Seattle 2014: Part 6 - Hawaii and Homebound

Our trip ended with a couple of days in Honolulu on the way home. On the flight there I happened to get chatting to the flight staff and met Yui, who is a vegan and a cat lady. We had a great chat, and she recommended a place for me to have dinner in Honolulu that night. The flight staff also brought me a huge fruit plate to make up for not having any vegan options on the flight, which went nicely with my sandwich and snacks. When we arrived, we caught a taxi to our hotel - The Modern Honolulu. When we arrived they gave use some lovely cilantro lemonade! It was too early to check into our room, so we walked to the nearby Ala Moana Center to look for lunch. The food court was huge, crowded and crappy, but thankfully I discovered that there was a California Pizza Kitchen there. I had the Roast Vegetable Salad, hold the capsicum, and subbing the non-vegan dijon dressing for balsamic vinegar. You can also get some vegan pizzas and soups there, I just really wanted vegetables. I also ordered the strawberry mango cooler drink, which I unfortunately didn't realise was bubbly. Ack!





On our way back to the hotel we stopped by an ABC Store for snacks. Unfortunately at this one there was no sign of vegan sushi, like I found last year, however I was able to find that classic vegan staple: hummus. And some strange baby carrots as well. Hotel room snacks sorted!



For dinner I took an evening walk to Phuket Thai, the restaurant that Yui had recommended for me. They were incredibly knowledgeable about vegan needs and had a wide selection available. Of course I ordered the Pad See Ew, my favourite Thai dish ever. This was HUGE, and a little bit oily. I would have liked a higher tofu/vegetable to noodle ratio. But it was still good. When my bill came it said 'Pad See Ew No Animal', which I loved.



The next morning we woke up and looked out our hotel room to this view. Life can sometimes be hard.



We went to the Hawaii Hiking Cafe, which has vegan options, for breakfast. I got an Acai bowl, but I had to get it without granola because that had honey in it. Still, it was a big bowl of fruity goodness. I also ordered an Almond Chai Latte, however on first sip realised that it was an almond and chai flavoured actual coffee latte, and I can't drink coffee. They asked if there was a problem when I didn't drink it, and when I explained they subbed it for some peppermint tea, even though it was not their fault at all, so nice!



After breakfast we walked into Waikiki and took a little, well-shaded peak at the beach.



The real reason for all vegans to go to Hawaii is to go and eat at Downbeat Diner, a diner where almost everything on the menu can be made vegan. Ashleigh and I went there twice last year, and I was not going to miss another chance to eat the goodies! We caught a bus downtown for lunch. I ordered a strawberry milkshake (my favourite flavour) and a BBQ Chicken Sandwich with Bacon and Garlic Fries. Yes please!





Afterwards we went back to Ala Moana to browse the many, many, many shops and also saw the Hula demonstration.



I had planned to go to Loving Hut for dinner that night, but my feet were sore, so I got a Quinoa Pizza from Hiking Hawaii Cafe, which I also topped with some hummus. It was an interesting pizza, with zucchini, quinoa, chimichurri and mushrooms.



The next morning I was oddly not hungry, and so had some snacks in the hotel room and then we went for a walk down the beach that was next to the hotel. We saw people doing yoga on surfboards in a lagoon! It was amazing. There was lots of shade for me to hide out in as we strolled down, and we got a beautiful view of Diamond Head as well.





When we got back we went to sit in the Sunrise Pool area of the cafe, and I had a lovely iced tea overlooking the sea.



For lunch I walked to Peace Cafe, a lovely all vegan cafe. I had to order the BBQ Tempeh Plate, which also had coleslaw, green salad, brown rice and cornbread. It was so yummy and filling! I washed it down with an iced chai latte - the proper kind of chai, no coffee in sight! I also bought a Popeye Sandwich (spinach, tofu and miso-tahini sauce) to take on the plane back to Brisbane with me the next day.





Peace Cafe is just up the road from Down To Earth, a natural grocery store. I visited here to stock up on Daiya, Follow Your Heart and Field Roast that I was going to freeze overnight to take home to Brisbane with me. They also have a hotbox and salad bar with some vegan options there, and a wide variety of other grocery needs.

Dinner that night was at Z Pizza, a chain that has a vegan pizza that I had heard a lot about. We got the Vegan Berkley pizza, hold the capsicum and add the olives. And the California Salad with Italian dressing and avocado on the side for me (Mum has an intolerance). It was OK, not great. I definitely wouldn't go out of my way again to get it, but good if it is nearby and you are hungry.





Another early morning the next day and it was back to the airport for the trip home. I tried another yoghurt before I left the hotel - this one almond based (strawberry flavour, of course). Another delicious yoghurt!



Right before we got on the plane at the airport, this beautiful rainbow came out.



The flight home was filled with lots of movies (EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! EVERYTHING IS COOL WHEN YOU'RE PART OF A TEAM!) and eating and eventually a happy reunion with the kitties. I had such a lovely time on this trip, especially in Seattle. I have already planned my US trip for next year!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



I met this handsome fellow when I was walking from the hotel to Peace Cafe. I had actually taken a wrong turn and added some extra time onto my walk, and it was hot, so I was a bit cranky. But then I met this boy and he completely made up for it.

Seattle 2014: Part 5

The next morning, for our last day in Seattle, Mum and I had a day trip planned. We started our day at Bayou on 1st and I ordered the tofu scramble I had heard a lot about. It was OK, nothing to go out of your way for but a good option to have downtown if you need it.



Then we hopped on a ferry to Bainbridge Island. It was my first time being out on Puget Sound, which was beautiful. Lovely views of Seattle and Bainbridge Island.



Once we arrived we spent some time wandering around the cute little shops on the main street before looking for lunch. We had planned to go to Blackbird Bakery, which I had heard had savoury vegan options, but they didn't have any that day. So instead we went to a tiny vegan place called Emmy's Vege House. We got some potstickers, which were a bit disappointing as the wrappers were way too thick, and some delicious Ginger Tofu.







After lunch we stopped back at Blackbird and I picked up a slice of their vegan Chocolate Applesauce Bread to take back to the hotel for afternoon tea.



Then we hopped back on the ferry for another lovely ride back to Seattle.





After getting off the ferry we walked down the waterfront and back up to Pike Place Markets, and I tried in vain to find Twin Peaks themed gifts to bring home for my friend Leigh. But there was nothing! Nothing! What is wrong with you Seattle? I had to head back to the hotel at that time as I was getting a bit sunburned, so needed to hide in the shade for a little while.

Once it had cooled down a little, I headed back out for a lovely stroll back to Capitol Hill to meet up with Highline, which had recently started serving food again. It was my first time here. When I arrived, Helen had already ordered a plate of the famous Fried Pickles to share. These were good, though I was glad I was sharing because it would have been a bit too deep fried for me to eat all on my own!



Tim ordered some of the tacos, I don't remember which one it was. I have heard good things about their tacos. Helen ordered The Bell Toll, which is a sandwich with seitan steak, caramelised onion, capsicum, mushrooms, garlic aioli and provolone sauce with au jus dipping sauce. I had a bit and it was good! I ordered the BLT, which was perfect, and a side of creamy coleslaw. I was a bit disappointed in the coleslaw, as I didn't really consider it creamy.









Highline also has bingo on Monday nights, so we got to play a couple of rounds. No winners on our table, but it was pretty fun!



It was sad to say goodbye to Helen, but I am happy that I will be seeing her again next year. Then I wandered back to the hotel via Black Coffee Co-Op for a chai and I also bought a pre-made Wayward sandwich to take on the plane the next day. You know how sometimes you find an awesome place right at the last moment of your holidays? This was it. I look forward to hanging out here, reading and drinking and eating next year. Though their webpage says they are planning a move, so I hope they are still available to me then!

The next morning we had to wake up early to go to the airport to fly back to Hawaii. I had a slice of leftover mac and cheese pizza from Pizza Pi and a tub of strawberry soy yoghurt before we left the hotel. I love the yoghurt that is available in the US! We don't have anything quite right here.



I also had a loaf of vegan banana bread from Cinnamon Works and a Tempeh Reuben Sandwich from Black Coffee to take on the plane with me for food, plus some other snacks. I was rather glum to be leaving Seattle, because it is my very favourite place. But I had kitties waiting at home. We just had a couple of days in Hawaii first.



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Dim Sim was less cooperative for her last photo before I left home for my trip. I think she was a bit suspicious because of all the suitcases and my obvious separation anxiety kicking in, plus she really hates my actual camera, so this is a photo of her butt as she was trotting away from me.

Seattle 2014: Part 4

Back to Seattle! After the thrilling adventures of the day before, I decided that there was no better way to start my Sunday than with breakfast at my favourite Seattle breakfast place, Wayward Vegan Cafe. I ordered the Cheesy Scramble, which came with steamed garlic kale and toast, and a side of avocado. Outstanding! The scramble was beautiful, a soft tofu, but not smooshy, slightly oozy from the melty Daiya. The only issue I had was that the toast seemed to be spread with quite a lot of oil. I would prefer oil-free toast and just smear with the avocado. But even so, this was a seriously good breakfast. So good that someone asked what it was so that they could order it for themselves.



Wayward is not far from Chaco Canyon Cafe, so I stopped in there after for a green smoothie. This is their Really Green Smoothie, which had greens, banana and apple juice in it.



Afterwards I spent some time wandering around University Way looking at the shops, and strolling up and down looking at the pretty street with sorority and fraternity houses, before stopping by the Henry Art Gallery. Every year they have an exhibition of Masters projects from students at the university. I had really enjoyed it last year, so was please to be in town when it was going to be on this year. It was another great show, and there were a couple of works that seemed to have direct ties to animal rights. I hope to be able to see it again next year!

Then it was a bus to the place I had been dreaming about for the last year - a trip back to Violet Sweet Shoppe! The sweetest bakery in the world. I had been hoping to get custard fruit tart, but they sell out super quick, so I had a beautiful lemon tart instead. And I am happy to report that the cream is very light on the coconut, no coconut fat death head for me!





I also got two cookies - a Snickerdoodle and a Lemon Raspberry Cookie - to take away and share with my mum (who was coming back to Seattle that evening) back at the hotel.





Full of sugar, I went for a stroll down to University Village, a shopping center near the uni. I knew that there was a third location of Veggie Grill, but had otherwise assumed that this would be standard supply shops for university students. This is actually a super swanky shopping center full of some very cute shops and one of the fanciest bathrooms I have ever visited. I then took a little hike up to Ravenna Park for some greenery. It is pretty.





And I finally saw a SQUIRREL! The only SQUIRREL! I saw this trip. They wouldn't sit still, so enjoy the blurry photo. Also a lovely big black crow. Or possibly a raven.





After a big walk, I was ready for some dinner. Looping back around to where I started my day, I did some essential vegan shopping at Vegan Haven, just across the road from Wayward. It is also right next to Pizza Pi. I got the Mac and Yeese pizza, with additional pineapple and olives because I like it like that. This was outstanding! So good!! I also got a Garden Salad with Garlic Tahini Sauce as a side dish. Even a side dish was a great big bowl - I love that about the US! A side of salad here is tiny.





Afterwards I caught a bus home. I was a little full, so I stopped into the Westlake Starbucks to order some peppermint tea, extra strong. I had also stopped in the night before, and the same woman was serving and she remembered me and was super lovely. Then back to the hotel to drink my tea and eat some cookies!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



I always travel with photos of my cats saved onto my camera and my phone so I gaze at them anytime I need to, and I also took a photo of each of them right before I left for the USA. This is Sahara's shot. As you can see, she is sleeping quite peacefully and not caring at all that I am about to leave her for two weeks.