Seattle Forever

Located on the edge of the University of Washington campus in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, Talaris is an unlikely oasis for travelers. We had called over a dozen hotels with no vacancy, and finally stumbled onto Talaris as a last resort. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find lovely grounds and a very well-appointed room. We found the luxuries (including down quilts, high-quality beds, and toiletries imported from the esteemed British perfumery Penhaligon) an impressive surprise, considering that Talaris is technically not a hotel at all, but a conference center attached to a midwifery school.

Talaris is a convenient five-minute drive from the center of Wallingford, where there are bars, stores, numerous restaurants frequented by students, and a small indie movie theatre. It’s about 10-15 minutes to get to the Fremont area and l5-20 to Ballard. It was a bit of a trek to get to downtown Seattle (Pike Place, Belltown, etc.) but no more than 30-40 minutes, which seems like a small price to pay for a quiet place to sleep and relax.

Talaris was quite reasonable for the caliber of lodging—we paid in the vicinity of $150 per night for a room with two double beds, although you may want to check rates at http://www.talarisconferencecenter.com. We happened upon this undiscovered gem and liked it so much that we stayed for two extra nights! When I make my next trip to Seattle, I definitely plan to stay here again.

In the heart of Wallingford, the university district of northern Seattle, Flowers provides solid, affordable food and a decent selection of beers. There is smoking indoors, and most people at Flowers take advantage of it, which is great if that's your thing, but if you're a nonsmoker, it can be a bit unpleasant. Most of the patrons on the Friday evening I was there looked to be grad students out for a drink and a smoke.
The decor is youthful and laid-back, but fairly classy-- the place glows with reddish pink strings of lights. The highlight is the mirrored ceiling, which provides a chance to spy on the cook making your food.
The music was pretty loud, but not blasting. Although the crowd was young, my family of four felt quite comfortable.
Flowers can be accused of being charming, but it cannot be accused of being fast. We waited quite some time for our server, a lanky brunette with a cautious smile, and we waited a very, very long time for our food. The portions were very generous for the price, and all the dishes we had were tasty, if uncomplicated. None of us were floored by our entrées, but my grilled polenta with gorgonzola and grilled vegetables was fine, and my companions fared pretty well with a steak salad and a lemon fettuccine dish. The draught beers were a nice spectrum of local microbrews.
Flowers is not the ideal destination for a quick bite or an extremely memorable culinary adventure, but I would definitely recommend it as a good place to grab a beer and maybe some food with friends, especially if you're looking for a late-night meal.

Seattle boasts an incredible bounty of Thai restaurants, but in my admittedly brief experience of the city, Fremont's Jai Thai stands out from the pack.
The clientele seemed generally stylish, reflecting the neighborhood's general friendly-hipster vibe; many patrons wore jeans, although there were also quite a few young women in black dresses and heels. Late on a Saturday night, the crowd was made up of a 20-something's birthday party, a handful of couples on dates, and my family of four.
The decor is low-key but attractive, and the lighting is romantic. The movie projected silently on the wall during our meal was unobtrusive. There was a pleasant hum of bustle and background music, but the place was quiet enough to allow relaxed conversation.
Service is not Jai Thai's strong point. We had to switch tables twice (one had a shaky leg and another was essentially in the dark), and we eventually gave up on trying to get our waitress' attention and fetched our own tableware. There were also some language-barrier issues with our server, so we ended up with spicier curry than we had expected; however, the surprise was serendipitous and we all enjoyed the meal.
The best thing about Jai Thai is definitely the food. Everything we had was tasty, but the vegetarian options were outstanding. If I could have, I would have married the "country-style phud thai," a cousin of the traditional noodle dish pad Thai with a few unique twists. The portions were ample; a salad and three shared entrées generously served four people.
Jai Thai conveniently serves until 1am, and from lunchtime into the wee hours, it seemed fairly bouncing every time we passed the place. On our last night in town, we had a great time here, and although I wouldn't consider Jai Thai the place to go for an extremely special occasion, if I lived in Seattle, I would definitely frequent Jai Thai for a delicious and affordable night out.

After reading many glowing reviews of this neo-Italian restaurant, my expectations were quite high, and I am happy to report that they were fulfilled. When I went to Volterra, I experienced a lovely restaurant with an innovative menu, knowledgeable waitstaff, fairly pleasant atmosphere, and moderate prices.

Volterra offers some traditional fare, like fettuccine with pesto and shrimp, but what sets the place apart is chef Don Curtiss’ willingness to take risks and create unexpected dishes. I can’t vouch for the rest of the menu, but in our meal, the risks certainly paid off. I highly enjoyed the sweet but subtle pear ravioli ($16), and my dining companion ordered the wild boar tenderloin ($19) with some apprehension, but consumed it with delight. Our waitress knew the subtleties of the menu and the wine list backwards and forwards and was a warm and welcome consultant on pairing the right wine with our meal.

The inside of the restaurant was quite loud, so if you’re not a fan of boisterous atmospheres you would do well to sit outside if the weather allows. We ate on the outdoor patio—my visit to Seattle was in late August and happened to be during a spell of excruciatingly beautiful weather. Volterra was the best possible place to enjoy it.

I definitely recommend Volterra for a celebratory occasion—an anniversary, a birthday—or for a very impressive date. The adventurous food and well-trained staff make a dinner at Volterra feel quite special.

I believe that the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle is one of the best things in the Pacific Northwest, and I believe that the headquarters of kitsch-and-miscellany merchant Archie McPhee is one of the best things in the Ballard neighborhood.

There are two storefronts right next to each other—the flagship store and the warehouse. The flagship store delightfully bursts with classic items like tiny rubber monkeys wearing fez hats and offbeat action figures ranging from Oscar Wilde to Jesus. Along with these self-consciously ironic items, the store stocks an exciting rotation of bottom-dollar surplus curiosities. During my visit, I encountered goodies including test tubes, unlikely flavors of chewing gum, shiny metal tubes, and assorted styles of army jackets from assorted European armies.

The flagship store is probably the best place in the country to purchase a $2.50 sailor hat from a heavily tattooed cashier, and I felt lucky to be there. However, nothing could have prepared me for the warehouse next door. The warehouse is the land of bulk, a land of officially useless things sold for such low prices that it becomes extremely difficult to convince yourself that you don’t need to buy them. When I was there, they were hawking stylish photo albums for under a buck, and groovy metal lunchboxes for four dollars, but the real deal of them moment was seven dollars for a dozen stunning latex echidnas, which have provided my sister and myself with hours of joy as we arrange them into various Busby Berkeley-esque tableaus.

Of course, I recognize that not everyone finds joy in acquiring latex echidnas, so I also recognize that a visit to McPhee is not up everyone’s alley. If you’re not sure whether to go there while you’re in Seattle, you may wish to check out www.mcphee.com to get a good feel for the Archie aesthetic. If you’re sure you are going to visit, you may wish to check out www.mcphee.com anyway for current store hours, a map with directions, etc.