New City, New Hairstylist

Posted by admin in hair cuts, Style | Tagged , | 2 Comments
29September2012

Thursday was a big day. I had my first hair cut in 6 years from someone other than my stylist in Minneapolis. Seriously a big deal. Finding a new hair stylist was one of my biggest concerns when Eric and I decided to move to Seattle. A woman has a relationship with her hair stylist that is very complicated (or very simple depending on how you look at it) and when you find a good one, it is TERRIFYING to have to leave him or her!

Well, I got super lucky! I’ve mentioned Bathtub Gin a number of times on this blog (perhaps we spend too much time there?!) and it will always hold a special place in my heart now because I’ve met 90% of my friends here sitting at that bar. And now I can add that I met my new hairstylist there as well!

Jeremy is a stylist at Lisa Power Salon and I can now attest to the fact that he is fantastic! I don’t get very crazy with my hair but I do get it cut and colored and I currently have bangs (or, “fringe” in Jeremy’s words). He spent the time talking to me about my hair- what I liked and what I didn’t. He gave me fabulous color that I adore and then a great cut! Seriously, my hair feels so healthy and I love how it looks. I included a (really bad) photo below even though I don’t love posting pics of myself.

I highly recommend making an appointment with Jeremy if you are new to Seattle! And of course I have to mention the salon itself. It was just lovely! Very comfortable and everyone was so nice. The decor is bright and welcoming and parking is easy. I, of course, went completely the wrong way driving there and Tammy, the receptionist, was SO nice about it. She helped me find my way there and then was very welcoming when I arrived. I will be there every six weeks for the foreseeable future.

Great experience. Get your haircut there.

xo

Elizabeth

Making Friends

Posted by admin in friends | Tagged , , | 3 Comments
18September2012

Any time you move to a new city there’s a period of adjustment when you’re just trying to have a friend, any friend. At our age, work is usually where you start to meet people and then you go from there.

In our case, that is working well for Eric (kind of) but not so much for me who isn’t working yet.

So based on my experience so far and some tips from a few people Eric works with who moved out here with no friends…… below is a list of great ways to start meeting people in a new city:

1. Go to bars. That probably sounds kind of trashy and I should also clarify that a CLUB does not count. But choose a bar that is your style and likely attracts a similar crowd, find a seat that’s actually AT the bar and you’ll likely end up chatting with some other loners who have wandered in looking for company. Will they all be your friend? No. But you will probably find at least one person you connect with. For example, I found my hairdresser last week :)

2. Watch the game. This kind of goes with #1 but being married to a die-hard football fan has taught me that football fans are a tight knit group. If you’re from Chicago and just moved to Seattle, it is likely that if the Bears game is being aired on TV and you find a sports bar- you will also find other people from Chicago and you already have something in common.

3. Use your network. Before you even move, talk to your friends, acquaintances, etc… and find out who they know that lives in your new city. You will be surprised by how many people know someone they want to introduce you to. This happen to us SO MANY TIMES before we left Minneapolis and it was great!

4. Belong to an Organization. So this is my pitch for the Junior League. I am an avid member and supporter of this organization and yet another way it has benefitted me is that when you transfer cities, you transfer “chapters”. So I am now automatically a transfer member of this great organization of like-minded women in Seattle. The JL may not be for you (and can’t be if you’re male) but many other organizations like greek chapters operate the same way. Get involved.

5. Use your hobbies. If you work out, join a gym. If you dance, go to the ballet and chat with other attendees. If you play sports, join a league. This one is easy.

6. Utilize Social Media. If you’re on twitter, start following people in your new city and conversing with them. Read blogs and actually use your facebook for something useful….. this might seem tedious if you aren’t used to using these actively but you’ll start getting acquainted with the city and with people who have similar interests.

Ok, thats all. This was not an exciting post as far as pictures go since there weren’t any…… but a very relevant topic for those on the move!!!

xo

Elizabeth

 

The Great House Hunt

Posted by admin in housing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments
17September2012

We found a house! As in a rental, not to buy. I could probably write multiple posts on this topic so I’ll start just by giving a high level overview of the process we went through-

The process:

1. Because we were a corporate relo, we had a weekend to come out to Seattle and meet with a group that drives you around for two hours through various neighborhoods. That was super helpful because it gave us an idea of what general area we might want to live in and what average monthly rents looked like.

2. Because tenants dont need to give more than 20 days notice in the State of Washington, we didn’t really get super serious about internet searches until earlier this month (we wanted an October move-in). But we started monitoring what was available and what prices looked like as the summer slowed down and back-to-school approached.

3. We signed up on 4rentseattle.com ($10/month to see their available rentals). It was not worth it. You are much better off just sticking with craigslist in my opinion.

4. We drove the entire city (through all of the neighborhoods we were interested in) to get an idea of where they were in relation to Eric’s job, what traffic looked like and to seek out any For Rent signs that caught our eye.  I suggest doing this if you’re new to Seattle. We got a car rental for $35 for the day.

5. Once we found a place we liked in craigslist, we immediately emailed the leasing agent and set up an appointment. Newer, well-priced places with a good amount of square footage go FAST in this town! So you have to move on it. In fact, one of our friends told us that leasing agents sometimes want you to take something without even seeing it because it’s so competitive. I think that is worse earlier in the summer though.

6. After our walk-through, we emailed the agent, told him we were interested and clarified a few things about the unit. Then I met him at Whole Foods a day later and gave him our security deposit. Quick turn around :)

Here are a few of the photos from when the previous tenants lived there:

The top three things we learned:

1. Most houses are built up and not out. Ours, for example, is 4 stories but half the square footage of our place in Minneapolis.

2. Rent is high.

3. For us, Craigslist with the best way to find a place that wasn’t a huge apartment complex.

And that’s it for now! We’re super excited to move into our place. We love how “Seattle” the layout and aesthetic are and it had just been totally cleaned with new carpet, etc… (I’m a stickler about cleanliness when I stay places…)

xo

Elizabeth

Weekend in Review

Posted by admin in day trips, restaurants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
16September2012

We had a great weekend!

We started Friday night out with a visit to Bathtub Gin, which you’ve heard about in our other posts. That visit was particularly successful because I found a hair stylist! You’ll hear more about him later but that was huge for me! We’ve been making an effort not to spend toooo much money right now (we haven’t sold our house in Minnesota yet) so we wanted to eat-in on Friday- which we did after our extended happy hour.

On Saturday, we got up and took Howard for a long walk down by the Sound. It was a beautiful morning. We grabbed coffee along the way at Cherry Street Coffee in Belltown and Howard met some other four-legged friends.

After that, Eric and dropped Howard at home and went to brunch at Dahlia Lounge. We both got the breakfast sandwich with an heirloom tomato salad and it was fantastic. It was the perfect amount of food before a long walk up to Capital Hill to explore Broadway and walk through Volunteer Park.

After a couple hours rest at home, we want to dinner at Black Bottle and LOOOOOVED it!! I didn’t get any photos but we will definitely be going back there. We shared a bottle of wine and split 4 dishes: lamb meatballs, grilled octopus and fava bean salad, arugula and tomato flatbread and roasted vegetables verjus. The lamb meatballs were a surprise to us- the dish was significantly bigger than we expected and also included cucumbers, hummus, olive/feta salad and pita triangles.

We had an after dinner glass of wine at Branzino and then headed home!!! Branzino was fine although the atmosphere was a bit older for us.

It was a lovely weekend! Excited for many more!

xo

Elizabeth

 

Transporting Cars

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13September2012

Well, we had our first big “learning moment” since moving out here……

I have a Pontiac Solstice car and Eric drives a Jeep. The company Eric is working for uses a third party organization to ship our cars from Minneapolis to Seattle. The Solstice was shipped first and arrived a few weeks ago.

When the car was picked up, it was looked over and any damages were recorded (or should have been). Then, when it’s dropped off, they ask you to sign another waiver saying that you got the car back in the same condition as you sent it off to them. Eric did that, but he was signing primarily for the fact that he received the car period. Having just started a new job, he didn’t drive it again until I got here.

So last weekend we head out to the car and don’t even get out of the garage before realizing that the steering wheel is pulling left and, upon further inspection, the tire is COMPLETELY flat. Then, while we’re filling the tire with a handy little compressor thing I bought once at Sears, we realize there is a HUGE dent in the front of the car. It’s sort of on top of the front hood, per the photos.

Yeah.

So that was fun.

I realize my car (I named her Lola) is not exactly a million dollar vehicle but I love my impractical little road runner! So I was NOT happy.

Bottom line, make sure you look at EVERYTHING on your car when it gets dropped off!!! We’d love to think most companies will give you some sort of heads up to damage but they absolutely will not.

Not sure what’s going to happen with our “claim”, we’ll keep you posted.

xo

Elizabeth

 

Seattle Style: Fashion Week

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12September2012

I have been obsessing over the photos from NYFW (my favorites have been Cristian Siriano and Kate Spade- see one of my favorite looks from each designer below) and while drooling over my computer screen, I’ve been thinking about how/where one could wear these pieces in Seattle. I’ll admit, because my wardrobe back in Minneapolis revolved pretty heavily around work, I feel like I need to do an over-haul now that I’m here in Seattle! (which is just fine since shopping is my favorite thing to do)

Kate Spade Look (Photo from StyleBistro)

Cristian Siriano- Photo from Twenty2

But, rather than adopting a “Seattle” style, I’m working through how to mix my own personal style (which tends to be relatively classic and girly, a little prep and a few trendy pieces mixed in) up in a way that is more appropriate for (1) the weather and (2) my daily activities here.

I’m sure that once I get a job this will get easier since they’ll likely have a dress code……

I’m excited to learn more about Seattle Fashion Week! The website is currently under construction but I’ll share more as I learn more!

xo

Elizabeth

Seattle Style: Boutique Challenge

Posted by admin in shopping, Style | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
12September2012

When I lived in Minneapolis, Rita and I would go on what we called “boutique crawls”. We would get up in the morning, get our favorite coffee and shop ALL DAY. We were perfect shopping buddies because we were honest with each other, we liked exploring new shops and we didn’t mind, as I said, if it took ALL DAY.

Well, in Seattle I do not currently have a shopping buddy but I have an endless number of new shops to conquer and I cannot wait!! One of the locals magazines, Seattle Magazine (aptly named) published a list of all of the shops in each neighborhood. I have this pulled out and I’m crossing them off as I go. So far I have one crossed off which I will get into later in the post.

But my challenge for the Fall, is to go to the rest of the shops on the list and figure out which ones are my favorites. For those of you also moving to Seattle, I think this is a great way to meet people as well. Shop owners tend to be very well connected and willing to chat with their customers. And, if you’re in shopping because you love the clothes they’re selling, you already have something in common.

Perfect example: when Eric and I came out here to house hunt a few months ago, we stopped in The Finerie. It was really an accident, but they had this FANTASTIC hot pink “Drew” dress that I bought. We talked with the owner and she filled us in on the neighborhoods and told me about an event they’re having later this month. So not only did I walk away with a great purchase, but we got ideas on where we’d like to live and an event to attend!

Now, seeing as it’s only like, 50 degrees outside right now, my mind is definitely on Fall clothes. Below are a couple of items I’m using as inspiration when I go out on my shopping challenge! I’m loving chunky sweaters, coated denim, sparkly shoes and jackets. I think my fall style has a bit of a glammed out western influence. I might not get all of the pieces I want, but the eye candy I’ve been online shopping is fun!!! These styles are all perfect for the Seattle weather as well.

Click right on the items to go to the original site and purchase!

Happy Fall Shopping!

xo

Elizabeth

Never Forget

Posted by admin in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
11September2012

Seattle Style: Buying Wellies

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11September2012

Seattle is synonymous with rain. I think that’s probably the ONLY negative thing that I’ve heard anyone say about the city. I’m not a huge fan of rain- or really any weather that isn’t sunny and warm- but the great thing about rain in Seattle is that it gives me a reason to go shopping! My wardrobe is not equipped to handle large amounts of mist or rain.

The first purchase I’m going to need to make is a good pair of rain boots, or wellies. So I started my research and put together the board below.

These are some of my favorites at various price points and by different designers. I’m always inclined to go with a more neutral color or print but there are so many colorful, bold rain boots out there!! And when it’s dreary and rainy, a bright boot can provide a pop of color to brighten up your day and make the walk to work a bit more cheerful!

I see puddle jumping in my future.

xo

Elizabeth

Fremont Restaurant: Silence Heart Nest

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10September2012

On Saturday, Eric and I headed out to the Fremont neighborhood for lunch (pre- West Seattle). We had no idea where to go and just sort of wandered around looking for a place that looked good. I happened to be craving a turkey sandwich at the time.

We were both pretty cranky because we hadn’t eaten and neither of us is particularly pleasant when we’re hungry!

Based on a quick review of Yelp and the random location where we’d parked our car, we ended up at Silence- Heart -Nest. If you visited the link, you will see there is no way I was getting a turkey sandwich (the restaurant is vegetarian). In the interest of full disclosure, Eric is NOT the vegetarian type (he was born and raised in WI and loves a good steak). I actually love a great vegetarian dish although I regularly eat chicken, turkey and fish.

Anyway, when we sat down and realized it was vegetarian we weren’t thrilled since we’d both wanted meat but we ended up being very happy!! The food was great, the service was subtle but good and we were in and out within 40 minutes.

I had a tomato, white cheddar and basil sandwich (pictured below) and Eric had the Neat-loaf. Both were wonderful and super filling. The menu seemed to have an Indian influence- their usual soup is a red lentil. The waitresses all wore a wrap that was similar to a traditional Indian sari. In Eric’s words, it had a very “zen” feel.

I cannot wait for my vegetarian friends to come visit so I can take them here!!!

xo

Elizabeth