Traveling is a joy, and especially traveling to places in the world with awesome beverages such as Tea. Tea travels set out for Seattle amidst the cold wintry month of February. This author also has an old friend who ended up living there, so I decided to reconnect while exploring and enjoying the port city. Before we go on, a small disclaimer, tea travels ended up trying the coffee and then Chocolate Chaude, (French version of hot chocolate), in Seattle v. Tea. Rest assured, we will resume tea reviews in future posts.
Once I arrived at SEA-TAC airport, Uber Black was summoned for a lux ride into the city. The stay was a boutique hotel at Pike’s Place, a hub of history and endless entertainment for those new and known to Seattle. Pike’s Place is a turn of the century, industrial marketplace, and the birthplace of Starbucks. The market is known for fresh fish, and brawny nice guys that throw fish. I chose a B&B that was right next door and had a lovely room with plush amenities, facing away from the Puget Sound, looking over a sea of high rises. This was particularly fun in the middle of the night when I had to get up for leg cramps. I watched Seattle street life in the early morning hours. It took away the cramps from hiking around the city and it was fascinating and beautiful. The glossy structures were lighted from within. Some people walked, some drove slowly surveying the street scene. It was clear, not foggy at all, and the city hummed all through the night, as all exciting and big cities tend to do.
On my block was a fantastic french cafe, Cafe Campagne. I decide to head there first for a good meal, and to relive my glory days as a professional dancer at The Lido, in France. As I stepped into the cafe, I felt as if I stepped back in time, and I was once again at a neighborhood bistro in Paris. The cafe was paneled with antique wood, and lettered in gold leaf with typical cafe signage.
The food was delicious and satisfying. To top it off, the menu offerings included the French drinkable and decadent desert, Chocolate Chaude. Pure melted chocolate with a dollop or two of fresh full fat cream. I had to try it, and it was luscious, smooth and rich. Afterwards, rather than sink into a chocolate induced coma, I decided to walk off the rich beverage.
After dinner I took a walk down to the market. Walking downhill, I faced the Puget Sound. The fresh sea air infused the early evening with enriched oxygen. Out in the bay, boats glided on sparkling waters and the sunset cast a glow across the city. Some clouds drifted along, gray with moisture that would soon be released onto The Sound and the surrounding forests. I passed the historic Starbucks and a long line, the length of one block oozed out of the coffee shop. People waited, laughing and enjoying the early evening and anticipating the one of kind experience of visiting the very first Starbucks. Rather than head there in the early morning, I chose Panier, an authentic French patisserie and had a Cafe au Lait with a butter croissant, another favorite from the days in Paris.
Later on, I met my friend, on the pier for clam chowder and we reminisced and talked about our lives, trying to catch up on 40 years of life experience. We later walked the city and planned for another meetup now that we had reconnected. The most important thing about Seattle was not the tea, the coffee or the sightseeing, for me it was my friend and the people. The people were down to earth and very nice. I was so glad to reconnect with someone who had been such an important part of my teenage life.
