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I have to recommend the Willow Lodge in Woodinville, Washington. Far enough away from Seattle, that you will feel like you have been somewhere: close-in enough that you can get home within 30...
I have to recommend the Willow Lodge in Woodinville, Washington. Far enough away from Seattle, that you will feel like you have been somewhere: close-in enough that you can get home within 30 minutes. Here are some of its many charms.
THE LODGE: Although the common spaces (lobby, lounge, library) might lean a little heavy on the log cabin motif, the guest rooms are absolutely zen. Foresty tones of mushroom and moss (the rooms in which I have luxuriated) combined with European bedding and the extra large soaking tub (for two) give the rooms an unmistakable rustic elegance. All of the rooms have balconies and most, if not all, have fireplaces (certainly worth a request). My favorite thing (strange, perhaps) is the lighting. Nothing disrupts a heavenly night sleep like fumbling for the lights at 3:00am. Unless I dreamed it, an almost imperceptibly soft cone of light over the stone sink guided my way to the loo without so much as dilating my sleepy eyes. That is a nice touch.
DINING AT THE LODGE: There are two restaurants on property--The Herbfarm Restaurant and The Barking Frog. Both offer Northwest cuisine. While I have enjoyed dining experiences at both, the Barking Frog is a far more relaxed experience (bistro feel). If you want oto explore a wine list of Northwest wines, this is the place. But even if you do not dine at the Herbfarm Restaurant, don't miss their herb garden which is on property.
THE SPA AT THE LODGE: On one such occasion I treated my husband to a hot stone massage at the spa. It was a huge hit.
BEYOND THE LODGE: Located in Woodinville, the Willows Lodge is in the heart of western Washington's wine country. Read more here http://www.woodinvillewinecountry.com/wwc.php. I'd have to think, a tour of Château St. Michelle and a romantic cheese-and-wine picnic on the grounds of the Château would serve as an excellent mood-setter.
If you are considering a stay between May and September, you might make a reservation for a hot air balloon ride. Contact Over the Rainbow at http://www.letsgoballooning.com/Seattle/seattle.html.
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My husband and I are big on one and two night getaways. We try to have something planned every two months or so. Isle Dream Cottage in Eastsound on Orcas Island (www.isledreamorcas.com) stands tall...
My husband and I are big on one and two night getaways. We try to have something planned every two months or so. Isle Dream Cottage in Eastsound on Orcas Island (www.isledreamorcas.com) stands tall among our favorites for a number of reason:
Queen bed lays in a bay window with a great water view.
Kitchen with all dishes, cookware, soap, towels, etc.
Custom tile bathroom with a spacious skylight over the shower.
Woodstove with firewood; CD player, phone, TV/VCR
Deck for dining above the water
Little fishing dock all to yourself
Waterfront picnic table, hammock, starfish
Three acres of privacy to roam around through the trees
On site massage is available
If you find two red crab crackers in the kitchen, chances are they used to ours. Enjoy! For ideas of stuff to do on Orcas (beside hang out at the cottage) visit http://www.orcasisland.org.
Other favorites include:
The Willows in Woodinville, WA
The Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver, BC
The Barn in Prosser, WA (not romantic, but a fine place to stay when in Prosser)
Inn at Salmon Bay in Bingen, WA
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I patronize the Rain City Video (www.raincityvideo.com) in Sunset Hill (in Ballard), but there is one in Fremont...lucky for you!
The large inventory of movies is thoughtfully organized and...
I patronize the Rain City Video (www.raincityvideo.com) in Sunset Hill (in Ballard), but there is one in Fremont...lucky for you!
The large inventory of movies is thoughtfully organized and includes categories like drama, comedy, classic, horror, children, etc. I like the section that is organized by film directors.
I usually find something inspiring to rent, but when I don't there is generally a young clerk who
must have volunteered to skip the summer and miss every ray of sunshine to screen each available title in an effort to make informed rental recommendations. Although I feel conflicted about their lost youth and playtime, I appreciate their sacrifice.
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Brasa
Category:
Restaurants
2107 3rd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 728-4220
Brasa, (which means "live coals" in Portuguese) is stylishly casual, not unlike its owners Bryan Hill and Tamara Murphy. Warm hues, pin-spot lighting and lush drapery give the dining room it's...
Brasa, (which means "live coals" in Portuguese) is stylishly casual, not unlike its owners Bryan Hill and Tamara Murphy. Warm hues, pin-spot lighting and lush drapery give the dining room it's formal, but relaxed, appeal. The undulating tuck-and-roll bar (caramel-colored vinyl with gold-glitter) gives the lounge an entirely hip vibe.
Nightly, between five and seven o'clock, the friendly folks at Brasa offer every item on the remarkable bar menu at half-price (with beverage purchase). With something that will appeal to every palate, the bar menu--featuring pita and hummus, pizzas, steak frites, mussels, salads and empanadas--is dazzling. I feel such value dining at the bar, that I often order one treat (carpaccio with argula and white truffle oil) off the dinner menu.
Ask any one of the trustworthy bartenders or lounge hostesses for a wine or cocktail recommendation and you will not be lead astray. They know their stuff.
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I hesitate to go into this, but several years ago I had to put my very best pal down. Chess (my rough and tumble cat of 16 years, who out lasted three addresses, two boyfriends and a husband) had...
I hesitate to go into this, but several years ago I had to put my very best pal down. Chess (my rough and tumble cat of 16 years, who out lasted three addresses, two boyfriends and a husband) had been sick for a long time and I was crushed. After being bullied and demeaned by a vet on Capitol Hill, I searched for and found a group of vets for whom such conduct is simply inconceivable.
Right up until the end, Chess had been under the excellent care of Dr Heather Weihl at EBAH. During his last year I suppose a vet of failing dignity and compassion could have talked me into expensive procedures and treatments, but Dr Weihl demonstrated tremendous understanding. And when his time came she was THE BEST. She came to my home and gently put him to sleep. I will be forever grateful for her humanity.
Also at EBAH is my former neighbor, Dr Annie Raftis. Interbay is a long way from Edmonds, but it may be worth the drive.
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PREFACE: So two years ago I spent some significant time in New York and to my astonishment could not find a well-made cocktail anywhere. Sure, a could find any number of those unbalanced concoctions...
PREFACE: So two years ago I spent some significant time in New York and to my astonishment could not find a well-made cocktail anywhere. Sure, a could find any number of those unbalanced concoctions that bartenders dream up in an effort to build liquor sales. But to find a decent French 75 or Floridita or Stinger was impossible. After being presented with the last of three failed attempts at a Sidecar (on one night, in one bar) I started carrying recipes in my wallet. I was thrilled to find (literally) Milk & Honey. Here is my account of the ENTIRE experience. I feel it deserves more than just a blurb.
Milk & Honey (www.mlkhny.com) is one of those "entrance by referral or appointment only" places. Recently a new colleague suggested I go and passed me the secret phone number with an e-mail note that read, " Here's the phone number for Milk & Honey. Just call them and they will make a reservation for you. It's a cool space. Let me know what you think of it. Part of the charm is that it's never too crowded, so please hand the number out discerningly. "
A week out I called the secret number and was told the number I really wanted to call was different. The nice man on the line gave the correct reservation number and I called it.
There were very elaborate "how to make a reservation" instructions on the outgoing message, which frankly lost me after 10 seconds...Something about only taking reservations for the first seating which, I assumed, was at opening at 9:00pm. The most I could get was to leave my name and number and a request for a reservation for the following Friday night.
Later that same day a woman named Liu called to advise they only take reservations for 9:00pm (that first seating) and only one day in advance. Reservations are given on a first-come-first-serve basis. I had to call back Thursday morning for a Friday night table. Since I would be on a plane, and three hours behind, I delegated that job to a friend.
By the time I arrived at JFK late Thursday afternoon, I had a message on my cell phone that I had a 9:00pm reservation at Milk & Honey Friday night. My companion for the evening and good friend Lionel had done some digging and found out that Milk & Honey is a bar...no food is served there, not even a nut. Dinner plans elsewhere were required.
At 9:00pm we arrived in what I would consider Chinatown, the lower-east side to be sure and walked a couple of blocks to stand outside a very nondescript door front mid-block. No neon, no signage, no light. There were barely street numbers (which I am not disclosing out of respect for the proprietress). We examined the intercom for some sign of life wondering if we simply needed to be buzzed in. We were in fact at the wrong door (confusing because there are tow doors with the same address).
Soon we had company. A trio of youngsters were loitering on the single step up and asked us, "Are you going to Milk & Honey?" I answered, "Yes, at nine o'clock." It would appear that they had the secret phone number (which I am also not sharing), but did not have a reservation. When they called, their efforts to gain access were thwarted and they walked away.
By now it was raining, big heavy cartoon raindrops. It was our turn to enter, but we had no idea how. It was clear no one was going to swing wide the door and park a sandwich board on the sidewalk announcing "Milk & Honey. This Way!!!" so we called the secret number. There was a door to the left we had not even seen. The instructions were, "Come inside." We pushed to door open and were plunged into darkness. Feeling around I discovered a velvet curtain and pulled it to the side to discover the lounge.
It is a narrow, candle-lit room with five booths and four barstools. Every seat is by reservation and at no time were people standing, waiting for a table to clear. That is the appeal. There was one hostess, one bartender and one busser and they got the job done. As for the drinks themselves. After clarifying once and for all that not only is there no food, but no wine offered, at Milk & Honey, even though I had enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner it was to be cocktails here. "Classic cocktails,"I was reminded by the hostess. I rejoiced. Lionel ordered the Sidecar (I think only for my benefit) and I ordered what I had always known as a Floridita.
Minutes later the hostess returned to our table with our cocktails. The Sidecar was presented in classic form, straight up in a chilled glass with an additional "shot" on the side (hence the name). When the hostess presented my drink she took the opportunity to educate me (which I appreciated) and said, 'Floridita, also known as a Hemingway Daiquiri." That was a surprise.
But the Hemingway Daiquiri was not the Floridita I know well, and it did not matter what she called it. My experience, to say nothing of the recipe in my wallet, said a Floridita was composed of light rum, vermouth, cassis, creme de cacao and freshly squeezed lime juice. This sipper was built on light rum, but was brighter and made my mouth feel like I had eaten grapefruit and which point I concluded there was grapefruit juice in the mix. The attune hostess registered my concern from across the room and circled back to my table.
After some pleasant discussion the bartender got into it. I told him what I believed to be in the Floridita of my dreams and for a brief moment I thought I had stumped this accomplished mixologist. But alas, no. It did not take him three minutes to discover an essential distinction in the naming of these drinks. I wanted a Floridita Cocktail, not a Floridita Daiquiri.
Lionel and I sat in the first booth for over an hour and enjoyed another round before heading out for a third (and perhaps one too many) stop that night.
NOTES: Visit the Web site for membership information and to acquaint yourself with The Rules of the house. Milk & Honey does not accept credit cards. Cash only. Drinks are about $12.00 each. The phone number published with this account is a dummy (to get by the required field).
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Tamarind
Category:
Restaurants
41-43 E 22nd St
New York, New York 10010
(212) 674-7400
Tamarind is an elegant family-owned restaurant located in the Flat Iron-slash-Grammercy part of Manhattan.
The service is warm and gracious. The room is sophisticated in a wash of ivory hues and...
Tamarind is an elegant family-owned restaurant located in the Flat Iron-slash-Grammercy part of Manhattan.
The service is warm and gracious. The room is sophisticated in a wash of ivory hues and jewel-toned accents delivered on opulent fabrics that are framed and hung on the uncluttered walls. If you can, sit in one of the semi-private, raised booths (perfect for a party of four) that flank the dining room. Diners included a large party with children slurping mango lassi and soap-and-water fresh, Elite models nibbling on Tamarind Salad (fresh seasonal greens served with mango, pea shoots and red and green grapes).
Seated under a skylight I meant to order the highly praised Cod and Crab Cake (fennel and onion seed spiced cod and crab cakes) as a first course, but got all swoony and sidetracked and ordered the Seared Scallops that arrived on a stark white plate, marooned in fragrant green sauce of ginger, cilantro and yogurt. My dinner companion ordered the "special aagaz," cauliflower florets which, if I had decided to take notes, I could describe in more compelling detail than simply saying they were amazing.
For dinner I ordered the roasted halibut (it has a formal name and is noted on the menu as having won an award...can' t miss it). Enough tender white fish to feed two people, it is served on a brilliant yellow sauce of curry, ginger and coconut milk. And on the other side of the table, Murg Lazeez (ground chicken with spinach, yogurt and mint sauce) was perfect over fragrant rice and enhanced with a cooling tomato and mint raita. Rosemary naan seduced two carb-eschewing women...and happily so.
I did not look at the wine list, but the full-bodied Foley Chardonnay was an ideal to compliment to all the flavors.
For dessert we were treated to pistachio ice cream served in a tuile cup. Also delicious was the rice pudding (caramelized basmati rice and almonds, pistachio and raisins), a comfort that can only be compared to "mother's milk."
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Here is a link to a review I wrote on this very subject: http://members.judysbook.com/posts/content/review.aspx?ci=49467
Here is a link to a review I wrote on this very subject: http://members.judysbook.com/posts/content/review.aspx?ci=49467
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I would consider myself a dedicated yogi and about this time last year I found YogaLife through one of the studio teachers. Instructor Fran Gallo was the reason I joined, but the entire community...
I would consider myself a dedicated yogi and about this time last year I found YogaLife through one of the studio teachers. Instructor Fran Gallo was the reason I joined, but the entire community and the myriad activities is why I have maintained my membership. I have practiced with most of the teachers at YogaLife, but here are three highlights.
The studio is owned by Michael Suzzeris, who is also a primary teacher. Michael is dedicated to building a sound community and in a way, yoga is just one of the ways he does it (he also facilitates Urban Permaculture workshops in Seattle and bi-annual yoga retreats on Orcas island (more information on the Web site: www.yogalife.com). Michael's teaching style incorporates different techniques with an emphasis on alignment, breath and deep stretching.
Fran Gallo is another favorite instructor. She teaches her Hatha yoga and fills class with the most wonderful imagery to compliment thought series of movements and postures and stretches. Class with Fran is like being a kid in a sandbox--playful and ultimately restorative. Fran regularly holds yoga retreats in Ocean Shores, Washington (littlerenaissance.com).
Gordon Kaplan comes to yoga by way of the basketball court. His teaching style is a blend of Vinyasa and Iyengar yoga, a style that focuses on proper alignment by going deeper into postures and holding them for a longer period of time. What I appreciate the most about his class is his insistence that students remain present--not spinning off into the past or getting ahead of themselves in the future.
There are always new member specials, so if you are considering yoga try YogaLife.
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Banya 5
Category:
Beauty Salons
217 Ninth Ave N
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 262-1234
I first heard of this place in Lucky Magazine about a year ago.
Touted for how reasonably priced the services are, Banya 5 offers healing and relaxation in an urban atmosphere. Going from Banya...
I first heard of this place in Lucky Magazine about a year ago.
Touted for how reasonably priced the services are, Banya 5 offers healing and relaxation in an urban atmosphere. Going from Banya (steam heat room) to cold pool to salt pool, guests are restored to some previous state of well-being.
Open every day except Monday, Banya 5 has men-only, women-only, co-ed and family days. Single entry is $25.00 and you can stay as long as you like.
Go here (www.banya5.com/index.html) for more information:
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