Sunsets in Seattle

The Seattle heat wave has moved on to greener pastures. I’m left feeling slightly depressed and cold. There is this ominous feeling that fall is slowly creeping in – and it is only the beginning of August! I’m keeping my fingers crossed and praying to the sun Gods that summer is not quite over yet. I can only sit and hope they deliver. In the meantime I needed a little morale boosting so I employed my partner in crime/husband, Dan the Man as he is known in some circles, to a night on the town. We ate great food, explored an outdoor art gallery, and took in the sunset and slowly my sadness began to slip away.

The night began with a trip to The Olympic Sculpture Park. This waterfront outdoor art gallery was built with the backing of the Seattle Art Museum and officially opened in 2007. Thanks to a generous grant, park goers can take in the dozens of sculptures and murals for free – yes, I said free! Having just discovered this impressive and beautifully maintained outdoor area, I felt cheated out of the last two years of my life. How could I not know about this place? The location is perfectly situated right on the waterfront backed up against the Seattle skyline and provides for great photo ops. On any summer weekend the park is often filled with wedding parties utilizing the beautiful aesthetics for wedding portraits.

Adjacent to the park is a waterfront boardwalk and park. The boardwalk leads back South towards Pike Place Market which we followed while taking in the glorious sunset. Perhaps when thinking of Seattle you imagine heavy rain laden clouds and stormy wind blown trees, but of all the places I have been Seattle consistently delivers the most stunning sunsets, well for the summer at least. This sunset was no different and lines of people could be seen leaning over the boardwalks edge, cameras in hand, capturing the beauty of Seattle that so many overlook.

Finishing our trek through town we made our way to a tiny corner restaurant with glowing windows and a brick façade. We had arrived at Serious Pie -- the grownup, Seattle-foodie inspired, gourmet pizza created by Tom Douglas restaurateur extraordinaire. Douglas is the man behind several Seattle restaurants, cookbooks, and radio shows, and if his plate were not already full he leads the stage behind the curtain in the kitchens of Teatro ZinZanni. Oh and just to top things off, he competed on Iron Chef America against Masaharu Morimoto -- yes of course he won!

Serious Pie having recently been featured on the Food Network was buzzing with excitement. We waited about 45 minutes for a table only to be seated in cramped quarters at high tables with about eight other diners. I am one who typically likes my space and privacy when dining out. This left no room for private conversations or stolen moments in the back of a booth. But, oddly enough, the environment, as cramped as it could be, pushed you so far out of your comfort zone that it worked. Let’s just say the seating arrangement made for many great eavesdropping moments and was quite entertaining. But enough about that, the pizza was incredible! This coming from the girl who survived in Italy on pizza and pasta alone is saying a lot. The flavors were simple and the crust delightfully chewy. We were utterly content.

Our night ended there and although there was a chilly breeze in the air, I was happy. The height of our summer heat wave may be gone, but I will just have to find a way to cope. And if coping includes sunsets, art, and pizza… well I think I can get used to that.