An Emerald City Life

06/06/2026

06/03/2026

My husband and I had a lovely music-filled evening thanks to at the gorgeous Olympic Pavilion on the rooftop of in Ballard last week. The music theme was “yacht rock” and the band was delightful and for the next concerts (there are two seatings) on June 10th it’s “Piano Men: A Billy Joel & Elton John Tribute” which would be such a great listen too.
On a sunny Seattle evening (don’t you just love the longer days lately?) it was so nice to arrive early for drinks and snacks (the Marcona almonds with bee pollen and sea salt were so good) and feel like we almost had the whole rooftop to ourselves as other guests trickled in. And it was pretty cool to hear live music in such an intimate space while also watching the sun go down in spectacular colors.
There were a couple groups celebrating birthdays and other milestones together but it wasn’t crowded and I also didn’t realize the restaurant and event space is also connected to (have you ever stayed here?) on the street level of the building also has yummy food so it’s easy to make this a dinner and concert combination as well. Do you love going out to listen to live music too?
Thanks for having us

06/02/2026

Still holding on to some little bits of May while June just barrels its way through. Don’t you just love the longer days filled with warmth and sunshine we’ve been having lately? I definitely feel like I’m coming out of some kind of hibernation. There are patches of wildflowers on Lodge Lake Trail and I hope maybe after the next bit of rain in the mountains that are really going to pop. Also nearby has a margarita pizza (balsamic glaze, fresh tomatoes basil crispy crust and just enough cheese✨) that is perfect.

05/29/2026

Spent the loveliest morning in with who took me for coffee at and showed me a great place for soup (you can ask her its name if you’re curious. It does not seem to have an Instagram and it was so delicious.)

This whole area seems like it has underlying buzz for and it’s exciting to walk around and take it all in.
Walking back to my car I popped into and noticed it has a section of soccer books (like one with a history of the World Cup that I need to go back and get.)
I’m actually joining in my first group reading event thanks to and I think I’m going to bring the book I posted with my soup (The women could fly by Megan Giddings. I tend to do mostly audiobooks so I’m looking forward to a chance to make myself read)

My husband bought it for me on his last work trip at a bookstore in Raleigh called - it came wrapped with only a short description about it (it’s from a section in the store called “date with a book” and he sent me a photo of all the wrapped up books and I picked a couple after reading their descriptions and he randomly chose from those two so it was a complete surprise for both of us. Have you ever bought a book like this?)

Seattle-based is now in Pioneer Square and I’ve only ever seen it online so it was nice to actually be able to check out the feel of their clothes.

I also walked into for the first time too and it has the cutest Seattle World Cup water bottles (and hats are coming!) They look like the window art and I love the whimsy.

After all that I stopped by today and spotted Rainier cherries and I wish I saw stories before I didn’t buy the vitamin C serum that was there-Have you tried it? Do I need to go back before it sells out? Do you ever go to Trader Joe’s and only buy exactly what you came in for?

Also are you going to check out any World Cup activities if it’s in your city? I saw the Seattle barge tickets went on sale today from and and I’m debating trying that out for a game. It feels like such a cool time for Seattle. ❤️

05/26/2026

A few weekend things from a trip up north:

Chocolate mess” from
Grandma, me and Toby from a zillion years ago
Our room at the where we hoped for whales but will come back and try again (I booked on points and it turned out lovely)
New Vancouver architecture
reimagined as a soccer ball for (Vancouver has so much going on for including a soccer ball croissant from )
Granville island greenery
The Port Mann bridge (how I know I’m home)
A sunset to mark the day
A water landing that caught our eye
And Nanaimo bars among the treats from the most perfect celebration for someone dear to our hearts. ❤️

Happy shorter week maybe? Hope it’s a good one.

And also I am kind of feeling the mantra “eat dessert first” setting the tone more in my heart too. I always wish I had more photos of people we hold dear and I once again I got caught up in the moment this weekend and didn’t take enough. And my cousin told me that a harmonica is the best instrument for young kids (it always sounds good compared to things like a recorder or drums) and I think that’s good advice.

05/18/2026

Are you also someone who when sitting under something like the chandelier in , knowing full well what happens in the story, might search “how much does the chandelier from Phantom of the Opera weigh”? And are you a fan of this musical too?
The Phantom of the Opera is in Seattle through May 24th before it heads to San Francisco and I was invited to media night the other night and it is such a phenomenal show. I wrote a bit more of a review on my blog 👆(especially because I also ended up reading a bit of a background of the story-did you know that in the book this musical is based on the OG is actually called Erik?!!)

I love how in Seattle the across the street from the Paramount theatre also creates food pairings for musicals. The “phantom of the opera cake” was delicious and also a fish dish with a fancy French name-I even loved the font the restaurant chose for the menu. These little things are so special and thoughtful. Do you find these kinds of things delightful as well?
I wish the weekend could extend a little longer. I am not sure if I’m entirely ready for Monday….(I feel like Mondays are days that need a bit of a pep talk like this Prima Donna song. Also I can’t get the soundtrack out of my head)

05/15/2026

It’s still our city for a few more weeks before the big ⚽️crowds and the height of cruise ship season in Seattle. Do you think it’s going to get really busy? Are you looking forward to the excitement?
I’ve been noticing more and more things popping up everywhere downtown Seattle like and a few new stores at and
is now a bit bustling even pre-8am.
It’s also member month at and they have a new exhibit that just opened (Monochrome: Calder and Tara Donovan) and it has some really stunning pieces.
Did you see the barge we’re going to have on the waterfront this summer?! (Epic!)
And I keep getting asked about lupines. Has anyone spotted any downtown Seattle yet? Expedia park on the where I usually see them still feels like it might have a few weeks to go.

06/24/2025

Spread the loveThis is a sponsored post on behalf of the Seattle Symphony for Barbie the Movie in Concert with the Seattle Symphony on June 27 and June 28th Have you seen Barbie the Movie yet? On June 27 and 28th at Benaroya Hall in Seattle you can see Barbie the Movie: in Concert with […]