wish i were there

Lo-fi Portland guide.

Notes by Naive posted another fantastic guide, this time to Portland, OR - really lovely pictures, great recommendations.  Will possibly be up there in the spring/summer 2008 - if not Portland, then at least Seattle, to visit family - so I'm hanging on to this.

She mentions staying at the ACE in Portland, which seems to be a bit of an upgrade from the ACE Seattle.  I've stayed at ACE Seattle twice now - the first time was okay, the second not so hot.  Or rather, very hot, as the city was experiencing a summertime heat wave and the rooms aren't air conditioned.  Whatever, not a huge deal since it's so cheap, right?   Except that they don't have screens on their windows - which I can appreciate aesthetically, I suppose - but we were literally swarmed by huge flies the entire time.   I can handle flies in the tropics, or in rural settings, but big ol' city flies in a supposedly hip and modern atmosphere?  Big ol' city flies at $189 a night?  No.  And the sheets on the bed were a gross 50/50 blend - pilled and scratchy.  Boo... It's not that cheap!  Maybe now that the Portland location is up and running, they will revisit the Seattle for a refresh.  It's high time...

seattle hotels

i'm going to seattle on thursday, and while we ended up reserving at the ace hotel again (it's hard to beat the price + style combo, especially right now during "cruise season" - room with private bath for $171, or with very nice shared bath $99), i compiled a list of other hotels in the area worth checking out.  here goes:

• inn at the market (about $210/ night; ) this place surprised me - when i heard "boutique hotel" but realized it was in the heart of  pike place market, one of seattle's main tourist attractions, i though for sure it would be, um, icky.  but lo and behold, i think the hotel looks quite tasteful and is also comprably priced. 
• alexis (about $280/night; ) a kimpton hotel, themed around the idea that each room has original works of art in them - but they're awful works of art.  i wouldn't mind a hotel room with bad art - that's a given.  just don't be so proud about it!  this is no 21c.
  
• hotel andra (about $270/night; ) also in belltown, the ever-hipper neighborhood.  focusing on scandanavian design, with face stockholm toiletries!  looks really nice, but pricey.
• sorrento (roughly $210/night; ) in the heart of downtown in a historic building (there since 1909), with a modernized old-fashioned decor. 
• gaucho (roughly $175/night; ) right in belltown near the ace and some of the better nightlife seattle has to offer,  we really considered this place.  pretty good price.  an old school steakhouse downstairs.  maybe they went a little too far with all the orange-red?  not terribly soothing.
• hotel vintage park (roughly $270/night; ) from the same people that brought you the hotel monaco, if you can believe it!  tastefully decorated with a loose theme based on the oregon wine regions.
• hotel max (roughly $200/night; ) trying really hard to be "artsy" - my least favorite word of all time.  it definitely wishies it were filled with rock stars ever night, but i have a feeling they actually stay elsewhere.
• watertown (roughly $150/night; ) very streamlined, modern hotel; boutique meets business traveler vibe, affordable, just outside of downtown in the university business district.
• silver cloud inns (roughly $ /night; ) part of a pacific NW chain, and it looks like your basic moderately priced chain hotel but maybe a bit friendlier... it's definitely for budget, not style.  over on the water by the houseboat jungle, so not as convenient for downtown access as some of the others, but still pretty close all the same.
• hotel monaco (roughly $350/night; ) this hotel got plenty of positive shout outs on fodors message boards, but from the looks of the website, i wouldn't be able to stand the carnival decor.  yeesh.  and you get to pay a pretty penny for that garishness, too!
• W hotel (roughly $ /night; ) same as any other W; at least you can count on it?

more seattle finds...

in anticipation of my upcoming trip to seattle, i checked in at not martha, one of my favorite seattle-based craft blogs.  a few trip ideas i gleaned from her site:

• mora ice cream on bainbridge island (139 madrone lane; tel. +206.855.1112) seems to be a destination unto itself, but it doesn't hurt that getting there involves a fun ferry ride to a charming island full of fun shops and sights to see.  and there's even a vineyard on the island!  check out mora's website for why it seems so awesome - they don't mess around with their ice cream, no siree.  here's a ferry schedule - the ride should take about 35 minutes, one way, and costs $6.50 per person. $1 extra for your bicycle... now there's a fun idea!  also, you know i'm not big on b&b's (too much chintz!  too many ruffles!  too much closeness with strangers!), but here's a site dedicated to bainbridge island lodging, most of which (for better or worse) falls into the bed & breakfast category. 
• okay, i live in los angeles, so i need a taco truck like a hole in the head.  regardless, here's a blog dedicated to the taco truck wonders of seattle, should i feel homesick or something.  (sidenote:  we have a taco blogger here in LA as well, who can be a great resource when seeking out new trucks to try.... but none of the taco trucks in the world can compare to our strip of tamale carts in downtown LA, led by mama's hot tamales café, which has given the area a chance to revamp it's image.)
• daiso is one of japan's biggest 100-yen stores - the japanese equivalent to our ever popular $1 store.  i love all things japanese - and i am lucky enough to live near some great dollar stores that sell mostly japanese items.  however, the prospect of a dollar store that is actually HQ'ed in japan is too good to resist - and daiso has opened their first US location in lynwood, washington, a short 15 minutes north of seattle.  here's an article about the daiso phenomenon, and here's another and another.  they even have a wikipedia entry, check it out.  so, if the husband is willing to let me drag him to yet another japanese dollar store - while on vacation, no less - he wins the big prize of my undying love and affection.

seattle, like a local

in this interview with alex calderwood, partner in ventures like rudy's barbershop and the ace hotel (which, incidentally, will be opening a 2nd location in portland this august - good for them!) gives the rundown of some of alex's seattle faves.  for doing seattle like a local, check out:

• the cha cha lounge  (506 east pine street, capitol hill, tel +206.329.1101) a divey / punk rock mexican restaurant and bar
• lowell's (in pike place market - 1519 pike place, seattle, tel. +206.622.2036) go for breakfast (only); right on the water
• dick's drive-in (five locations: 500 queen anne avenue north, queen anne, tel. +206.285.5155; 115 broadway avenue east, capitol hill, tel. +206.323.1300)  great burgers, around since the 50's
• maximilien (81A pike street, pike place market, tel. +206.682.7270) a bohemian french bistro with a view of the waterfront
• goods (1112 pike street, seattle, tel. +206.622.0459)  sells a.p.c. and hard to find kicks for sneakerheads
• golden oldies (201 NE 45th street, tel. +206.547.2260)  a collectible record shop with knowledgable staff - the perfect fix for vinyl collectors
• james turrell skyspace at the henry art gallery (at the western edge of the university of washington campus at 15th avenue NE and NE 41st street) a permanent installation by james turrell and plenty of rotating exhibitions
  
• seattle art museum (SAM) sculpture park (8.5 acres downtown near seattle center, bordered by western avenue, broad street, and the waterfront) to be complete in fall 2006, featuring works by richard serra and louise bourgeois

ace hotel

the ace hotel is a great budget spot in downtown seattle... it has been written about more than enough, so definitely book in advance.  with it's super-modern hipster style, you would definitely expect to pay more than $99 per night.  the decor incorporates photo murals, natural woods, lots of white, vintage army blankets and graffiti art - shepard fairey and kaws, not too shabby!  some rooms have a shared bathroom down the hall, but if that weirds you out (it wasn't a problem for me, and you know i'm a bit snobby about things like that) you can pay more for a room with a private bath.  we stayed here a couple of years ago, and i have heard that the neighborhood (belltown) is even more stylish and more filled in than it was when we were there.  think cute boutiques, bakeries, and bars a-plenty in the surrounding neighborhood, and definitely walkable to the more obvious tourist attractions, like pike place and the experience music project, as well as the downtown shopping areas.