Tag Archives: Owl City

Elysian Brewing Company

Yesterday was the perfect day. Seriously. I headed over to Seattle again, visited Heaven (aka REI Flagship store) where I proceeded to drool over the lightweight tents and new JetBoil systems, got a ridiculously cheap and amazing massage from Cortiva, then finished up the day at Elysian Brewing Company.
Oh, baby! Okay, so it wasn’t technically the brewery itself, but the pub Elysian Fields in Pioneer Square next to the stadium.
Elysian Fields isn’t the actual brewery, but they do (of course) serve all the beers on tap, plus brew a little bit in the back. I love the garage-style doors. There’s something that screams “craft beer” about breweries with garage-style doors.
I couldn’t decide on which beer to get, so I ordered the sampler – the only way to truly appreciate a brewery’s talents.
And appreciate I did! Five glasses (plus the second porter that Ora gave to me since she wasn’t a fan) of delicious gorgeous-ity! My favorites were the Perseus Porter and the Avatar Jasmine IPA. The porter was the perfect blend of smokey and chocolatey, with a beautiful smokey/chocolatey/coffee aroma – my descriptions are extremely diverse, aren’t they? I’ve already raved about the Avatar Jasmine IPA. So delicate! So unique! So much love!
Luckily, their menu is a little easier to choose from. I actually like that the focus is on the beer and not on pages and pages of food. I’m a very indecisive person, in case you haven’t noticed. When given tons of options, I’ll cower in the corner and beg the server to surprise me so that I don’t have to make a decision based on the massive quantities of delicious possibilities that lay before me.
We started with the side of asparagus that came grilled to perfection – crispy and caramelized in olive oil with just a touch of salt.
I saw this on the menu and was sold! It’s extremely strange, but I’m becoming obsessed with portobello mushrooms – something you’d never expect to hear from someone who hated mushrooms with the passion that I did prior to a month ago.
Too hungry to take a steady picture. Had to eat immediately. This was so good! Soft grilled bread slathered with goat cheese and topped with grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers and fresh greens. I devoured the sammich, plus a handful of the fries before I forced myself to save some room for dessert.
DESSERT. Oh. My. Geez. I asked our waitress to bring her recommendation. The chocolate torte – made with chocolate chevre on top of a delicate cake and surrounded by rich chocolate slabs.
It was terrible. I wanted to get rid of it as fast as possible. I never wanted to have to look at it ever again. So I finished it. I SHOWED YOU, YOU DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE TORTE!
After finishing my six wonderful beer samples, we had to say farewell to Seattle and get back on the metro to work our way back to Bellevue. Goodbye Seattle, I am an albatross. (That’s an Owl City reference in case you just think I’m insane. Which I might be as well…)
This is me looking sad and artistic in the metro station.

Farewell Seattle! I honestly loved you.

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A Day in Seattle

I spent a full day doing ridiculous touristy stuff in downtown Seattle. I tend to stray from tourist attractions when I visit places, but this time I decided to embrace it with open arms and a fanny pack. I’m just kidding, I don’t own a fanny pack – but know that if I did, I would’ve been rocking it today!
I took the bus from Bellevue to Seattle and hiked a few blocks to Pike Street.
This market has everything!
Public Market is the longest running, continuously open farmers’ market. They just celebrated their 100th year.
Mmmm, carbs!
Mmmm, lobster butts!
Mmmm, fish face!
How could I not?
Definitely did NOT! The line was around the block and, let’s face it, it’s just Starbucks…
I definitely DID stop across the street at Piroshky Piroshky and got a potato, onion and cheese piroshky. Mmmm, starchy, cheesy carbs!
Oh, baby! Seattle, you’ve won me over.
Touch tank at the aquarium.
Bwahahahaha! My sense of humor belongs to a teenage boy, but I just find this hilarious!
Super Puffin!!!
Super tourism!
In Seattle, many suffer from insomnia.
Deliciously abandoned.
They can do no wrong. Crazy, Stupid, LOVED them in this movie!

GUESS WHAT! I’m gonna receive EVEN MORE money! Seattle is SO lucky for me!

I really don’t wanna be arrested, interrogated or prosecuted for money laundering, so I’d better do as they say…
Mac and Jack’s African Amber. Good Monday!

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Owling at Owl City

If you follow me on Twitter, or like me on Facebook, you already got a preview last night.
Owling. Because Planking is way too mainstream. Plus, we were at an Owl City concert at Club Nokia. How could we not?
Allie Owling.
We even got Amanda and Amie to Owl. Epicness ensued.
We prepared for this epicness at Yard House. I got a “shorty” – 10 ounces of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous. It was amazing! Thick head that lasted the entire beer, extremely floral hop aroma. Medium-high carbonation, but still seemed smooth. Quiet malt at the end of each sip. Adoration.
We were quite pleased with Yard House. Now onto epicness!

They apparently had allowed the first 300 people in with VIP access. They cut the line right in front of us. Seriously, RIGHT in front of us. We ended up being the very first people to go through the general access metal detectors. Once inside we grabbed another drink, did a little Owling and stood at our little ledge until we noticed someone walking around with wristbands. I slowly squatted down as he came by and when he asked, “You girls doing all right here?” I smoothly said, “Well, I can’t really see cuz I’m short…” VIP access, baby! We blazed through into the dead center up front. Oh yeah.
Breanne Duren (who is ridiculously adorable) started us off with new singles from her album. When Allie and I arrived in LA around 1pm earlier that day, I jokingly said that we should stalk the band since we had so much time. We turned the corner and there Breanne was, getting out of the car, suitcase in hand. Mission accomplished.

Mat Kearney opened the show, jumped off-stage at the end of his set and came around the pit, giving us all high fives. I got a little arm grope in. As I’ve said before, epicness.
Think what you want about Owl City, this guy puts on an AMAZING show! I’ve been to two concerts in my entire life. Both have been his. The way he gets so into his songs, rocking out around the stage, making you believe that every word that comes out of his mouth makes everything in life right and balanced and joyous… He’s THAT good.

Thank you, Adam Young, for your epicness.
He played a few songs from his new CD, but mixed it up with a ton from his first album – I was happy about that because none of his new songs really make sense… (Unless you’re watching him sing them on stage, then they make PERFECT sense. See above for explanation). They’re just pretty words compiled together, with the exception of “Galaxies”. Which he threw every fiber of his being into. Slight adoration on my part, if you haven’t noticed.
We were dancing like crazy in our little area, amidst all of the people of LA who were standing still, bobbing their heads or tapping their feet.
When the song “Alligator Sky” (which also makes no sense) came on, I got a group of people who were around us to do the dance I invented in the car on the drive down. There was a big cluster around us making their arms into alligator jaws. I was proud.
They played two encores. Epicness times two. Afterwards, we sought out the parking lot where we’d gotten $5 parking and headed home through the curtains of marine layer that coated Los Angeles.

Epicness.

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