Hiatus

Bonjour mes chers,

Just a little note to say that One Suitcase, Seven Shopping Bags is still up and running... but with a constant stream of houseguests (one every month since the beginning of 2010); a wedding that is now only two months away and World Cup on TV all day, every day, I haven't had much time for myself, never mind my blog.

I will be back, I promise. But please don't be too disheartened if it isn't until after the World Cup final. (In spite of the fact that my team- France, of course- both performed and behaved abysmally in their extremely short run in the tournament, I can't stop watching now.) Happy travels! I'll see you soon!

Bisous,
Cee.

Farewell to Washington...

Oh, Seattle... while I count down the hours of the work day in my normal life, eating healthy lunches and low-calorie snacks in preparation for my impending nuptuals, I pine for your hand-forged donuts and endless array of farmer's market samplings; dream of what I might buy in your stores and wish I was wandering any of your streets, rather than sitting here.

That's the thing about travelling. I don't know that I would want to live in Seattle. The freeway driving and parking zones and constant hill-climbing and relatively small size of the city would likely get me down if I was dealing them on a daily basis. Most of my visit to the United States are approximately the equivalent of going to a carnival; full of novelty and wonder, sticky fingers and excitement but not meant to last. I know that eventually the magical whirlwind of new adventures would fade and living in Seattle would be like living almost anywhere else. (Except Paris, obviously.)

But for the day, the weekend, or even a week, Seattle is fun. It is full of new things to experience, delicious treats to eat and gorgeous clothes just waiting to be purchased. I know I'll go back again and again, revelling in the glory of the over-consumptive empire that is the United States. Although it's only an hour or so across the border from my home, it is a vastly different country from my own. I never tire of exploring what is so close and yet so far away. I encourage you to do the same. The world, in truth, isn't nearly as small as that irritating song would have us believe.

One Suitcase, Seven Shopping Bags is packing up and heading to London! If there is anything specific you want to know about, be sure to leave a comment!

Seattle: Recap

We have talked about a lot of Seattle shops, restaurants, sights and hotels since our arrival about a month a go. Just to make your life a little bit easier, I've created an exhaustive list of all of the places I've recommended in the Seattle entries. [Note: I'm considering doing this for Paris and Barcelona as well; let me know if you think it would be helpful.]

Happy travelling!

This is everything I have so far discovered and love in Seattle...

Stay at: Capitol Hill Guesthouse - 1808 East Denny Way
              The Gaslight Inn - 1727 15th Avenue
              Marriott Residence Inn Lake Union - 800 Fairview Avenue North
              Silver Cloud Inn Lake Union - 1150 Fairview Avenue North

See: Elliott Bay Book Company - 1521 10th Avenue
         The Great Wind-Up - 93 Pike Street
         Pigs on Parade
         Pike Place Market - 85 Pike Street
         Pioneer Square
         The Original Starbucks - 1912 Pike Place
         University of Washington Campus
         Uwajimaya - 600 5th Avenue South
         Waterfall Garden Park - 219 2nd Avenue South

Eat at: Beecher's Handmade Cheese - 1600 Pike Place
            The Cheesecake Factory - 700 Pike Street
            Chipotle Mexican Grill - Multiple locations
            Coldstone Creamery - 624 North 34th Street
            Mae Phim - 213 Pike Street
            Noodle Zone - Westlake Centre Food Court
            Panera Bread - 401 Northeast Northgate Way (in Northgate Mall)
            Le Panier - 1902 Pike Place
            Piroshky Piroshky - 1908 Pike Place
            Pizzeria Pagliacci - Multiple locations      
            Racha Noodles and Thai Cuisine - 23 Mercer Street
            Seattle's Best Coffee - Multiple locations
            Seattle Coffee Works - 107 Pike Street    
            Serious Pie - 316 Virginia Street   
            Starbucks  - Multiple locations     
            Sweetie's Candy - 1501 Pike Place
            Top Pot Doughnuts - Three locations    
            Trophy Cupcakes - Two locations

Shop at: American Apparel - Multiple locations
               Ann Taylor - Two locations
               Anthropologie - 1509 5th Avenue
               Barnes and Noble - Multiple locations
               Bath and Body Works - 401 Northeast Northgate Way (in Northgate Mall)
               Buffalo Exchange - 4530 University Way Northeast
               DSW Shoe Source - 401 Northeast Northgate Way (in Northgate Mall)
               Express - Multiple locations
               H&M - Multiple locations
               J. Crew - Multiple locations
               Nordstrom - 500 Pine Street
               Nordstrom Rack - 1601 2nd Avenue
               Ross - Multiple locations
               Target - Multiple locations
               Ulta - 401 Northeast Northgate Way (in Northgate Mall)
               Urban Outfitters - Multiple locations            
               Walgreen's - Multiple locations
               White House Black Market - 600 Pine Street (in Pacific Place Mall)         
              
  One Suitcase, Seven Shopping Bags is heading to London very soon!