let's grab a cup of coffee

Given that Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks, it seems fitting that I can summarize the past two days through the cups of coffee that I drank. This is the first weekend since I moved here that I didn't really have any plans, so I used the free time to do some exploring. Seattle is a lot bigger than New York, so it takes a little bit more effort to wander through the different neighborhoods.

My roommate and I took advantage of the surprisingly pleasant weather on Saturday to check out the U District. It's a cute college-y area with an eclectic mix of stores - we shopped our way through the main thoroughfare, stopping by a couple cafes to refuel. We both felt rather old (at the ripe age of 24) as we watched college kids walking around, all hyped up for the Saturday football game.  Too bad neither of us really knew what it was like to actually care about a college sports team.

The next day, I made way over to the Capitol Hill neighborhood to meet up with my brother after struggling to overcome my inept sense of direction (I couldn't find the right bus stop, then realized that I was at the wrong bus stop, then waited 20 minutes for the right bus...). We ate at Cafe Presse, a French cafe with a bustling brunch crowd. I love that Seattle is a brunch town, since weekend brunch is one of my favorite activities. I ordered a tomato soup and stole a bite of my brother's croque monsieur (both delicious). I wanted to see more of the area, since it's supposed to be one of the "cool" neighborhoods in Seattle, so I headed over to Roy Street Coffee, which is actually a Starbucks concept store. You pick your beans and method, so I ordered Kona bean coffee made with the pour over method. Naturally, I had to get some doughnuts to accompany all the coffee. Luckily, Top Pot Doughnuts, which is mentioned a lot in Seattle food buzz, was a short walk away.  My glazed applesauce doughnut was moist and light - a perfect follow-up to all that coffee.

All paths seem to lead to the water though, and I ended the weekend by the piers in some good company. Can't wait to drink my way through the rest of Seattle's coffee!