They say when you have a problem you can’t quite find a solution to, you should turn to nature for guidance and the answer will appear.
Browsing Tag
localmarket
Bellingham is home to a plethora of amazing local finds. Surrounded by the waters of the Puget Sound and the foothills of the north cascades, Bellingham’s fertile soil and excellent growing conditions have made the area rich in locally grown food. There is nothing better than buying things like produce, honey, and bread from local farmers and bakers who put their livelihoods into the quality of their products. Spring is the perfect time to locate your farmer’s markets and sign up for a CSA and track down all the best spots to round up your local produce every week. Bellingham Local Goodies are readily available in the spring.
Spring brings flowers, fresh produce, and an awakening of all the local shops and farmer’s markets. It is a great time to reconnect to your local farmers and rediscover all of the local goods that you may have missed over the wintertime. If you are looking to support locals and eat right from Whatcom county, spring is the time to plan out your summer harvest plans.
Bellingham Saturday Market
The Bellingham Farmers Market is an excellent way to connect to local goods and vendors from your area. The Saturday market is from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. January- March the market is held on the 3rd Saturday of the month. And, every Saturday during the rest of the year. While the Saturday market is open year-round, late spring is an excellent time to see the harvest begin. You will see an excellent selection of local harvest goods from spring to late fall. Such as strawberries, lettuce, kale, root vegetables, and more.
At the Saturday Market, there are rotating groups of over 35 farmers from Skagit and Whatcom counties. They offer produce, cheese, mushrooms, honey, beef, and other meat products, eggs, flowers, fish, nuts, potted plants, and more. In addition to the range of local farmers, the Saturday market has locally made bread, processed artisan foods, prepared foods, crafters, and more.
If you are looking for ways to buy most of your groceries locally, you can find everything that you would normally fill your cart with at the farmer’s market. Supporting local farms helps the local economy, supports sustainable small-scale farming, and gives you access to local, organically grown goods. Bellingham Local Goodies are easy to find at the Bellingham Saturday Market.
Beeworks Farms
Beeworks Farms is a small family-owned, bee farm located in Whatcom County, Washington. Their mission is to keep strong and healthy bees in order to supply a unique range of honey from the backyard of the PNW. All of their honey is raw and unfiltered. Their honey season begins in April every year, and different crops bring different kinds of honey throughout the spring-summer and early fall.
Their honey season begins with big leaf maple and raspberry in the spring. The summer brings blackberry, thistle, wild rose, sweet pea, numerous herbs, and wildflower honey. In August, at the end of the honey season, they end their season with fireweed honey from bees above 3,500 feet in the Mt. Baker National Forest. Each harvest brings unique flavors. Did you know that eating honey from the local area can actually help mitigate seasonal allergies?
In addition to honey, Beeworks Farms also makes nectar and supplies honeycomb. If you are ready to taste all of the seasons and harvests of the PNW in a unique way, sampling honey from each specific time of the season is a wondrous experience.
Joe’s Gardens
Joe’s Gardens has been offering produce, vegetable starts, hanging baskets, and more since 1933. Located in Bellingham, Washington, Joe’s is open seasonally from Early March until Fall. Joe’s Gardens supplies Bellingham with excellent, locally grown food from vegetables like kale, carrots, broccoli, and more to fruits like locally harvested raspberries and strawberries.
Vegetable Starts are available every year from March until May. They have hundreds of herbs, peppers, lettuce and kale varieties, root vegetables, and cole crops like cauliflower and broccoli.
Good’s Nursery and Produce
Good’s Nursery and Produce in Bellingham is open March-august with Produce and Nursery items. They offerWashington grown produce, and an assortment of plants from seasonal veggie starts to flowers. During the Holidays, Goods is also open to supply local Christmas Trees.
Good’s is another local Bellingham business ready to supply all of your local shopping needs. Depending on the month, they source from Washington Farmers and have everything from peaches and zucchini to watermelon and strawberries.
Dandelion
Are you looking to experience local goods from the comfort of your own home? Dandelion Organic Delivery is a produce delivery service that offers local fruits and veggies from the Whatcom County area straight to your door. Dandelion sources local growers first and prides itself on sustainability and commitment to green practices.
This seasonal delivery box is similar to a CSA. Every week they deliver you a box of produce from local farmers. They offer a harvest box or you can opt for an all fruits or all vegetable box. The week prior to your box delivery, you can head online and see what’s slated for this week’s delivery. You can also make changes to the types of products you are getting.
They offer a few different-sized boxes and are ready to cater to your favorite foods and exclude your least favorites. This is a great option for folks who want a bit more flexibility with the same local abundance as a traditional CSA. Dandelion offers many Bellingham local goodies
Bellingham has a wide range of locally sourced Bellingham Local Goodies. The fruits and vegetables that are sold at local Bellingham markets are of top quality. . Instead of traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to wind up on the shelves of your grocery store, they come from just down the road and pass from the farmer’s hand into yours. We are uniquely blessed in the PNW to have bountiful harvests from March through late fall. Other goods, including artisanal bread, locally grown beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and homemade cheese, are all part of the goods offered in the Bellingham area.
Check back into the Bellingham Clever Neighbor to find more local businesses to support!
Whoever said you shouldn’t play with your food never visited our list of the best restaurants in Seattle for fun dining! Here are the 8 of the funnest and best restaurants to in Seattle that you have to try the next time you’re hungry.
Seattle can claim to be cool on so many counts. Whether you are local or a visitor, the funnest and best restaurants in Seattle have great food as well as a great experience.
It’s the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix, it has the oldest continuously operated farmer’s market in America. And though it is often cloudy, people in Seattle buy more sunglasses than any other US city. That’s cool, isn’t it?
Read on for cool food, loads of fun and the best restaurants in Seattle. Plus, a great experience to boot!
8 of the Best Restaurants in Seattle for Fun Dining
“One man’s meat is another man’s poison,” and when it comes to fun places to eat in Seattle, we are going to recommend some somewhat controversial options. Our recommendations are not to play safe or recommend the most expensive. Instead, there will be something for everybody on this menu of delights.
Read our comments, check reviews and decide if you agree with our idea of fun. Let’s get started. Read on and let the Seattle restaurant adventure begin.
1. The Pink Door
“Is this the place? There’s no sign. Just a pink door.” Your dining partner may be skeptical but enter the pink door and enjoy one of the top dining experiences in Seattle. A fabulous view, great Italian and American style dishes and top notch service.
There is a pleasing aesthetic to the place so you’ll feel more comfortable if you dress up a little. Great for a romantic dinner or celebration.
Best to book a table and ask about the entertainment. Cabaret, trapeze or even burlesque may be on the menu too. If you and your guests aren’t shy, book at table in the center of the restaurant!
2. The Crumpet Shop
Tea and Crumpets at Pike Place Market is a delicious treat. They make the crumpets in the store and after you’ve seen how it’s done taste one. They do other things too but don’t leave without having had crumpets.
As one of the funnest restaurants in Seattle, you would expect a creative range of toppings and you won’t be disappointed. There are sweet or savory toppings to suit all tastes.
Even people who’ve had English crumpets in England say they are authentic although the toppings might raise an eyebrow in the UK. Try maple butter and walnuts with cream cheese or egg, cheese, and Jalapeno peppers. They never had that in England.
3. Pike Place Chowder
Pike Place Market is the oldest continuously operated farmer’s market in America and so far our eateries have been in that location.
Don’t leave without eating fish. Why? Because Pike Place Market is world famous for throwing fish.
You will see huge fish, thrown and (usually caught) across the fish market to howls and cheers. There are many fish-eating opportunities so Pike Place Chowder has to be good to be so highly rated by diners. There are long lines but it’s worth the wait.
If you only visit once and you don’t know what to choose from the menu, the clue is in the name. Try the chowder.
4. Serious Pie
A list of the funnest restaurants in Seattle cannot ignore an eatery called “Serious” Pie. The pizza is seriously good and if you get there during “happy hour” you get a seriously good bargain too.
The tables are communal so not only do you get great food but perhaps some good company too. It’s fun to chat and compare pizza choices. Don’t go expecting safe cheese and tomato toppings.
5. Space Needle Sky City
Every visitor to Seattle has to visit the Space Needle but to get the full experience try booking a window seat at Space Needle Sky City. Romantic dinner or special occasion dining with a revolving view.
You expect to pay a premium for the location. With a reputation for quality, locally influenced food and special service, you should treat yourself. There is a planned refurbishment due for completion in Spring 2018 so check if they are open and book a table.
6. Collection Caf?
Lot’s of people collect things. Stamps, pins, shoes might be your collection theme. This place has taken collecting to a new level. Here, collecting is an art form.
Look under the glass of the table tops and find a collection of ceramic dogs, ancient cameras or glass bottles. The ceiling covered in flying accordions must be unique.
This might be a caf? but expect interesting salads, adventures in sandwich creativity and clams are on the menu too.
7. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
If Jazz and Blues is your thing then there is fun to be had at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. No seat is more than 50 feet from the stage. Dine here before the show starts and enjoy Mediterranean influences as well as seafood, steaks and salads.
There is no dance floor but they say they can’t stop you from shaking in your seats. People have been shaking in their seats here for almost four decades. Here at one of the funnest restaurants in Seattle, you might see an up and coming artist or a living legend on their stage.
8. Ray’s Boathouse and Caf?
The Boathouse has amazing food at the water’s edge and the Caf? has an amazing outdoor deck with views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. Watch the sunset, eat fresh seafood and if you’re lucky watch eagles fishing.
Ray’s began as a dockside caf? with the original coffee house opening in 1945. They are a Seattle institution and when you dine there you share the experience with generations of Seattle locals. Appreciate the heritage, commitment to supporting the local fishermen and the iconic location.
Time to Reflect
Start with quality ingredients and you are more likely to end up with a delicious dish. Seattle is a fun place to be. The diversity of food influences, amazing locations and culture are the raw ingredients for great dining experiences.
Don’t listen to the reputation of Seattle people being cold. The Seattle freeze soon melts. The Seattle Seahawk fans are officially the loudest crowd at a football game so they have some extrovert traits.
Our hope our list of the best restaurants in Seattle provide you an interesting, even quirky Seattle experience. The list covers romance, nature, music, spectacle, and character. Add to this some amazing food and drink and you have a menu of delights ahead of you.
Be prepared to soak in the ambiance but also contribute to the fun. Help make your fellow diners and servers day.
To learn more about Seattle click here.
Seattle is well known around the world as for it’s eccentric style and cultural scene. It’s also a burgeoning tech hub, seeing growth in just about every other industry. Whether you’re here for work or for a vacation, there is a lot to see from the Space Needle to Pike’s Place Market or a Seattle Storm WNBA game. But if you want to get off the beaten path, you should look for some of the more unique things near Seattle to check out.
For people who want to avoid the crowds, getting off the main path can be a relief. The added bonus is that next time you end up in Seattle with family or friends, you can show them something cool and sound like a local.
To get a taste of some of the more unique things near Seattle, check out these 7 sites.
1. Archie McPhee
If you like to check out cute novelty shops, see what Seattle has to offer. Archie McPhee has every kind of gift you need for holidays or for fun.
Have you ever thought about getting a unicorn horn for your cat or a mustache for your baby? Well, Archie McPhee has it. Browse their aisles for hours and you’ll see products you’d never even imagined.
Even if you’re not into novelty shopping, it’s a great place to browse for the fun of it. Dive into the weirdness and more bacon products than you could ever fit under a single roof.
2. Fremont Troll
This is one of the many great free things to see in Seattle. Legend has it the Fremont Troll lives underneath the Aurora Bridge, on the north end near N 36th Street.
It was created by a group of artists in 1990. The troll is made of steel rebar, concrete, wire, hubcaps, and an old Volkswagen Beetle.
The troll has been guarding the bridge for a quarter century and will likely still be there when we’re all gone.
3. Shoe Museum At Pike’s Place
Don’t expect an actual museum when you arrive. This giant shoe is actually part of an old traveling show. For a few cents, you can see a shoe that was once worn by the world’s tallest man.
You’ll see some other oddities and strange shoe related objects. Expect something off-beat and kitschy and you won’t be disappointed. It’s one of the great locations of vintage charm and unique things near Seattle.
4. Vashon Island Bike Tree
If you’re making a trek to Vashon Island, look up. While wandering through the forest, you’re likely to see a bike that’s going through the middle of a tree. This is truly one of the unique things near Seattle that you won’t find on many tour guides.
Locals all have stories about how the bike got there, but good luck getting a straight answer. Some say that the bike was chained to the tree by a young soldier before he headed off to war.
Other people say that the bike was intentionally grown through the middle of the tree.
The common thread is that no one put the bike there on purpose. Closer to the truth is the story about a boy who left their bike behind and over time, a tree just grew through it.
No matter what you believe, there the bike sits, in the middle of the tree. You’ll have to see it to believe it.
5. Lenin Does Fremont
One of the stranger socio-political objects in the city of Seattle has to be the 16-foot high statue of Vladimir Lenin. It was created by a Bulgarian sculptor who built it as an element of the Communist propaganda machine.
While working in Slovakia, a local Seattle resident named Lewis Carpenter found the statue ready to be destroyed. Feeling like it would be a waste of the sculptor’s work, he bought the statue and spent the cash to get it shipped. It took a lot of effort to get the statue in the country.
Carpenter, unfortunately, passed before the statue was ever erected in the US. thankfully his family made a goal of getting it up and now it stands in Fremont.
If you’re looking for unique things near Seattle and have a love for Communist history, you’ll love this oddity.
6. Karaoke at Rock Box
Are you in town with old friends or looking for a bonding experience with co-workers after a long week of a conference? One of the best ways to shake off inhibitions is to engage in the mutual embarrassment of karaoke.
At $4-$7 per hour, per person, it’s a heck of a deal for a memorable night of entertainment. Be sure to call ahead to make sure something is available.
If you’ve got a group of 35 or more, you can book the party room and make it an all-out wild night of showmanship with your group.
7. Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
Along the tourist-heavy strip of Seattle’s waterfront, you might not expect to find anything interesting at all. Lucky for you, there’s Ye Old Curiosity Shop.
It’s another novelty shop selling curious items and Seattle souvenirs. You’ll also find interesting items placed in the style of a museum.
There are narwhal tusks, totem poles, and a couple of mummies. The mummies, named Sylvester and Sylvia, were found in Central America.
They were well preserved, so well preserved that the University of Washington has run studies on them. Sylvester was preserved with a special solution. Whoever mummified him used an arsenic solution hoping that he would one day be discovered.
There’s a Long List of Unique Things Near Seattle!
If you’re a nature buff, you’re going to find all kinds of interesting things to do in the Seattle area. Whether you want to walk along the waterfront or hit the nearby Old Growth Forest, you’ll find no shortage of great sights.
If you’re still looking for unique things near Seattle, contact us for more tips.
Donuts from a Drive Thru! I must have crashed and gone to heaven!
If you have a hankering for donuts in Tacoma, check out Pao’s Donuts and Coffee Shop in Tacoma’s West End (making the West Slope Historic). You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your car—they have a drive thru window! Bring cash though because credit cards are not welcome. However the inexpensive pricing will have you searching your seats for change (I speak from experience).
A fresh selection of Old Fashioned donuts in Tacoma at Pao’s Donuts and Coffee Shop
Pao’s Excels in its Simple Approach
I am impressed with the pricing, the simplicity and the excellence in their offerings. Eating at Pao’s has changed what I accept as a good donut. The owners have been there to serve me each time I go. They are quick let me know which donuts are fresh, and which are discounted day old donuts. I was hesitant in ordering an espresso from a donut shop, but I must say, my double tall latte was well made. Pao and his wife seem to take pride in their work, and the community has noticed . Pao’s was voted Best of the South Sound in 2016.
Pao’s was voted Best in the South Sound for 2016.
Family Business
The atmosphere may seem familiar to you. Pao’s is a former Dunkin Donuts. Pink donut boxes, stacked high behind the counter. Pictures of Pao’s children are on the walls, some with giant donuts. You get the feeling that Pao’s is not just a business—but a means to an end—a vision of what America can be and is.
Local To Tacoma
Pao’s is just off Highway 16 on 6th avenue, on the way toward Titlow Beach, where grown men once wrestled octopi. Tacoma Community College is nearby as is the Tacoma Musical Playhouse. There are lots of things to do in Tacoma, but stopping here in a must!
Do you like musicals? Check out this 5 disk Boxset.
An assortment of syrups illuminated in Pao’s drive thru window, by the late day sun.
Don’t Forget The Cash!
Next time you’re cruising the streets, looking for some donuts in Tacoma, check out Pao’s Donuts and Coffee Shop. You won’t be disappointed–unless you forget your cash!