On Figuring Out Seattle and Its Food

I’ve struggled to write this post, not because I didn’t like Seattle — I did like it and wondered what it would be like to live there among the attractive white Amazon and Microsoft tech bros1 on the non-summer rainy days. As I walked around the streets of Downtown Seattle, took the light rail to T-Mobile Park and rode on a bus (a bus!) to Capitol Hill, I wasn’t sure what to make of it all.

In some ways, it felt like LA (probably thanks to the lack of rain), but the people were nicer and there was a much more pronounced community aspect to the city. For example, the P-Patch Gardening Program is a city-wide gardening program that sounds like something out of my dreams. When I accidentally dropped my ORCA card while chasing cats in Twice Sold Tales bookstore, someone turned it in and I got it back. My Pike Place Market tour guide described all the community services and the unique ownership of the market. Of course, no city is without its faults and Seattle definitely has some.

In jest, I’ve told people that Seattle felt like LA, but more c*mmunist, but I’m not sure how safe that is to say anymore.

But how can you really judge or figure out a city in four days during a busy AAJA Convention? Place can be a complex concept — and so can food. Unlike Austin and my 2024 brisket obsession, I wanted to try the food of Seattle, but I never really determined what that was and I have to be all right with that.

Something I’m personally working on, as a professor and a human being with a “know-it-all” reputation, is being okay with not having all the answers; sometimes you just need to live with the questions.

Armed with a formal Notes app list called “Seattle list” and a sloppy list of food recs from a friend typed underneath it (thanks, Melissa!), I just ate and drank wherever the convention took me, surrendering my usual foodie control freak tendencies (growth??).

Pike Place Market

Knowing that I’d immediately get overwhelmed in the market and experience my usual food decision paralysis, I used an AAJA discount code on a Pike Place breakfast food tour that would take place before the market opened; pricey (even with the discount), but worth it. The tour guide, Kasey, was a former baker at Honest Biscuits, who was extremely knowledgeable about the market and its history (I require my tours to teach me a certain number of “fun facts” and trivia; the tour guide hit that mark).

And yes, I saw the “Original” Starbucks (which isn’t really the original). Here’s what was on the food tour via my Notes app (it was a very Notes app kind of trip, apologies for typos).

I should also explain the “Sack of Shit” photo (lol) — Market Spice, famous for their cinnamon orange black tea, which tastes like non-alcoholic Fireball, sells the sacks filled with various teas and coffees; it’s like a mystery bag. So now I have lots of teas to try once the weather in LA cools down.

Willmott’s Ghost

In a true “eating and drinking wherever the convention [took] me” moment, a friend and I just stumbled upon Willmott’s Ghost2 while aimlessly walking around downtown and catching up. We unwittingly stopped at the Amazon Spheres to take a call from another mutual friend we were trying to meet up with, then peeked inside the restaurant. We had this exchange:

Him: Why don’t we eat here? Should we just eat here?

Me: Yeah! This looks like a nice, classy place for two people in their 40s.

I stand by that assessment, and I really loved it. Our server told us they were best known for their cocktail program and their Roman pizza, which were both great. We also had a really lovely salad.

Pub 70

The mutual friend we met up with later said we had to see the waterfront at sunset; we arrived right on time. Then, after taking lots of photos, we headed to Pub 70. We sat outside to enjoy the rest of the sunset, but sadly, we only got to hear snippets of the Trivia Night happening inside the bar. I’m not usually a fan of Old Fashioneds, but I had to get this Burn Ban Old Fashioned, which came with rosemary and a toasted marshmallow—a good choice.

Victrola Coffee

A handsome barista3 convinced me to get this cappuccino because, apparently, Victrola has the best cappuccino in the country. Anyway, this was a pretty good cappuccino; not sure if it’s the best ever (I’ve always been a latte gal), but I enjoyed it and it powered me through the panel I moderated!

Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream

On a friend’s recommendation, I had to try this ice cream. It was good! The store smelled like waffle cones. I got the sweet cream and iced latte flavors with chocolate syrup.

T-Mobile Park

For the second time that summer, I accidentally got a plain hot dog at a ballpark (the first time was at Dodger Stadium in June). I thought a Mariners Dog would have something on it, but oh well. It was still good. I also got it at one of the Amazon Go stores, where you just walk out with stuff and it charges your card. Cool!

One of my big regrets is not trying the Ice Cream Nachos from Mister Softee, NYC icon of my childhood, which has been franchised…to…Seattle?? I stopped in my tracks when I saw it the way out, but the line was too long and I needed to head to a friend’s get-together.

In non-food news, I saw Big Dumper play!

The Rest