Short Seattle Sojourn

The Dear Husband and I got back yesterday from a three-day trip to Seattle, occasioned by the Detroit Tigers coming to town to play the Seattle Mariners in a three-game stand. The DH, a Michigander by birth, roots for the Tigers. I root for the Mariners, but both of us appreciate a good play in baseball, regardless of which side makes it.

We boarded Amtrak in Portland Monday morning for the relaxing 3½-hour train ride to Seattle’s King Street Station. It’s been three years since the grand waiting room in King Street Station was restored to its original 1906 glory but I never tire of taking in the view:

Seattle King St Station aug 2016
Here’s a close-up of the ornamental plaster ceiling . . .

Seattle King St Station ornamental plaster ceiling aug 2016
. . . and the fluted Corinthian columns:

Seattle King St Station fluted Corinthian column aug 2016
Did you happen to notice the glass mosaic tiles on the column in the picture above? That design on the edge of the column would make a striking quilt block, don’t you think?

Seattle King St Station tile detail aug 2016If the design shows up on a quilt of mine, you’ll know where I got the inspiration.

More quilt inspiration can be found at Union Station, right next door to King Street Station. Originally a train station, the building was restored about 15 years ago after sitting empty for three decades. It’s now the headquarters of Sound Transit, providing express bus, commuter rail, and light rail service in the region, but the grand hall can be rented out for weddings and other events:

Seattle Union Station interior aug 2016
What about that quilty inspiration? Look no farther than your feet:

Seattle Union Station tile floor detail aug 2016

Seattle inside Union Station aug 2016

On Tuesday we visited my best friend from college, who served us an elegant lunch in her gracious home. We were in a suburb of Seattle but I felt like we had stepped into a bistro in Provence:

Seattle lunch at sandy's in kirkland wa aug 2016
Here’s a look from the other side of the room:

Seattle lunch at sandy's in kirkland aug 2016
Isn’t that a beautifully set table? Sandy served an elegant cold spinach soup made from a Julia Child recipe. We sipped wine (Vouvray) and water from vintage glasses, which of course made them taste that much better. The roses on the table are from Sandy’s gorgeous garden.

No trip to Seattle would be complete without a stroll through Pike Place Market, so the DH and I did that on our last full day:

Seattle pike place mkt aug 2016

Seattle pike place market fish aug 2016

Seattle pike place mkt produce aug 2016

Seattle pike place mkt flowers aug 2016
I always make it a point to visit Undercover Quilts, which recently moved to a new location at the north end of Pike Place Market:

Seattle at Underground Quilts aug 2016
Did I support my local quilt shop? Why, yes, I did.

A few blocks away I stopped in at AllSaints, a clothing store on Fifth Avenue — not to shop for clothes but to admire the décor. Over 500 vintage sewing machines line the exterior windows and interior walls of this store:

Seattle allsaints store aug 2016

I was in my element!

Seattle at AllSaints aug 2016

Mindful that our sojourn to Seattle was for baseball, I took this picture of Safeco Field from our hotel room, directly across the street from the stadium:

seattle safeco field aug 2016
On Thursday morning, we were homeward bound on Amtrak. It was a terrific little getaway, and we’ll do it again next year when the Tigers come back to Seattle to play baseball. Oh, by the way, the Mariners won all three games.

A couple of days before leaving for Seattle, I went over to the Oregon coast with my quilt group, the Quisters, to see the 26th annual Quilts by the Sea show presented by the Oregon Coastal Quilt Guild. In my next post I’ll show you some of my favorite quilts from that show.

 

 

 

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14 Responses to Short Seattle Sojourn

  1. Chris Tabuteau says:

    Some lovely photos thanks, Dawn, and a trip down memory lane for me. We visited the US a few years ago, arriving via the Puget Sounds from Canada, so missed seeing that gorgeous train station. The Pike Place markets were indeed wonderful, and we also noted the fabulous sewing machines on display. We then went on to visit Paradise, on Mt Rainier, the wonderful backdrop above Seattle. We stayed in the historic National Park lodge there – just beautiful!

  2. Anna says:

    Thanks for the tour. I live in Vancouver, BC. I’ve always enjoyed train travel and this looks like the perfect spot for me. I belong to the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. All those machines look pretty fascinating. If I didn’t have any self control I’m afraid I might just have the same size collection.
    Cheers!

    • Dawn says:

      Your city is also a beautiful one, Anna, and the train trip from Seattle to Vancouver BC is very pleasant. If AllSaints ever decides to close its shop in Seattle and sell the wall décor, I’ll bet a lot of quilters (including you and me!) would make a beeline to buy one of those vintage sewing machines.

  3. Diane says:

    What a great report Nubs, but I confess a bit of worry that your fabric stash will shortly be compounded by a new collection of old sewing machines. Say it isn’t so!

    BTW, I love your blouse. Have I seen that fabric in one of your quilts??

    • Dawn says:

      No, that shirt did not come from fabric in my stash! It’s a Foxcroft shirt, and I just emailed you the link to buy one if you cannot live without it.

  4. Charles M White says:

    ‘Twas a really nice three days. Coast Starlight, train # 11, was our return transportation. Pork shanks and mashed potatoes consumed as we passed “the world’s largest egg” (Winlock), the Little Crane Restaurant (Vader), where your coffee is stirred each time a train passes, and “the world’s tallest totem pole” (Kalama). Even when ultimately losing, it’s a pleasure to watch two Cy Young winning pitchers battle from the mound. Both were successful for seven full innings. Seen never before: a foul went to the retractable cover (closed during Monday’s game) and didn’t come down! Nosebleed level seats wonderful; excellent view of entire field.

    DH

  5. Virginia Hammon says:

    What a fun trip! Love the picture of you in front of all those sewing machines. …makes a great ‘teacher’ photo for PR 🙂

  6. Anne says:

    Thank you for the lovely picture journey to Seattle!

  7. Char says:

    Very Cool! I will look for that fabric store the next time I’m in Seattle. LOVE the vintage sewing machine wall(s)!

  8. Nancy B. says:

    Like your nail polish 😉
    I enjoy read your post and seeing your quilts.

Comments are closed.