Issaquah, Washington - March 2024
It's March of 2024 and Justin and I take our first trip together for the year. Mike, Sara and myself had bought him a plane ticket for his birthday during Christmas time so we could go visit the family as it doesn't happen often. We were looking forward to having a small break and feelings the cool air of real seasons again as it's been quite a while. I love living in Phoenix but sometimes you just need a change, and Justin loves the cold.
Wednesday morning we rise and shine early and are off on a Southwest red, blue and yellow flyer. Arriving at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, it's cool how all of the airlines are part of one terminal, why doesn't everyone do it this way? Justin's father Mike picks us up and hosts us for the week at his home in Issaquah where the rest of the family resides. On the way to and from dinner. Issaquah is just how I remember. It gives off lovely small town vibes and has a way of making you think about what it would be like to live here. There are big chain stores of course, but there are so many local mom and pop shops, coffee shacks and small roads. It goes without saying that there's so much green here too. I'd been to Seattle once before and now Issaquah twice, so I'm glad we got to explore the downtown and local areas more this time around. After resting a few hours and relaxing at home, we meet the Winter's clan at Sunset Alehouse for dinner about five minutes down the road. Sara is happy to see us and tells us how excited her two daughters Olivia and Lily were that we've come to visit. They're really cute kids, and really bright. We catch up during dinner and the girls want to sit on my lap, I'm officially Auntie Kat and it's such a cool title to own.
The next day, we visit what I call "Mike's troll", it's a short walk of about .75 miles near a local community center that is home to an troll art installation made completely out of recycled wood. It's very cool and he's quite the tall, happy woodland troll. It feels like we're just able to talk freely which doesn't always happen with family, so it's so nice to just walk without worrying about being anywhere on a brisk mid-week morning. We drive through the village/downtown area and stop at The Great American Diner for breakfast. I wasn't expecting to like this place as much as I did because most diners are, well, diners. Which are great, but often similar. This place made everything in house and from scratch, by the book, just how mama likes it. Down to the whipped cream on the waffles. Squeezed orange juice, corned beef hash, eggs, bacon, pancakes and omelets fill the table and we roll out of there happy as clams in the nearby waters. Next, it's Justin's favorite topic: The Gym. 425 Fitness is Mike's gym, and I'm once again impressed. This was a HUGE facility and really cool for someone who's not into gyms so much. Super clean and quiet for the middle of a Thursday. Their thigh machine thing killed me on the stairs for a few days following, good thing we're staying in a townhouse. With stairs. In the evening we hit the bowling alley with the family and teach the girls how to bowl with the little plastic kiddie slides, it's a good time. We all suck pretty bad, but it's great to get out.
Friday is probably my favorite day out of the trip. We make breakfast at home today with the works including eggs, turkey bacon for Mike's sodium intake and all our sakes, has browns and English muffins. Midday Justin and I leave Mike to nap at home and Sara picks us up to explore Gilman Village a few minutes away. This place was so neat. A little plaza of local boutiques and stores filled with chic/industrial restaurants and shops stocked with items you'd think Grandma herself made (in the best way). There's a kitchen store, and I want to spend more time, but have some self restraint as this is Justin's time. I do walk away with some bitchin dish cloths though, so mission accomplished. We find these cute felt headband crowns with string for the girls at a Japanese themed handmade shop and Justin buys "Manly Man" soap from another. While here, we hit a spot that was on my list where I didn't think we'd get to try; The Black Dusk Cask & Bottle. Yeah, that's the name. And it rocks on more level than one. This industrial little pub style hub features wooden features everywhere and small intimate atmosphere covered in flannel. There are blankets on the backs of chairs and anyone in here looks like they'd win in a fight. We dine on fancy deviled eggs, crispy as hell onion rings with a smashin' aioli, pizza and the best hot cider with bourbon I've ever had. I could've had 3. We chat and explore the innerworkings of each other's brains through conversation and it's awesome to get one on one time with Sara, I think this is the first time it's really happened since I've known her and it was great.
Driving back to Mike's place, I can't help but notice the snowy peaks of the mountains hidden behind walls of trees that go halfway up the sky. It's the kind of view you could never tire of. A few hours later, we head to dinner with the whole family to The Crab Pot. The restaurant is built on a man made pond like area and we get to look at the water while eating, it's pretty cool. We get the works and the spread is awesome. A bucket of crab, mussels, shrimp, corn, sausage and clams is dumped on the table in front of us and the kids are no longer impressed with their hamburgers and fries. Lily kept trying to steal the crab, Justin and I weren't having it. That shit's expensive kid. We eat and eat until almost nothing remains on the table and it's a satisfying kind of full. All that can be found is some red dust remnants from the Cajun seasoning, but I would've licked that off the table if I could. We call it a night and head into our last day in town.
Morning is here and it's the big boy's birthday. He's unfortunately not feeling great today, so Justin stays in bed a few extra hours while I decorate downstairs and have presents ready. I order in breakfast since Justin's not up for going out, sad face, and our uber order somehow ends up lost in the void and delivered who knows where. I re-order our food, we munch it down and head to Sara's place for some birthday shenanigans. We chill with the dogs and girls and it's time to bake. Last time we were in town, I told Olivia and Lily I would bake with them, so it's time to keep that sacred promise. You can't mess around when it comes to baking of course. We make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, which I can't believe they've never made before... They follow the directions well and watching them stand on buckets and kitchen chairs like I did as a kid gives me every good feeling in the universe. Baking is about kindness and memories for me. We sing happy birthday and Justin dives into a tray of brownies and a cookie tower that I stick a candle in. There goes the can of funfetti frosting I smuggled in my carry on from Phoenix. But it's ok. By now, it's time to say goodbye and we're off to the airport. This is the first rain of the trip that we've seen and it's a nice drizzle. Pine trees accompany the roads and tower overhead as the rain falls. It's been fun and I hope we see Washington again soon with it's peaks and pints.
Thanks again, Issaquah.
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