Seattle Sojourn Summary

Another in a series of quick escapes, Seattle is mere hours away and is teeming with activities: fine dining, hiking and adventure. It wouldn’t surprise me if Seattle had more coffee cafes per capita, shops line the streets in each unique neighborhood. Starbucks chain is based here, but many other roasters call Seattle home. A fairly constant stream of mist and rain and roasted coffee keep the locals hydrated.

Seattle Skyline downtown

A long weekend here for work and pleasure yielded numerous surprises. My last visit was eons ago, a significant lure are the lakes and water pleasures. Boating, water skiing and rowing are year around sports. I stayed with friends on Lake Mercer and an early morning wetsuit clad water skier traversed the shore for over an hour, a mesmerizing view on a crystal-clear day. Let us know if you would like to charter a speed boat and explore the island harbors, Paul Allen’s heli-pad/boat is floating in front of his Mercer Island waterfront estate.

A newly-found appreciation of local glass artist Dale Chihuly led me to the Chihuly Garden and Glass center. A few years ago, the New York Botanical Gardens presented a Chihuly exhibition and the juxtaposition of glass and garden setting transported me into the fan club. A small Catalina Island Museum exhibit two year ago entirely focused on translucent and pale pink sea shells was another Chihuly delight! Most of the Garden display in Seattle felt mundane after the gorgeous N.Y. Botanical setting, however there was one very inspiring room here. Amid eight galleries the Pacific Northwest room was my favorite.

Peach Cylinder with Indian Blanket Drawing by Dale Chihuly
 Navajo Blanket Cylinders  Dale Chihuly



Vibrantly colored American trade Indian blankets woven by Pendleton in the Pacific Northwest from the Chihuly private collection are displayed on an entire wall and are part of the exhibit along with woven baskets and glass pieces inspired by the blankets. The shades and patterns of these blankets provided inspiration to a large collection of his colorful art pieces. The room also displays a small (over 50 pieces) of his collection of Native American photogravures taken by Edward S. Curtis. His collection is only exceeded by the collection at the National Gallery. The combination of blankets and photos provide an impressive backdrop for this particularly inspiring glass collection.

Pendleton Navajo Blankets, Dale Chihuly Garden & Glass Center Seattle

Chihuly’s mastery of weaving and his love of Native American textiles played a fundamental role in developing his art. His early Navajo Blanket Cylinders series was inspired by traditional Navajo weaving. Beginning in the late 1960s, Chihuly collected wool trade blankets, produced primarily by the Pendleton Mill for trade with Native American tribes. In 1974–75, inspired by these blankets, Chihuly, along with Kate Elliott, Flora C. Mace, and Joey Kirkpatrick, perfected the technique of drawing with glass threads. His later Cylinders and Soft Cylinders greatly expanded this vocabulary of brilliantly colored imagery from glass threads and translated the folds and drapes of the blankets into glass forms. These pieces were my absolute favorites.

Seattle offers several five-star hotel options to satisfy all travelers. The Fairmont Olympic, built in 1924 is a grand stately building. The hotel offers refined luxury evidenced by Italian Renaissance architecture interpreted by soaring columns, massive chandeliers and old-world glamour. The central downtown location provides walking access to art galleries, shopping and restaurants and of course, coffee roasters. I loved the little on-site oyster bar Shuckers, which has some of the best seafood in town; the oak-paneled room feels like it has been a cozy home to diners for eons, the perfect location for a sip of champers on a drizzly afternoon.

The Fairmont Olympic lobby, Seattle

The Four Seasons is close to the waters of Elliot Bay, in the heart of the city, with smashing water views; Pikes Place Market on one side and the Seattle Art Museum on another side. And the hotel has an exclusive Chilhuly up close experience. Take a VIP tour of renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s Boathouse on Lake Union, where you’ll see his colorful creations in progress. Then, make a private visit to his studio, where his intriguing installations come to life. The experience will include a glass-blowing demonstration for up to four guests. Included are two tickets to Chihuly Garden and Glass, private transportation to the Chihuly Boathouse and Chihuly Studio along with two complimentary cocktails and a commemorative Chihuly gift.

View from the Four Seasons, Seattle

So many unique neighborhoods in Seattle, one of them includes a charming authentic Trattoria serving scrumptious Northern Italian feasts. Spinasse Trattoria Pastificio Artigianale is known for their handmade pasta dishes in a cozy rustic space, rezzies are essential; but I’ll share a secret, skip lunch and be at the door promptly at 5 pm and line up for a bar seat. As most restaurants with small bars, dining is an interactive affair with inside advice from the wait staff. In my experience, it always involves special tastes of exceptional wines or little morsels from the menu. In sunshiny weather, there are a few outdoor tables. http://www.spinasse.com/

Spinasse Seattle, fresh prosciutto

Don’t miss the dramatic Deep Dive Bar, a speakeasy hidden below the Amazon Sphere Conservatory. Renowned chef Renee Erickson opened the moody atmospheric bar, wander down the curving path below the Sphere and enter into an underground cavern of beautiful collections of small art pieces, eclectic novelties chosen by collector and artist Curtis Steiner. Not only is the interior a hidden gem, the exotic drinks and extravagant snacks are also noteworthy. Items range from the bite-sized pink salmon caviar toast to the hearty crab tartine or Parisian gnocchi.

Deep Dive Bar, Seattle

Classic cocktails are described in a multipage leather-bound book, featuring vintage scientific botanical drawings with Latin descriptions of herbs and leaves. Classic cocktails with unique imagery. Highlights include the Champs-Elysées. Cognac, Chartreuse, Honey, Lime, Angostura.  A classic riff on the Sidecar, this one is named after the famed Parisian boulevard. This cocktail first appeared the Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, though little else is known about its history. Charlie Chaplin Grilled Apricot Cognac, Sloe Gin, Lime. The Charlie Chaplin cocktail was one of the premier drinks of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City before 1920. The drink is named in honor of Charlie Chaplin, the famous comedic actor and filmmaker who was best known for his silent films of the 1920’s. Stinger Gin, Giffard Menthe-Pastille, Cacao.  The Stinger was not initially seen as a cocktail, but rather a digestif. Writing in the 1910s and 1920s, humorist Don Marquis’s “Hermione” refused to refer to the Stinger as a cocktail, indicating its status in upper-class society. Over time, however, the Stinger came to be consumed like a cocktail. My first tasting of a Sazerac was addicting, perhaps it’s the absinthe? The bar/restaurant seats only 30 guests. A clandestine gem.

Graham baba deep dive 1
Deep Dive Bar, Seattle

Simply Seattle, a fairly compact downtown makes this a superb walking city.

Graham baba deep dive 9
Deep Dive Bar, Seattle

Plot out dining, art galleries, and hours of exploration.

Seattle Skyline
Amazon Spheres, Seattle

Oaxaca Inspired Pursuits

New Year, Need New Skills? Creativity and Cooking in Oaxaca. After enjoying a few fun filled days in Mexico City, challenge yourself with pottery making and traditional Oaxacan cooking classes. Oaxaca, barely an hour flight from Mexico City, has become a foodie magnet and for hundreds of years, famed potters have been designing pottery here. In Oaxaca, as in other cities and towns in Mexico, pottery is familiar as decoration and is widely used for practical purposes. The pottery best known in Oaxaca, a colonial-style city about 325 miles south of Mexico City, is unusual in that it is black.

The black pottery of Oaxaca has a satiny sheen, sometimes with a silvery luster. It was developed by accident in 1953 from the traditional drab gray ware of the area. That was when the late Rosa Real de Nieto, a potter from a family of potters of Zapotec Indian ancestry, tried burnishing a simple clay pot with a piece of quartz before firing it. The pot that emerged from her kiln in San Bartolo Coyotepec, an adobe village about nine miles south of Oaxaca, had an attractive patina.

Image result for oaxaca black pottery

A Foodie Paradise, gourmands are flocking to Oaxaca to appreciate the diverse regional cuisine. The cooking varies by region and is one of Mexico’s foremost food destinations. Cultural diversity translates to a broad range of ingredients and preparation styles, many methods date back to pre-Hispanic eras. Corn is a dietary staple and is served in an infinite variety of dishes. Fresh herbs, dried and fresh chilies, sweet moles and handmade tortillas are just a few of the staples that make Oaxacan meals distinctive. Do cooked grasshoppers sound appealing, practice the word: chapulines !

Chapulines. in the market. Often seasoned with chile and lime, these crunchy bugs add a yeasty, salty tang that one reviewer compares to “salt and vinegar potato chips, but a bit wetter.”

Oaxaca has several grand markets and is home to many excellent restaurants. There are several noted cooking schools, we prefer classes that offer market to table preparation. Join in with Chef, wander the markets selecting fresh ingredients and return to the professional kitchen to prepare a traditional re-creatable dish!  The school we prefer also sells prepared ingredients that you can tote home as well. Your next Cinco de Mayo dinner will be a coveted invitation!

The Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca is a botanical garden in Oaxaca City, Mexico. It occupies 2.32 acres of land besides the Church of Santo Domingo

A sample offering itinerary, each Journey is of course bespoke, based on your wishes, but this is a Creativity focus escape:pottery and gastronomy!

Arrive Oaxaca and settle in at the Hotel Quinta Real Oaxaca.

Hotel Quinta Real Oaxaca

Set in the grounds of the 16th Century Santa Catalina nunnery, with inner courtyards and thick stone brickwork, the hotel has a tranquil, otherworldly feel. The staff, dressed as monks, who wander the halls at night lighting a candle outside each room and the constant scent of fresh flowers, only add to that feeling. The walls are dotted with original frescos and many of the early features such as the nuns’ washing fountains remain. Under the hotel are tunnels leading to the two of the main churches of Oaxaca. The hotel’s location in the heart of central Oaxaca means that many of the important tourist spots, restaurants and shops are within easy walking distance. 

The rooms are grand, with slated wooden ceilings, dark-wooden furniture and tiled floors. Each room has distinctly Oaxaca touches with locally made lamps, throws and cushion covers. The external-facing rooms are double-glazed helping to reduce street noise. There are two gardens as well as a large, heated swimming pool surrounded by grass; a great place for peaceful rest after sightseeing. Las Novicias bar is nestled in the corner by the pool, in case margaritas by the pool are in order, but be warned the piano at the bar has been known to play by itself…

Hotel Quinta Real Oaxaca

Day One Private Cooking Class with Market Tour. Start at 9 a.m. in the City Centre. You will then be taken on a tasting tour by one of our guides, where you taste exotic food and meet the charming people who work in the market.

Depending on your cooking enthusiasm and stamina, you will visit a large or small market, like La Merced and continue with the cooking class.  After you head out to Rancho Aurora for an introduction to Oaxacan cuisine and a presentation and explanation of that day’s dishes and their ingredients. Oaxaca is noted for their seven types of mole sauces. Grab an apron and create a delectable five-course meal, guests will enjoy the meal after the shopping and preparation!

Oaxaca, Mexico

Day Two Oaxaca City Tour Private Half Day a walking tour designed to work off some of the scrumptious dining! Meet your bilingual guide at hotel to lead you through the colonial city of Oaxaca. Walking its cobbled streets and observing its vibrant squares, colonial structures, and numerous churches, you will learn about Oaxaca’s historical and cultural importance.

You will be guided through the central plaza (Zócalo) to the largest central market of Oaxaca, where you will learn about the different handicrafts of Oaxaca.  Visit a museum of Oaxacan painters to experience local contemporary and traditional art. You will also visit a photography museum, which is set around a quiet patio, before heading to the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures with its views over the botanic gardens.

After exploring the museum, continue to the botanic gardens before being driven back to your hotel. Walk to dinner from your hotel.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Day Three Private tour to San Bartolo de Coyotepec, Ocotlan & San Antonio. Today you will be picked up from your hotel and head to the nearby community of San Bartolo Coyotepec, famous for its black pottery where you will meet one of the best crafts worker of black pottery and learn how the black pottery crafts are made. 

Next you will drive to Ocotlan, the home of well-known Oaxaca artist, Rodolfo Morales (1925-2001).  Visit the mural painted by Morales that adorns the walls of the Government headquarters, before exploring more of his work in the museum housed in the former convent. Also visit the Aguilar sisters in Ocotlan, famous for its ceramics.

Rodolfo Morales Mural, Oaxaca, Mexico

Depending on your interests and if time permits you will also visit the community of Atzompa to visit the great ceramic artist and visit a blind ceramic sculptor. https://www.mexicoartshow.com/angelicavasquez.html

Lunch at Mi Tierra Linda – Known for their irresistible hand-crafted mole dishes.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Day Four Private tour to Mixteca Alta with Pottery Workshop. An art class designed to nudge your creativity spirit! Meet your guide and drive to Mixteca Alta to meet a great potter master and enjoy a workshop where you learn how they make their crafts. Kids will love squishing the wet clay between their fingers in attempting to create their masterpieces. Instructors will be chosen to suit every level of talent!

Day Five Gather your gourmet goodies, pottery and head to the airport for your trip home.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca Restaurants of Note: Criollo, Itanoni, La Teca. Lobster tacos at Casa Oaxaca. Casually elegant Casa Oaxaca Café & Restaurante for drinking chocolate de agua. Breakfast at Boulenc. Origen Oaxaca. Pitiona and El Destilado  

Shopping Suggestions: for a range of quality Oaxacan souvenirs: Andares del Arte Popular . For traditional huipil blouses, Arte Amuzgos Near the Museo Textil de Oaxaca. Amate Books. La Mano Magica Amazing crafts including papier mache, alebrijes, black pottery and textiles

Adios Mexico!