Seattle My City

Well it sure doesn’t feel like 2010. It feels like another glorious Saturday morning where I have nothing on the agenda. Don’t you love those? It’s a rare thing, so I’m taking advantage of this time. I snuggled under my covers until about 9am, woke up to make coffee, and I mean coffee.. with a leisurely Saturday morning why wouldn’t I pull out the french press and go gourmet? Yesterday I laid it all out there in the blogosphere that I love coffee, and I do! Then I got to thinking about how much Seattle has influenced my tastes. I’ve been here almost four years (a transplant from eastern Washington. Much smaller, much more rural, and night and day different from Seattle crowds). So just for your amusement I thought I’d share, in my opinion, what makes a true Seattleite.

#1 Coffee Connoisseur. Yes we’re known for Starbucks and every time I’m abroad I get lip for it, but really there is more to Seattle coffee than Starbucks. This IS what I brew at home, but if you’re ever in the area please try another one of our artisan coffee shops like Caffè Fiorè (organic, and my personal favorite), Caffe Ladro, Caffé Vita. All phenomenal. But just for the record my dear European friends, I simply adore a french café au lait, or in Italy, un caffè (to which they hear my American accent and ask if I mean espresso. Why? An Italian orders the exact same way and they don’t correct him?!) Illy’s is an Italian coffee that I cannot get enough of, but in the US it’s outrageously expensive.

#2 Own At Least 4 Umbrellas. In Seattle you never know when you could be caught in the rain. Therefore it’s wise to keep an umbrella at the office, one in the car, and another at home. One should have a compact umbrella small enough to fit inside your ‘going out clutch’, a deep umbrella to combat sideways rain, and a hot pink or other fun colored umbrella so that you can be spotted in a crowd of black umbrellas at the Sunday farmer’s market.

#3 Fitness Enthusiast. Seattleites take fitness to the next level. Don’t even think about getting on a bicycle without brightly colored spandex. If you don’t look like the next Tour de France competitor you don’t deserve to be on a bike. Likewise for runners, if you don’t own an Iron Man, Ultra Marathon, or Triathlon t-shirt I suggest rummaging through a second-hand store. I thought I was super cool to wear my half marathon Oktoberfest t-shirt, but apparently there’s always someone passing me that has ‘one upped’ me. Maybe I can order running gear from the 2008 olympics!! Okay I’m not that competitive.. well maybe.

#4 Shop at Farmer’s Markets, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. I used to think Whole Foods was a total snob market, and I still do!! Ha. But for any foodie (or foodie wanna-be like myself) it’s an awesome way to grocery shop. We support local growers, eat the freshest ingredients, have unlimited options in organics, gluten-free, whole foods items, and I personally love cruising every aisle to try new and unusual finds. Plus you just can’t beat the samples!

#5 Wine Connoisseur. Maybe wine bars are all the rage across America right now, but in the last few years I sure have seen a growing number of them here. We locals enjoy a good happy hour, small bites paired with a voluptuous vino. Some of my favorite spots are Volterra, Purple, Bricco, and Black Bottle. I’ve pretty much given up mixed drinks. I’m now a devoted wine drinker. I love my big, bold, earthy, rich and spicy Malbecs, Cabernets, Bordeaux Pinot Noirs, anything French or Italian for that matter, and on occasion a buttery Chardonnay or Viognier.

#6 Go Green. Seattle is one of the cutting edge cities when it comes to being green. I’ve never lived anywhere where recycling was so big. It’s very cool, but recycling has been a learning experience. Who knew that plastic grocery bags weren’t recyclable? Or that glass jars had to be thoroughly rinsed before recycled? You can always spot tourists downtown as they stare at the selection of waste baskets on the street corners. Blue, green, black. Aah I think we just put all those cans out to amuse ourselves.

So yes, Seattleites are a rare breed. I truly love this city though. The scenery is unbeatable. We’re smack dab in between two mountain ranges, the Cascades and the Olympic. Less than an hour from ski resorts. There are tons of nearby places to hike, bike, raft, and fish. The running and biking trails are endless. We’re on the sea which means sailing, boating, wakeboarding are all a part of summer fun. The music scene is lively. I’m not into the grunge, which Seattle tends to be known for, but there is a plethora of other types of live music around the city every night. I love that everyone is so active here! The sushi is fabulous. We have pro football and baseball games, which are a blast to attend (even if we aren’t the greatest teams right now). Plus, Washington is home to oodles of great wineries and microbreweries. And just between you and me, it really doesn’t rain that often. Now, why would I ever leave this place? I’m a travel fanatic, so tell me what’s so great about your hometown?

Back to basics here. For anyone who loves coffee and hasn’t used a French press I highly recommend it.

Step 1: Heat water on the stove, remove just before it reaches boiling.

Step 2: Scoop 2 T coffee grounds per cup of water.
Step 3: Add hot water to French press and allow it to steep for 10 minutes

Step 4: Press and pour!

Best paired with morning oats. Today’s creation with apple and banana slices, honey and pumpkin butter.Mmmm..

Now I’m off for a run. Hope you’e enjoying the first Saturday of 2010!!