Seattle and Treehouse Point

Wednesday of this week Zach left for a jet convention in Seattle.  We agreed that because I couldn’t get work off, I would fly out on Friday after work and join him there for a short weekend trip.  First, I must explain a tiny detail…

Just in case you didn’t know, and a reminder to those who know me well, I am obsessed with tree houses.  I told my parents when I was younger I was going to design tree houses “when I grew up”.  So when I heard about Treehouse Point a while ago and then realized it was only located 23 miles outside of Seattle – I booked it with my credit card pretty last minute before even discussing it with Zach.  It was a MUST on my list of things to do before I die.  I knew he would understand – besides the only part of Disneyland I even like is the model of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house…and he has seen my collection of tree house literature.

So, Friday I was off to Seattle and arrived in the early evening.  Zach picked me up from the airport and we went straight to dinner at Anthony’s 66.  It is a great seafood restaurant right on the water.

After our meal we set off to Falls City, WA for our night at Treehouse Point.  We stayed in a darling little tree house called the “Upper Pond” – named for the view of the tiny pond on the property.

There are several tree houses – some even have two stories and sleep large families!

It was pretty late when we arrived, so we explored a bit and then got ready for bed.  Obviously, trees don’t have bathrooms – so the washrooms were located in the lodge.  The lodge also had a full kitchen for use of the guests, a piano, and a little library.  We hung out for a while and then spent the rest of the night in the tree.

The next morning, we awoke to rain.  Not hard core rain, but a soft drizzle.  We opened our door to the patio and continued to snooze while the rain was coming down.  It was so peaceful.

The little space was even cozier than I had imagined.  We didn’t even have to use the built-in heater or the piles of extra blankets they had left us.

After getting ready and packing our bags, we decided to explore the property.  Guests were provided with a little map of where each tree house was located, so I made Zach walk to every tree house they had, taking pictures of each one and trying to figure out how they were constructed.

My favorite, by far, was the Temple of the Blue Moon.  It has a huge rope and plank bridge that leads to the front door.

We also walked down to the river and took in the scenery.  There were little wood patios with lights strung around the big mossy trees.

After exploring the entire area, we drove back into the city.  We ate lunch at Pike Place Market [clam chowder, of course], sorted through all the flowers and fruit, and stopped at the amazing Cupcake Royale.

We also did a little shopping at the University Shopping Center and at the stores nearby our hotel.

For dinner, we made a reservation at the Pink Door – a recommended Italian restaurant near Pike Place Market.  By far, in my opinion, the best meal of our weekend.

The place is pretty interesting, complete with a swing from the ceiling, gaudy candlesticks dripping with wax, a real fountain in the middle of the restaurant, and gold cherubs floating from cables.  I can’t hate on the food though, because the creamy pesto lasagna was the bomb.com.

After, we casually walked around the surrounding area, stopping in boutiques and other shops before heading back to the hotel.  We decided to watch the Utah football game…but Zach had to have snacks.  So we ventured on over to a nearby convenient store.  We got some snacks and drinks but Zach suddenly wanted popcorn. Obviously the microwave packet wasn’t going to cut it from the store.  So he made me sneak into the AMC movie theater a few blocks away to buy popcorn.  He was really happy about getting away with it.

 The two of us walked into our hotel room with a giant bag of movie theater popcorn and a ghetto brown paper bag full of drinks…like I was a homeless person.

The next morning we checked out of our hotel and went out for breakfast at Urbane.  Zach was tripping because the entire menu boasted about their “cage free chicken eggs” and “grass fed beef” – he came around quickly, however, when he tried his first delicious bites of their bacon.

Then we were off to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners play the Rangers.  The weather was perfect, 60 degrees with the sun shining.  We enjoyed some stadium food – including some very pungent garlic french fries a spent half of the game sneaking down to better seats.

After the game we drove to Ballard for some dinner – a neighborhood of northern Seattle.  It is such a cute area of town, the streets are filled with little boutiques and speciality shops.

We arrived just as the Farmer’s Market was shutting down and there were people everywhere.  We decided to stop at Bitteroot for dinner, a charming little BBQ joint that served all of its courses on metal trays and served you beverages out of vintage glass bottles.  We had their famous nachos and corn bread.

Then we were off to Sea-Tac to fly home.  It wasn’t a long trip, but just enough time to cross something off our bucket list and see the city.  I know it sounds dramatic, but so far…sleeping in a tree house has been the highlight of my year!  It is something I will remember forever, which is only sounding more pathetic and obsessive.  If I start my own tree house design firm, nobody should be surprised.

I love spending time with Zach – he is the ultimate travel buddy.  Taking this trip just reaffirms my love for the Pacific Northwest, and I plan to take my minis to Treehouse Point someday.  Maybe, if I am lucky, they will love tree houses like I do.  If not…at least I can pray that they are not afraid of heights!

 

 

1 Comment
  • Leila
    September 26, 2012

    Hey! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the outstanding work!