Back in January, I received a message from my bff Julie – "what are you doing [this weekend] in March?" It just so happened that I was thinking about a vacation about that time and we agreed to meet in Seattle for about a week. We'd use her friend Stef from grad schools' place as a base and go from there. We had little in the way of plans until we both arrived on the 12th. We both arrived on Saturday afternoon; Julie from Alaska via Oklahoma for work training, and me from NY via LAX. Stef picked us up from the airport and we headed to her place in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. Lots of eating and drinking on this trip, of course. Unfortunately I had a cold most of the trip so I couldn't do much food/drink sharing, but I got a sweet taste of Fat Tire ale for the first time in a year. I wish I had kept track of all the good local brews.
On Sunday, Stef kindly droves us around Seattle for gear shopping including the flagship REI store. I needed gloves for skiing, and a rain jacket for, you guessed it, rainy Seattle. We cooked some dinner Sunday night after some Wii Fit, and picked up our rental car. On Monday Julie and I rented our skis and gear and headed up to Snoqualmie, about an hour southeast of Seattle. This was my first time on skis in about a year (and 8 years before that). I am thankful for the ski instructor I rode up the ski lift with on a green trail to practice my turning skills. It was really warm up on the mountain and the snow wasn't that great, but this trip turned out to be critical for me to get confidence on the mountain again.
We got back late to Seattle Monday night and made it an early bed time in order to get an early start up to Whistler. It's about 2 hours to the border from Seattle. The border exchange was something that became common whenever Julie and I were together meeting new people.
Board guard: "Where are you ladies from?"
Us: "Fairbanks, Alaska, and New York, NY"
Board guard: "And how do you know each other?"
Us: "College"
Board guard: "What are you doing in Canada?"
Us: "Skiing in Whistler"
Guard: "You came an awfully long way for a day at Whistler!"
Since the weather looked better on Wednesday (mix of sun and clouds vs. snow and 40 mph winds) we stopped in Vancouver for a few hours on the way up to Whistler. We saw the Olympic torch (unlit) under a grey, drizzly sky.
We also drove through Chinatown, then over to Granville Island. It's a collection of markets, food, and artisans on the water. We got some seafood and got a sampler from Granville Island Brewery. If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of microbrews/craft beers. Crazy talk from a girl who didn't like beer until she compelled herself to drink it in the pubs of London 3 years ago.
The drive was fogged over on the way up to Whistler from Vancouver, but, no lie, it didn't start snowing until the moment we drove past the sign announcing we had entered Whistler. We booked a half-off hotel room in Whistler Village (thanks to some last minute deals on the website – score!) We wandered around the Village, had a cocktail at The Mix (excellent) and a 3-course tasting menu at Bearfoot Bistro (subpar). We called it an early night to ready ourselves for a full day on the mountain. Lifts run only till 4PM – there's no way they could provide enough safe lighting for night skiing.
Wednesday started clear in the village, with a line at the Whistler Gondola. There are 2 mountains: Whistler, at 7160 ft, and Blackcomb at 8000 ft. We started at Whistler and took the long (20min) ride up the huge mountain. And we weren't even 2/3 of the way to the top! So many lifts and runs that you had to pay attention coming down to make sure you didn't strand yourself on a trail above your skill level. Powder at the top, slush and ice at the bottom, and a lot of weather in between.
My favorite part of the day was Julie's least favorite – shows you the difference between Alaska and city girl mentality. After our first run down Harmony Ridge we went back up the Harmony Express lift and ended up in a windy whiteout that was not there 20 minutes prior. I was psyched to ski in the snow, and we were going down a green so I wasn't all that worried about it. Julie, having more sense than me and being in the proper safety mindset was rightfully concerned about falling off the mountain when you couldn't see more than 20 ft in front of you.
Once we got through the snow layer, we got some views of Blackcomb in the sun, but that was the best view we got in the day. Too many clouds and snow to see clearly. We got to the bottom and had time for one more run – I talked Julie into the last one even though we had 4 hours of driving ahead of us (we're on an adventure, Charlie!) We ended on a run that had turned into moguls. I fell more than the 7-year-old skiing ahead of us, but I found it to be an entertaining end to the day.
The drive back was fantastic – the sun was out and the view was very pretty. I kept ooh-ing and aah-ing and stopping for pictures. I don't get views like this in NY.
We stopped briefly for pho and some sodas to keep us awake. Fun fact: Mountain Dew in Canada is not caffeinated. No matter, we made it safely back to Seattle on Wednesday night.
Thursday morning. Time to stretch those aching ski muscles with a walk in Discovery Park. Julie and I trounced through the fields and ended up at a small beach on the Puget Sound.
After that we headed downtown to Pike Place Market to play Seattle tourist. We had some Beecher's mac and cheese, Pike Place Chowder, and I saw the fish throwing guys do their thing.
Also, time to stalk the Space Needle. It was so overcast most of the time that I barely saw Mt Rainer (and that was for about 5 mins on a bus). I didn't feel a need to go up it.
We met up with Stef and a bunch of her friends for some St. Patrick's drinks and March madness basketball. I had my first-ever green beer, but switched back to regular after one because I'm anti-light beers and PBR. Girl's got standards.
Friday we met with Stef for lunch then went to Bill Spiedels Underground Tour. Seattle burned down in the 1800s and they rebuilt the city 10 feet higher than the original street (and sea-) level. What remains is an underground network beneath the sidewalks in Pioneer Square. Yes a touristy thing to do, but it was interesting to see, and one of our tour guides was super.
Julie headed back up to Fairbanks, while I stayed on for the weekend. After an apartment party at Stef's Friday night, we woke up on Saturday morning to something Seattle residents don't see very often in the winter – the sun! 50s and sunny skies meant I'd skip the trip I'd been planning down to Portland to take full advantage of the sun in Seattle.
Stef and I headed to Alki Beach in West Seattle to have a long walk along the path along with families, cyclists, rollerbladers, and lots of dogs. We had a BBQ dinner later with a bunch of Stef's friends at their place down the street and after a dip in the hot tub, some of us went to catch a movie
On Sunday, I wanted to go down to Tacoma to see some class artwork from its native son, Chihuly. I went to the Tacoma Art Museum after walking over the Glass Bridge. I skipped the Glass Museum because reviews weren't that great for it, but the TAM had a Norman Rockwell exhibit, and a Chihuly exhibit.
The 'Mighty Tacoma' exhibit was as morose and depressing as the city itself. There was hardly any pedestrian traffic around the museum. I'm glad I went, because otherwise the museum was good, and it was a nice counterpoint to show how vibrant Seattle is as a city.
Stef and I had a low-key Sunday night ahead of my Monday morning SEA-SFO-JFK flight. I had a fantastic trip, seeing an old friend, meeting new ones, skiing an awesome mountain, and visiting a new, fun city. Many thanks for Stef putting me up. And for you Seattle, I'm sure I'll be back some day.
View from Stef's place
On Sunday, Stef kindly droves us around Seattle for gear shopping including the flagship REI store. I needed gloves for skiing, and a rain jacket for, you guessed it, rainy Seattle. We cooked some dinner Sunday night after some Wii Fit, and picked up our rental car. On Monday Julie and I rented our skis and gear and headed up to Snoqualmie, about an hour southeast of Seattle. This was my first time on skis in about a year (and 8 years before that). I am thankful for the ski instructor I rode up the ski lift with on a green trail to practice my turning skills. It was really warm up on the mountain and the snow wasn't that great, but this trip turned out to be critical for me to get confidence on the mountain again.
I was super impressed by these mountains until I got to Whistler
We got back late to Seattle Monday night and made it an early bed time in order to get an early start up to Whistler. It's about 2 hours to the border from Seattle. The border exchange was something that became common whenever Julie and I were together meeting new people.
Board guard: "Where are you ladies from?"
Us: "Fairbanks, Alaska, and New York, NY"
Board guard: "And how do you know each other?"
Us: "College"
Board guard: "What are you doing in Canada?"
Us: "Skiing in Whistler"
Guard: "You came an awfully long way for a day at Whistler!"
Since the weather looked better on Wednesday (mix of sun and clouds vs. snow and 40 mph winds) we stopped in Vancouver for a few hours on the way up to Whistler. We saw the Olympic torch (unlit) under a grey, drizzly sky.
We also drove through Chinatown, then over to Granville Island. It's a collection of markets, food, and artisans on the water. We got some seafood and got a sampler from Granville Island Brewery. If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of microbrews/craft beers. Crazy talk from a girl who didn't like beer until she compelled herself to drink it in the pubs of London 3 years ago.
I speak whale, you know
The drive was fogged over on the way up to Whistler from Vancouver, but, no lie, it didn't start snowing until the moment we drove past the sign announcing we had entered Whistler. We booked a half-off hotel room in Whistler Village (thanks to some last minute deals on the website – score!) We wandered around the Village, had a cocktail at The Mix (excellent) and a 3-course tasting menu at Bearfoot Bistro (subpar). We called it an early night to ready ourselves for a full day on the mountain. Lifts run only till 4PM – there's no way they could provide enough safe lighting for night skiing.
Wednesday started clear in the village, with a line at the Whistler Gondola. There are 2 mountains: Whistler, at 7160 ft, and Blackcomb at 8000 ft. We started at Whistler and took the long (20min) ride up the huge mountain. And we weren't even 2/3 of the way to the top! So many lifts and runs that you had to pay attention coming down to make sure you didn't strand yourself on a trail above your skill level. Powder at the top, slush and ice at the bottom, and a lot of weather in between.
My favorite part of the day was Julie's least favorite – shows you the difference between Alaska and city girl mentality. After our first run down Harmony Ridge we went back up the Harmony Express lift and ended up in a windy whiteout that was not there 20 minutes prior. I was psyched to ski in the snow, and we were going down a green so I wasn't all that worried about it. Julie, having more sense than me and being in the proper safety mindset was rightfully concerned about falling off the mountain when you couldn't see more than 20 ft in front of you.
Looking back up the mountain
Once we got through the snow layer, we got some views of Blackcomb in the sun, but that was the best view we got in the day. Too many clouds and snow to see clearly. We got to the bottom and had time for one more run – I talked Julie into the last one even though we had 4 hours of driving ahead of us (we're on an adventure, Charlie!) We ended on a run that had turned into moguls. I fell more than the 7-year-old skiing ahead of us, but I found it to be an entertaining end to the day.
The drive back was fantastic – the sun was out and the view was very pretty. I kept ooh-ing and aah-ing and stopping for pictures. I don't get views like this in NY.
Curse you McD's for ruining a great shot
We stopped briefly for pho and some sodas to keep us awake. Fun fact: Mountain Dew in Canada is not caffeinated. No matter, we made it safely back to Seattle on Wednesday night.
Thursday morning. Time to stretch those aching ski muscles with a walk in Discovery Park. Julie and I trounced through the fields and ended up at a small beach on the Puget Sound.
After that we headed downtown to Pike Place Market to play Seattle tourist. We had some Beecher's mac and cheese, Pike Place Chowder, and I saw the fish throwing guys do their thing.
Also, time to stalk the Space Needle. It was so overcast most of the time that I barely saw Mt Rainer (and that was for about 5 mins on a bus). I didn't feel a need to go up it.
Space Needle and the useless monorail
We met up with Stef and a bunch of her friends for some St. Patrick's drinks and March madness basketball. I had my first-ever green beer, but switched back to regular after one because I'm anti-light beers and PBR. Girl's got standards.
Friday we met with Stef for lunch then went to Bill Spiedels Underground Tour. Seattle burned down in the 1800s and they rebuilt the city 10 feet higher than the original street (and sea-) level. What remains is an underground network beneath the sidewalks in Pioneer Square. Yes a touristy thing to do, but it was interesting to see, and one of our tour guides was super.
Julie headed back up to Fairbanks, while I stayed on for the weekend. After an apartment party at Stef's Friday night, we woke up on Saturday morning to something Seattle residents don't see very often in the winter – the sun! 50s and sunny skies meant I'd skip the trip I'd been planning down to Portland to take full advantage of the sun in Seattle.
Sunshine!
Stef and I headed to Alki Beach in West Seattle to have a long walk along the path along with families, cyclists, rollerbladers, and lots of dogs. We had a BBQ dinner later with a bunch of Stef's friends at their place down the street and after a dip in the hot tub, some of us went to catch a movie
On Sunday, I wanted to go down to Tacoma to see some class artwork from its native son, Chihuly. I went to the Tacoma Art Museum after walking over the Glass Bridge. I skipped the Glass Museum because reviews weren't that great for it, but the TAM had a Norman Rockwell exhibit, and a Chihuly exhibit.
The 'Mighty Tacoma' exhibit was as morose and depressing as the city itself. There was hardly any pedestrian traffic around the museum. I'm glad I went, because otherwise the museum was good, and it was a nice counterpoint to show how vibrant Seattle is as a city.
Stef and I had a low-key Sunday night ahead of my Monday morning SEA-SFO-JFK flight. I had a fantastic trip, seeing an old friend, meeting new ones, skiing an awesome mountain, and visiting a new, fun city. Many thanks for Stef putting me up. And for you Seattle, I'm sure I'll be back some day.
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