Pinning My Way Through Seattle

I should have pinned the "Pin It and Do It challenge" to Pinterest, because I am far worse at actually following through on challenges than I am on following up on my Pinterest pins. This is the first time I've gotten my act together to not only complete the pins, but also write up the post about it. (Assuming, of course, that I actually finish this post and get it up before June 3.)

May was a big month for me because my sister was visiting and I was planning to spend time in Seattle with her. Seattle is only 3 hours away from me, so we've done all the touristy stuff there, but this time I was looking to explore a bit more off the beaten track. I decided to use Pinterest to keep track of my friends' suggestions, and ideas I came upon via the internet. The question was, would this end up with a nice board full of Seattle attractions that we never did, or would it actually impact our trip?

(Feel free to check out my Seattle Pinterest board to see the original pins (a few I added after the trip, so we'd remember where we went), plus all the things I didn't end up doing.)

Restaurants

My friend Molly recommended the Elysian Brewing Company. I ended up pinning a different location than the one she'd eaten at, because it was closer to our hotel. It was still a little out of our way, and we definitely wouldn't have happened upon it on our own. The food was absolutely fabulous. I had a pulled pork sandwich which was one of the best I've ever had, and the fries were outstanding. I hear the beer was pretty great, too, although I didn't partake.

On the left is my original pin, on the right is my sister and I deep in conversation as we anticipate our delicious meal. (Note to self: turn off the smart phone screen next time someone brings out the camera so you won't look oddly glowy)

I came upon the Salvadorean Bakery via the internet. Rumored to have amazing pastries as well as authentic Salvadorean food, it was relatively close to the Museum of Flight, where we planned to spend time on Monday before heading home.

Well, we ended up opting to go to America's Car Museum in Tacoma instead of the Museum of Flight, so the Salvadorean bakery wasn't so much on our way anymore. In fact, after we accidentally passed the exit, it really wasn't on our way anymore, but by this time we were determined to sample the Salvadorean delicacies. Pupusas or Bust! 

I will say, it was the cheapest meal we had that whole trip, even when you include the sampling of pastries that we got for dessert. The food was fresh and good, but probably not worth the extra 20 minutes it took us to find the place.

Tat's deli was on my Pinterest, but I ran out of time before getting there. On my last day with my sister, I was determined to go to Salumi, which I had pinned because it's renowned among my friends and internets alike for its amazing cured meats and sandwiches. My sister and I left our hotel with plenty of time for a Salumi stop, with the intention of buying sandwiches to eat on the bus back to Portland. However, when we got there, we found this:

Now, this might not be so bad if the lunch counter were at the front of the shop, but a quick reconnoiter informed us that the line actually wound all the way through the shop to the counter at the back. It was 11:30 and the place had been open for 1/2 hour. We waited in line until noon, then we asked the two local guys in front of us, "Where would you go if you had to catch a bus in 15 minutes?" One guy recommended the deli a few blocks away. We hustled to the deli, ordered a 12-inch sub to go, and practically ran the six blocks to our bus. It wasn't until we got on the bus and I started up my laptop to blog that I realized the name Tat's was familiar. I checked my Pinterest board and sure enough:

Tat's was on my Pinterest board! The sandwich was really good--maybe not as good as Salumi would have been, but that didn't matter. see the guy in the suit in the photo of the line at Salumi? He was almost to the door when we zipped past, sandwich in hand, on the way to our bus. If we'd stuck with Salumi we would have either been lunchless or waiting another 2 hours for the next bus.

Attractions

There is so much to do in Seattle that we've done before. There's Pike Place Market, a great aquarium, a science museum, an art museum. We wanted something new and different. So, I talked to everyone I could think of, and these are the things I pinned:

A friend told me about the Wooden Boat Club and their free boat rides on Sunday afternoons, so I pinned it. We had plans to get together with some Seattle friends who live near Lake Union, and they were kind enough to show up first thing that morning to sign us up for a boat ride. We were assigned a time to return, and when we did we were outfitted with life jackets and then picked up by our skipper.

On the left is my original pin, and on the right is my boys on the electric wooden boat we got to ride.

                          

I was so happy on this boat. The weather was perfect, the scenery was lovely, and it was FREE.

I came across photos of the Chihuly Garden and Glass on the internet and wondered why I'd never heard of it. Turns out it just opened a year ago. My pictures of our visit seem to be on my husband's computer instead of mine, but I did post a couple to instagram. They don't do it justice, partly because the best part was the outdoor garden in the shadow of the Space Needle, where the glass works are coordinated with the flower beds. I'll try to dig up the photos off my husband's computer and put them on a Saturday Snapshots post. This was definitely a splurge, but well worth it.

My dad recommended the Ballard Locks, so I pinned that too, and we did it on our last day. These locks allow boat traffic to flow from Lake Union through the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which was much cooler than I expected it to be. I had seen locks before, but none with yachts and fishing boats this big.

Okay, last but not least! We came home from Seattle, and my sister went home, and I got some rhubarb, and then I made this  Rhubarb Crisp from Pinterest, and it was delicious! I'd never made a crisp with just rhubarb before. I was worried it would be too sour or too sweet, but with a few modifications based on the reviews, it was perfect. I will definitely make this again.

That makes a total of 7 pins completed during the month of May. I'll definitely use Pinterest to plan our next trip--it worked like a charm (though, okay, it slightly annoyed my husband, who doesn't use Pinterest and didn't see the point . . . ).