we all had looked up the same superficial advice on where to go. I have no doubt Seattle has incredible hidden gems and vibrant scenes, I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t take longer to unearth and discover some of them. On to the itinerary - Like I mentioned above, I didn’t have much time to explore. I did get to walk around Pike’s Place Market, Capitol Hill, Bainbridge Island and some of the surrounding Down Town area and look at the famously disgusting Gum Wall, but most of what I did in my free time was drink coffee and eat. The coffee ranged from an aesthetic train wreck to the addition of a new favorite coffee roaster in Verve Coffee Roasters out of Santa Cruz, California. Most of the coffee was average and even a stop at the brewery inspired architecture of the copper gleaming Starbucks Reserve Shop didn’t do anything to change my opinion. The food similarly fell somewhere between questionable quality sashimi and a very good smoked salmon omelet at Bacco Cafe. I tried doughnuts at Top Pot Coffee Roasters and General Porpoise, Biscuits at Biscuit Bitch, dim sum, fish and chips, Chinese bbq and fried oysters, but my favorite meal in Seattle was a well crafted cappuccino from Monorail Espresso with a gluten-free thumbprint cookie from Macrina Bakery (a close second was a cup of Clam Chowder from Pike Place Chowder Company). I was the worst kind of tourist in Seattle, an uninformed one, and my experience suffered from it. Seattle, if I ever get a chance to come back I promise to do my homework first. i.e. I’ll bring Danielle along and she’ll do more than enough homework to rectify this trip. I’m interested if there’s a city or country that you feel you did a disservice to by not being better prepared. Or you got home and someone asked if you did x, y, and z and non of those things make your list. If so, leave a comment!
Until next time, C + D
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