36 Hours on Lopez Island

Sunset Bay

“Don’t change Lopez Island,” one cheerily hand-penned sign read in the window of a village shop. “Let Lopez Island change you.”

There is something magical about crossing water to reach a destination. Even when that location is only roughly 90 miles from home, I could not believe how different Lopez Island felt.

As the honorary contributing beverage writer for Rain or Shine Guides I wanted to pick a destination not too difficult to reach, but still within a day’s drive. One of the San Juan Islands seemed ideal, and after reading about a blazing newish restaurant (more on that soon), I booked a full weekend on Lopez Island to explore.

Spoiler alert: Do not travel to Lopez Island just for the beverages. Lopez Island Brewing Company may have a website and a physical address, but neither yielded tangible results. As for Lopez Island Vineyards, tastings are held as “pop ups” or at Summer Farmers Markets — neither of which we located on a November weekend. Our beverage scouting will have to wait for further developments.

Having said that, DO visit Lopez Island for everything else. Here are the top hitters.

The Scenic Calm

Lopez Island is quiet and dark with very few cars and unpolluted skies flush with stars. As my husband and I lay in the bed of our garden cottage next to a warm wood stove, we fell asleep watching The Milky Way tilt and slide above us through the skylights. If you need a place with 63 miles of stark, hushed coastline, you could do worse than Lopez Island.

TIP: Many businesses, and even Spencer Spit State Park, are fully closed during the offseason, (shhhhh! we hiked to the spit anyway). However, if solitude is what you seek, consider the lower cost and non bustle of booking a Lopez trip in the offseason.

Driftwood at Spencer Spit

The Wildlife

Stepping out of our cottage I was surrounded by friendly jackrabbits. Just by walking 300 feet to the coastline, I spotted a lazy seal turning somersaults in Fisherman Bay.  A clear day yielded to a stunning salmon and terracotta-streaked sunset featuring a lone, gliding bald eagle. Nature envelopes you at every turn on Lopez Island, from quaint farms filled with braying goats to fish leaping from brackish ponds.

TIP: For an unadulterated coastal vista filled with sea birds, seals, and sometimes orcas and porpoises, visit Shark Reef Sanctuary on the south-western end of the island. Leave your car in the tiny pullout and hike a half mile to the cliff edges along a well-marked and maintained trail. Nature favors those who wait, so bring a sandwich, perch on a rock, and see who decides to pass by.

Vista at Shark Reef Sanctuary

The Charm

Famously nicknamed “Slowpez,” nothing moves quickly on Lopez Island. Being open to adventure will serve you well. Cafe closed for the winter? No worries! Just a few miles down the road at Sunnyfield Farm we encountered the Lopez Island Little Winter Market. Crowded with local vendors peddling fresh bread, herbed cheeses made right on the property, and spiced cider, you can support the thriving local farm trade while enjoying a string band playing in the hay rafters.

TIP: Don’t be alarmed when everyone on Lopez waves at you from their cars. It’s polite, customary, and becomes completely natural within an hour or two. It’s just another piece of local charm that solidified Lopez Island’s place in my heart.

Little Winter Market inspired lunch

The FOOD!

But the number one reason to visit Lopez is to try Ursa Minor, a creative agrarian Northwest restaurant right in the heart of the village. Recently featured in Edible Seattle, this rustic and imaginative dining experience did not disappoint and ranked as highly with us as our recent experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants in France. This is the closest to food terroir I’ve had yet in the northwest.

Make Ursa Minor the star of the evening and stay late to share plates like the burnt cabbage, sunflower seeds, wild onion & chestnut dish or tide-tumbled fresh oysters topped with frozen kimchi. Our entree of chicken, potatoes, chanterelles & black garlic was artfully presented and quickly devoured. And for a lady who doesn’t like dessert, I struggled to share the hay ice cream, poached quince, malt, and honey crumbles with my date. I will seriously dream of those honey crumbles for weeks to come.

A fairly priced and solid wine list made pairing easy with glasses of sparkling Fruili to start and a 2013 bottle of Crozes-Hermitage to take us the rest of the way through the meal.

TIP: While there’s no tasting menu (YET) at Ursa Minor, do talk to co-owners Chef, Nick Coffey and Front-of-House, Nova Askue to hear what’s good right now. Most items are sourced on the island so they will know what’s showing best when. Reservations are recommended, so book ahead.

Lamb leg, roasted koji, daikon & mustard greens at Ursa Minor

So close to home, yet so very different, try Lopez Island. Do reserve your space on the outbound ferry as passage is never a guarantee. Bring binoculars for the amazing sights you will see far and wide. And let me know if that brewery ever opens its doors to visitors. Salud!

Amy L. Dickson is a communications professional, freelance writer, Level 1 sommelier, and a contributor to Rain or Shine Guides. Follow her at @amyldickson75

Neighborhood Guide: Maple Leaf

We may be a bit biased on this post. We do live in Maple Leaf after all. We roam these streets and drink in these bars on the regular, so when we give a recommendation you know it is based on years of experiences. Our little neighborhood isn’t as bustling as some of the other big ones (Ballard, Fremont, etc.), but where we might be smaller, we have some mighty little businesses that make it a great place to come visit!

Where to Eat

Cloud City Coffee

Nine times out of ten this is the coffee shop we head to in Maple Leaf. They have a wonderful selection for breakfast, lunch, and coffee and have a really genuine and kind feel the second you walk in the door. Also, they have Oatly for your lattes!

Blue Saucer CAFE 

Another coffee shop in the neighborhood that pulls us in every once in a while is Blue Saucer. And why do you ask? Their bagel sandwiches are To. Die. For. They also do great specials for their coffees. Plus it’s also a little quieter since this is a smaller cafe and some mornings you just can’t beat relaxing with a nice bagel while you do the crossword!

Cafe Javasti

We are lucky that we have so many great coffee shops in the area, and we definitely can’t leave out Cafe Javasti. They have the best selection of crepes you could ask for (sweet and savory!) while serving Olympia’s Batdorf & Bronson Coffee.

The Maple

This neighborhood pub has a great happy hour and is located in a great converted house, so what couldn’t be there to love? While we usually don’t go there for dinner, we love to hit it up for their brunch (mimosas anyone?) or happy hour (burrata + wine specials!). Bonus points for all the outdoor seating and cute garden you can access in the warmer months!

Rainy Art in Maple Leaf

The Shambles

This is a relatively new spot to the neighborhood, but it immediately stole our hearts. They are a butcher, so they source incredible meats from local farmers and they also craft an awesome beer list from local craft breweries. We love getting their meat and cheese boards, sharing one of their amazing sandwiches and getting a side of the crushed potatoes with beers to top it all of. Boom.

Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon

This is probably Maple Leaf's biggest claim to fame. Judy Fu is famous in the city for her delicious dumplings and homemade noodles. This restaurant has won best Chinese in Western Washington by King5 like a million times. Get the dumplings and noodles, plus whatever else catches your eye on the menu - it's Chinese food at its best! The restaurant fills up fast on weeknights and weekends, so if you don't feel like waiting order it to go or for delivery and enjoy at home! 

Flying Squirrel Pizza 

This is our neighborhood pizza joint. Everyone has one, but we think ours is the best. Flying Squirrel has a few locations around Seattle and all of them are equally great, but we frequent this one the most. We always start with the castelvetrano olives and meatballs then move on to any of the pizzas. They source the best meats and veggies so really you can’t go wrong. Their pepperoni is classic, the pulled pork is something different and delicious, and their seasonal specials are always unique, too.

Kona Kitchen

This place is a beloved Hawaiian and Japanese restaurant (owned by film actor Yuji Okumoto!) and has a wonderful family feel. We highly recommend the Katsu Loco, which is a more delicious version of the Loco Moco made with fried rice and a panko breaded chicken thigh. And on the weekends there is karaoke because duh.

Where to Drink

Old 5th Avenue Tavern

The greatest dive bar in the history of dive bars (our blog, our opinion!). It has everything you could want…stiff drinks, cheap food, fun locals, pull tabs, pool, a jukebox, and you can find the owner, Tara, slinging drinks most nights. We love to come on Tuesday for their tacos (2 for $1) that are old school style with Old El Paso hard shells and ground beef like your Mom used to make. Spaghetti Wednesday is in stiff competition where you get a big plate of spaghetti and slices of garlic bread. Can’t.be.beat.

Growler Guys

This spot has like 1 million beers. Ok, their website says 60, but we always feel a tad overwhelmed when trying to choose. For those of you who don’t suffer from decision anxiety this place will be beer heaven! They also have good beer food (pizza and wings, duh) and food trucks on site often. We also love keeping tabs on their events - they do a great job of having unique events to bring the community together.

The Reservoir Tavern

Slightly more seedier and smelly than the Old 5th Tavern, this dive bar wins points for its location. It sits right across from the Maple Leaf Park meaning you can easily grab a drink after your Frisbee game. They also have a back patio and pool if you feel up for a bar game, but we highly recommend getting an order of fries, which they make with duck fat and shake with some sort of seasoning that takes them to the next level. Truly the best fries in town.

Things to Do

Maple Leaf Park 

Maple Leaf has an incredible park right smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood and you can’t miss it because it has a ginormous water tower with painted maple leaves right next to it. The park has a paved running track (about .5 mile = 1 lap), some pickleball courts and what is basically the coolest kids playground ever (it has a zipline!). When you visit on a clear day you can see views of downtown Seattle and also Mount Rainier.

Bead World

Okay, so maybe you need to be a jewelry maker to fully appreciate this shop, but even we get joy out of browsing all the cool beads here. They have too many types to count in every style you can possibly imagine. Need a Buddha head bead? They’ve got that. What about sparkly beads? Hundred to choose from. They even offer classes for jewelry making including basic bead stringing all the way up to 3D etching. Check out the full schedule here.

Reckless Video  

We saved the best for last here - Maple Leaf is home to one of the last of the dinosaurs - a real, live, video store. For such a tiny house, they have managed to convert it into a space that holds a crazy amount of movies! If you want to support a local business and have a walk down memory lane we definitely recommend heading to Reckless and hunting for a few videos to watch on a rainy night. Grab some Red Vines on your way out.

The best place to grab a movie in the city of Seattle!

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Alright - come visit us in Maple Leaf and let us know what you think!

Seattle Day Trips: The Best of Bainbridge Island

Do you ever just want to get on a ferry and sail away to a quiet island full of super beautiful houses, nice parks, friendly people, and great little small businesses to explore? We do! Guess what? Bainbridge Island checks off all those boxes and is only a short 30 minute trip from Seattle. 

Getting there

To get to Bainbridge Island you will need to take a Washington State Ferry out of the ferry terminal in Downtown Seattle. You can get on the ferry on foot/bike or drive on. Both have their benefits. Walking on is eight dollars round trip. Even if you just ride to Bainbridge, and then turn around and come back it is worth eight dollars! Walking on does limit you a bit once you are on the island though, while the quaint downtown is all within walking distance some of the parks and businesses require a car/bike to get to. 

If you drive on it is usually around $15 - $25 (depending on how many people you have in the car) and then you can access whatever you'd like once you arrive. This is the route we normally go. Make sure to check the scheduled departures before you head there to time it right! 

Food and Drink

Streamliner Diner - Believe us when we say there is no other spot to get breakfast on Bainbridge Island. First off, if we ever had a breakfast joint, we would want it to have this exact vibe. It's so authentic and homey. A cup of coffee and some of their jam, it just makes you feel at home. We love their Citrus French Toast, A.B.C.T (I mean who actually wants the lettuce on a BLT? Really...you might not have ever minded it, but when we ask would you rather have cheese over lettuce...you think cheese obviously), Eggs Benedict, Biscuits and Gravy and probably anything on the specials board. 

Hitchcock Deli - This spot has a cult following in the PNW. They have several locations now, but the O.G. is on Bainbridge. People rave about the Pastrami, but we love the Cuban! Their quirky sign and unique locations are a joy to visit, with friendly staff and ethical food, it's a great lunch spot. 

Via Rosa 11 - This little Italian grocery store is a killer place to grab a bite. They make all their pasta and desserts in house. It's expensive, we but could eat their delicious handmade pasta until we POP. If they have meatballs on the menu, drop everything and order them all. No, we mean it, just ask how many meatballs they have back there and order every last meatball.

Blackbird Bakery - Is there any day that can’t be made great with a wonderful cup of coffee and sweet treat? Blackbird Bakery is a local bakery with a small town feel, and we love popping in for a slice of lemon tart or cinnamon roll. Good luck choosing what you want from the pastry cases though - we usually walk away with something for later as well!

Bainbridge Brewing - This brewery has one of our favorite logos in the Pacific Northwest. We love their tribute to the ferry boats we enjoy so much living up here. Bonus: They also have amazing beer AND some really awesome locations. Their alehouse is in downtown Winslow and is a new and more modern space to hang out with some friends over a beer (and maybe a game or two). Their brewery is a short drive outside of town, but it is worth a trip if you have a car. We are big fans of their Kolsch and Grapefruit IPA.

Eleven Winery - Eleven Winery is a great spot to break up your exploring and grab a tasting, poured by friendly staff. They have two locations, a tasting room within walking distance from the ferry in downtown, and their winery is just a short 5-mile drive up the road. Both are small spaces that provide an intimate setting to taste their variety of wines. Note the winery location is only open on the weekends and often has events, so make sure to check out their calendar when planning a visit to see what they have going on.

Things to do

Eagle Harbor Book Co. - As huge lovers of books, we always seek out the local bookstore in small towns like Bainbridge Island. Eagle Harbor won’t disappoint. They sell both used and new books and have a wonderful set up and selection to keep you browsing for days. The staff is incredibly kind, and they are right on the main street in Downtown.

Bloedel Reserve - This 150 acre public garden and forest preserve was created by Mr. and Mrs. Bloedel when they purchased the private property in the 1950s to build their home. Over the years they worked to create a haven they would open to the public in the late 1980s and locals and visitors have been enjoying the grounds ever since. You can easily spend a few hours here exploring the trails, forest, and the beautiful home of the Bloedel’s. It’s open and wonderful to visit year round.

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art - This museum might not be incredibly big, but it is packed full of great art, including a ton of local artists and PNW culture. It’s also a beautiful building to be admired and only a short walk from the ferry terminal. Definitely worth a visit if you are a lover of art and culture.

Fort Ward State Park - If you want to take a quiet stroll along the waterfront, we recommend heading over to Fort Ward State Park. It has some old forts for the history buffs in the group and beautiful views of the Puget Sound for everyone. There are a few different trails to explore to get some exercise, great views, and fresh air.

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Cute shop right off the ferry - stop in to shop for clothes, candles, and home goods.

This is our short list of the best of Bainbridge - did we leave anything out? Let us know in the comments if you have other favorite spots to visit!

Best Desserts in Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is a bit of a food mecca in Seattle. Dessert is no exception. The various shops and restaurants around The Market have something for everyone and we have compiled our list of favorites sugary, sweet treats for you!

Etta's Coconut Cream Pie - This is not only the best pie in the market, it is easily…EASILY… the best pie in the city. Tom Douglas, our city’s award-winning restauranteur with a slew of great spots to eat around town, has tapped into something we can’t truly describe but will try. It’s fluffy, it’s creamy, it’s coconuty, it’s sweet, it’s perfect in every way. Go grab a slice… or a whole pie.

Storyville Coffee’s Frosted Cinnamon Roll - We have written about this cinnamon roll before and we will write about it again. It’s CRACK, people. In the best way possible. Grab one with a cup of coffee and sit by the window of their 2nd story location in the market overlooking the hustle and bustle of the main street.

Ellenos’ Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt - Fall in Seattle isn’t actually referred to as Fall, it’s “Ellenos Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt” time. This local favorite bakes pumpkin pies and then crushes them up, crust and all, into their amazing Greek yogurt. And we go CRAZY TIME for it. You will too. If you visit during the rest of the year, known as “Non-Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Time of Year,” you can enjoy our other favorites, marionberry pie and passionfruit.

Piroshky Piroshky’s Apple Cinnamon Roll - You really can’t go wrong with anything on the shelf at this tiny walk up, but their apple cinnamon roll with thin slices of apple dipped in sugar and cinnamon is definitely a best seller for a reason. Be prepared for a line, but it will move fast and we promise it will be worth it.

Le Panier Chocolate Croissant - Or as the French call it "Pain au Chocolat. Order it the French way and you’ll feel way more cool. This flaky, chocolate staple won’t disappoint. You can taste the butter and chocolate melting together….MMmmm, don’t think about how bad it is for you, just enjoy.

Daily Dozen Doughnuts’ Assorted Dozen - This is THE spot for mini-doughnuts in Seattle. They crank out tons of tiny doughnuts every day for their hoard of fans. From the plain to the maple bacon they are all equally delicious. Grab some of each flavor and don’t forget cash!

Shug’s S’More Sundae - Because the combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow could only be improved by adding Shug’s locally sourced ice cream to the mix. The old fashioned atmosphere and sundae cups help, too.

indi chocolate’s Hot Chocolate - This hot chocolate will change your life. Add whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow (or two) and sit down in their cafe or walk out to take in the views of Puget Sound while you sip your warm, liquid goodness.

What are your favorite sweet spots in Pike Place Market? Tell us in the comments below!