{Let's See Seattle} is a brand new series where I show you the best of, you guessed it, the city of Seattle. 

The focus here on Figs and Flights leans toward the destinations of my travels while the great eats, gorgeous spots, and weirdest attractions of Seattle aren't often mentioned. It's my goal to remedy that and show you Seattle, the surrounding area, and the Pacific Northwest area overall. 

I'm kicking off {Let's See Seattle} with the two biggest indicators of Springtime in Seattle - the Cherry Blossoms and Tulip Fields. 

It's been over five years since I moved to Seattle. After a year or two of living here the newness seemed to wear off. I'm always forcing myself to keep exploring and enjoying this city, even when I'm not entertaining out of town visitors.

That all being said, springtime is a wonderful time to be in Seattle. The rain stops, the days slowly get longer and fill with sunshine, and the residents crawl out from the shadows. We take advantage of rooftop decks and outdoor seating at our favorite watering holes and flock to Mother Nature's finest works. You'll find the quad on the campus of the University of Washington filled with pink and delicate Cherry Blossoms and acres and acres of colorful tulip fields in bloom about an hour outside of the city. 

The very first Figs and Flights {event} was a success! To sum it up in just a few words the event was fun, scary, and worth it.

My adrenaline was high all night and my nerves really kicked in just before I spoke to the entire room. Once that was done I was able to enjoy myself, a glass of wine, and the wonderful food and company.

Relive the night with me, whether you were around for the original event or not.

I am so excited to share Figs and Flights {events} with you, Seattle. 

I have a few goals for these events:

• Food: To share and celebrate great food
• Travel: To connect travelers with far away places via the destination's unique and local cuisine
• Community: To create a space for people who love food, travel, or both, within Seattle where we come together to MELT the Seattle freeze. We'll share conversation and food, enjoying each others' company, and make honest plans to do it all again!

I spent the summer of 2017 eating my way around Safeco field, which was glorious. This little tour of the stadium has been updated with two more items [waffles and crab sandwiches!] in June of 2018.

Original post from 2017:
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Summer is, without a doubt, my favorite season of the year. Oh, I've said it before? Well I will probably say it again and again. Plus, can't we all use a little more talking about what makes us happy? I love the long summer days, the warm weather, and the accompanying clothing [HELLO dresses and flip flops!] The fresh fruits and no-cook meals are so simple, delicious, and satisfying. Who doesn't like an adventure to get ice cream after dinner?

If you ask my husband about the highlight of his summer the answer will undoubtedly be baseball. His dreamy summer day consists of going to (and actually watching) a baseball game, drinking a few draft beers, spitting sunflower seeds all over a sunny stadium, and watching his favorite team take home a win. Then he'll go home and watch the highlights of the other baseball games on ESPN before calling it a night!

I try my best to be a supportive partner and "step up to the plate" by attending baseball games. While I have no intention of watching the ball game, I love to do a few laps around a stadium to people watch and search for the best food and drink. The home team here is the Seattle Mariners and their stadium, Safeco Field, has a great reputation for diverse and interesting food offerings and, more recently, food safety! 

Last year I'd traveled more than in any previous year of my life. It was awesome and exhausting and wonderful. The trips of 2016 included:

International

• Greece - Bryce and I went to (the city of) Athens and the island of Mykonos, eating gyros, fresh seafood, and baklava all the while.
• Italy - with my husband and my parents. We visited Rome, Florence, Sorrento, the Almafi Coast, Sicily, and Venice. 

Domestic

• California - twice to Southern California for visiting family and, of course, Disneyland and Universal Studios.
• Colorado - my very first time! I stayed in Denver, visited the Denver Botanic Gardens,  and caught a concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater. 
• Hawaii - our first trip back to the islands after moving away 3 years prior, we went to Oahu and visited our favorite spots including the Battleship Missouri, Leonard's Bakery for Malasadas, many beaches, restaurants, and hikes.
• Oregon - a long, laid-back weekend in Portland eating, drinking, and hiking.
• Washington - although I live in Seattle I made trips within the state to the George Ampitheater in George, WA for camping and 3 consecutive Dave Matthews Band concerts; to Leavenworth, WA for a long weekend and plenty of Bavarian charm; to Tri-Cities, WA for an annual wine tasting trip.

While last year was KILLER for collecting passport stamps and airline miles it left me with no time to visit my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.