ohayou, seattle!

today was the first day of our three day trip to seattle! and it was also the second time for us to visit the new loft in the historical pioneer square. 

first things first in the city where american coffee culture was born: we stopped by elm coffee roasters, the recently opened roastery and coffee shop in the neighborhood, and visited the loft! all the furniture was cleared out, including the grand piano (doh), but the walls were still warm shades of wine, mustard, and evergreen. what were these people thinking??

we spent a little time taking inventory of the apartment's condition and fixtures, figured out how to access the parking garage (secret batmobile like entrance along the railroad tracks, check!), and made a little to do list. later in the afternoon, mike, the handyman, visited the loft with us and estimated it would take 3-4 days to prime and paint the place. exciting! below are a couple photos of the current walls (yuck), and us choosing between a couple different shades of white. we went with the one behind kevin, which is a creamier white, which will hopefully complement the original brick walls. 

love love love the brick walls and open views and neighborhood, even if it is shady. i already want to live here !!!!!!

and on this fine day, we found the yummiest taiwanese cafe in the international district of downtown seattle: hard wok cafe. even though we were at least double the age of all the other patrons, we had an unforgettable dining experience! i don't think i've ever seen 蚵仔煎 (oyster omelette), 擔仔麵 (danzai noodles), 大腸包小腸 ("big sausage wrapped around small sausage"), or 台南米糕 (tainan bucket rice) on a menu in the US and this place had them all, and more! my favorites were the 肉燥 (braised diced pork belly over rice) and 割包 (gua bao)! definitely one of our best finds (thanks to my MIL) in the PNW yet.

more food to come: jen, kevin, and i managed to get away for a nice evening out in capitol hill, with dinner at the korean bbq-inspired restaurant, trove, and mudpie parfaits from the food truck out front. the weather was really nice,  in the high 60s with the sun setting over the city, and the conversation was intimate.

when we got home, uncle kevin made more legos with liam :)