Help me plan my birthday in Seattle

August 25, 2013 7:57 PM

I'm new to Seattle and about to celebrate a milestone-ish birthday after a super hectic year - help me figure out how to plan an amazing day!

In the last year, I divorced, left a job of many years, took an extended road trip from one side of the country to another, started a new job, and finally, settled in a new city after many months of travel. I'll be turning 35 in a few short days and really want to enjoy the hell out of my special day. So, for those of you with more Seattle experience than me, help?

A few details:

My birthday takes place over the Labor Day weekend, so there's an option of an overnight trip.

I'm a foodie and for sure want the day to include an amazing meal; bonus points if I can have multiple great meals.

I enjoy live music, hiking, most outdoor activities, and also being pampered...

I have a boyfriend who I'm sure will take the initiative to plan something without my input, but I'd kind of like to have some suggestions to throw out but am just so new to the city that I'm at a loss. He's very sweet and would for sure go along with anything I suggest.

Money isn't really an issue (within some measure of reason).

Going to Canada (i.e. Vancouver or Vancouver Island) is not an option as we'll be doing that in a couple weeks, anyway.

I'm excited, not freaked out, by the idea of turning 35.

Thanks in advance!

posted by DuckGirl to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

Best answer: Oh gosh-it may be too late, but go for dinner at the Herbfarm if you can-expensive, fixed price meal with wine pairings. I'd link but I'm on my phone. You'll spend hours eating this incredible meal-best food experience I've ever had. Stay the night at their hotel if you can!
posted by purenitrous at 8:46 PM on August 25, 2013

Best answer: Like live music? Labor Day weekend is Bumbershoot.
posted by obol at 9:32 PM on August 25, 2013 [3 favorites]

Seconding Bumbershoot. It's a great event where you can see amazing acts before they hit it big.
posted by stowaway at 9:39 PM on August 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

Bumbershoot is a fantastic idea. What works best for us is to pick one (1) act we want to see each day, make plans to make that happen, and then let everything else happen randomly. There's lots of food booths; we always try to go to the one run by St Demetrios Church: unbeatable Greek food. If you're interested in movies, they have a continuing Best of SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival, presented in the Spring); the jury winners and the audience favorite winners. And this year -- Canadian Comedians!
posted by kestralwing at 9:48 PM on August 25, 2013

Best answer: Oh, if you can, head out to Bainbridge Island, and visit Hitchcock! In addition to the treat of taking the ferry on a beautiful day, the menu at Hitchcock changes daily and is lovely. If you are not picky you should do the chef's tasting, where you specify how much you want to spend per person, and any dietary restrictions, and then you sit back and enjoy the tasty tasty food that arrives. Chef Brendan won the Food & Wine "The People's Best New Chef" 2013. It is a pretty fantastic meal.

Bainbridge is beautiful, and has some nice bike rides (you can rent a bike on the island) and local hikes. It's ALSO a good stop on the way out to the Olympic Peninsula to do serious hiking and camping, if you drive out there.
posted by librarina at 9:52 PM on August 25, 2013

Thirding Bumbershoot. I volunteer nearly every year, and it's always a blast.

If money isn't an object, you can get VIP passes.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:02 PM on August 25, 2013

If it's too late to get dinner at Herbfarm, try Copper Leaf down near the airport (yes, I know, but trust me, it's spectacular). A chef friend said it was the best meal he'd had in Seattle since moving here outside of the Herbfarm.
posted by emcat8 at 11:09 PM on August 25, 2013

If you want to get out of the city, you could head over to the Olympic Peninsula and check out Ft Worden State Park and the surrounding area, which makes for a nice day trip, or throw an overnight in there and also check out Sol Duc and Hurricane Ridge and Hoh Rainforest.
posted by rmd1023 at 3:50 AM on August 26, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the great suggestions so far! I had read about Herbfarm a while back and totally forgotten about it - I will definitely add that to the before-the-year-is-up list of things to do. Bumbershoot sounds like a great idea, but what is the crowd management aspect of it like? I don't want to feel overwhelmed/claustrophobic at all - forgive my ignorance, but I've never been to an event at the Seattle Center so I'm just wondering how the flow goes with all the various stuff going on at once.

Bainbridge and Ft. Worden both look like solid options, too. Please keep throwing ideas out and I'll follow up with research. I'm out of town until Saturday evening, which also adds a twist to the planning.
posted by DuckGirl at 6:33 AM on August 26, 2013

I don't go to Bumbershoot any more because I just get so mentally and physically exhausted dealing with the crowds. YMMV.
posted by matildaben at 7:20 AM on August 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

I can find the crowds at Bumbershoot overwhelming at times, but you can get your hand stamped to leave the grounds and come back. Ther are some great restaurants and coffee shops right by the Bumbershoot grounds in Queen Anne.
posted by spinifex23 at 9:32 AM on August 26, 2013

Random Seattle suggestions for multiple great meals:
I have been really loving some of Seattle's new-ish Thai restaurants that are serving some unusual and seriously good food:
Little Uncle
Pestle Rock
Mai Thaiku
Revel does really fabulous Korean-influenced small plates.
Monsoon

If you have a sweet tooth:
Honore Bakery for their Kouign Amann
Hot Cakes for their molten chocolate cakes, cookies and milkshakes. They also do a caramel sauce tasting flight (with vanilla ice cream).
If you go to Bainbridge Island, definitely go to Mora Ice Cream and try one of their dulce du leche flavors. Their ice cream is a level higher than anything you'll find in Seattle--just really pure and clean, and the dulce du leche is one of their best flavors.
If you like chocolate, Intrigue Chocolates does fabulous truffle/truffle bars.
posted by creepygirl at 11:36 AM on August 26, 2013