11 FUN GIRLS' NIGHT OUT IDEAS FOR THE SEATTLE AREA
take time and plan to have fun with your girlfriends
EXPERIENCE INSPIRATION
Scheduling time to hang out with your girlfriends can be almost as tough as scheduling a date with your hunny. But, it's good for the soul! Here are some ideas to get you inspired.
1. If you want a food and drink-oriented evening try: Westward for oysters, seafood and a premier Lake Union location with a dreamy patio; Bramling Cross for American cuisine (the made to order whole fried chicken is a must!), exquisite house cocktails and great service; Ray's Boathouse in West Ballard on sunny days for incredible views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountain Range, good food, drinks and outdoor dining with blankets later at night; Pablo y Pablo in the Fremont/Wallingford area for creative, very flavorful Mexican dishes (definitely try the broccoli tacos), a great happy hour and huge selection of Mezcal, Fonda La Catrina for a lively Georgetown space with spot-on, delicious Mexican food and incredible margaritas; Ristorante Machiavelli in Southwest Capitol Hill for perfectly traditional Italian comfort food and drinks in a cozy space; Pink Door (they have an aerialist on Sunday and Monday early evenings and live music at 9:30, Tuesdays through Thursdays and Jazz and Burlesque on Saturdays and, an incredible deck overlooking Elliot Bay). Many of these are my personal favorites and were also recommended by reader Amy R. in my Facebook poll.
2. If you want to branch out and try something new, consider taking a cooking class at The Pantry in Ballard, located next to my favorite pizza restaurant Delancey (classes fill up quickly, so sign up for their newsletter to be informed as soon as the quarterly schedule is released) or Heirloom Cookshop in Snoqualmie (shout out to friend, Mike E., for recommending this hidden gem).
3. If you want a brief respite from the city and take in some water views, hop on the Bremerton Ferry (my personal favorite ferry route for its beauty) and spend the day hunting for treasures at antique stores in the quaint seaside towns of Pt. Orchard or Poulsbo. Pt. Orchard is quaint and small with a few restaurants and shops and closer to the ferry dock. For those looking to spend the entire day in the area, Norwegian-themed Poulsbo is bigger and offers more antique stores and restaurants. If you are in the luxurious situation of having extra time, consider staying the night at the newly renovated and economical Best Western Silverdale, or Alderbrook Resort and Spa for pure luxury with a bigger price tag and lots of ammenities like live music in the lounge and yoga on the beach.
Interior of the regular sized boat. Blankets stored under seats.
4. If you want to get out on the water to explore the South Lake Union houseboats, canal and fishing vessels, consider renting an electric boat or hot tub boat. When you rent from either company, you are the captain! But, they only travel up to 10 mph so maneuverability is a snap. The electric boats have heat and vinyl windows, making inclement weather a non-issue. They often advertise specials on Groupon, so be sure to check there before making a reservation.
5. If you want to get in some mountain time, consider spending the afternoon, or day, at the Glade Spring Spa at Suncadia Resort, a 1.5 hour drive East of Seattle. When you book a 50-minute spa treatment, you receive a day pass to the spa so that you can hang out and enjoy the steam room, sauna, and the soaking and mineral pools, Afterwards, head to Swiftwater Winery Restaurant, Hoist House, for casual dining in the lounge, the more formal dining room, or patio if weather permits. Reservations are highly recommended for the dining room and patio. Be sure to check out the lovely shop inside the winery and live music on weekend nights. If you have the luxury of extra time, consider staying the night in the lodge. Mother's Day Tip: the lodge restaurant, Portals, has a dreamy, luxurious Mother's Day Brunch (with family photo included). Outdoorsy Moms and Grandmas can saunter down the mostly level river hike trail next to the lodge, before or after brunch.
6. If you are feeling adventurous, buy some Groupons and learn something new like painting, glassblowing or martial arts. My friends Keelan, Theresa and I are looking forward to using our Groupon-purchased Italian cooking lesson soon and my friends Isabelle and Eunhee and a group of our friends are looking forward to painting and glass blowing experiences.
7. If you want to stay close to home, consider decluttering your closets and have fun by hosting a clothing swap party, where everyone brings a bottle of wine and at least 10 clothing items she is tired of wearing to swap with friends. You could also consider a theme like formal attire or bathing suits that I bought and never wore or returned. I plan to host such a party before summertime arrives.
8. If you want to visit a close-by Island, take a ferry to Bainbridge Island, check out the exhibits at the Bainbridge Island Museum Of Art or take a stroll at the Bloedel Reserve and then have fresh, local seafood and American cuisine at Hitchcock, or delicious Neopolitan-styled pizza at Bruciato, both created by James Beard award-nominated chef Brenden McGill.
9. If you want to take in a live music and food, push the easy, fun button and enjoy a delicious Wild Ginger Pan-Asian meal, drinks and great service while sitting comfortably at your reserved table during a show at The Triple Door. The Musicquarium bar outside the theater is a great place for pre-dinner drinks or even just to hang out for happy hour when they have free live music and an extensive bar menu from Wild Ginger.
Charles Smith Jet City Tasting Room; Watch Jets Fly Into Boeing Field; Appetizers Served Here
10. If you want to stay close to the City and explore PNW wines, catch a lyft to downtown and explore some of our finest Washington-produced wines. If you haven't investigated the state of Seattle urban wine affairs lately, you might be shocked to know that we have more than 20 tasting rooms in downtown! Tim and I have only begun to explore these, but I plan to step up my research in this arena and publish a recommended itinerary. One of my favorite tasting rooms is Charles Smith Jet City. It is not listed on the above-linked website, but I highly recommend putting Charles Smith in your itinerary.
11. If you want to engage your brain and your taste buds, head out for a Trivia Night (shout out to my girl Keelan for suggesting this). Consider checking out Trivia Nights hosted by The Crocodile downtown; Mulleady's Irish Pub in Magnolia; Norm's in Fremont; and the Queen Anne Beer Hall. Check the link above for an extensive, up-to-date calendar of trivia nights happening all over town.
If you have favorite "Girls' Night / Day / Weekend Out" experiences that I didn't include, please drop me a line in the comments below, because I am always looking to check out new places. I hope that you will share this article with your favorite girls and are inspired to get out, get moving and get local. Make it a date and put it on your calendars!