Thank you Trippy: A member's two-day solo trip to Seattle

There is nothing that Team Trippy loves more than hearing from our awesome members about how Trippy has helped them. We decided to reach out to some of our users to learn more about the various ways the Trippy community has inspired and helped them when they travel. Today, Trippy Community Member Serena McClain shares with us how Trippy helped transform her two-day solo jaunt to Seattle from average to extraordinary.

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View from Marination Ma Kai

A few weeks ago I found myself in Seattle for a quick weekday trip. When I travel, solo or otherwise, I tend to plan my trips around one very important thing: food. In my opinion, discovering a city through its culinary delights is truly one of the best ways to get to know a place, and the Seattle food scene did not disappoint.

However, because I was completely unfamiliar with Seattle, I didn't really know where to begin. Instead of my usual route of spending hours researching where to go and what to eat, I turned to Trippy and asked for some good dining recommendations for a solo traveler. And holy moly, the answers I received absolutely rocked! I found hidden gems I never would have stumbled upon, went on a food tour, stuffed my face with the best donuts I've ever had, and, quite literally, ate my through Seattle. It was fabulous, and I owe it all to Trippy.

Here are a few Trippy highlights from my two-day Seattle smorgasbord:

Thanks to the advice from Trippy user Anthony Gamell, I started off with a food tour , booked through Savor Seattle. This was the perfect way to familiarize myself with the world-famous Pike Place Market. It included stops (and bites!) at 16 market hotspots, and it was worth every penny.

A lot of food trends come and go, but I've been on the donut bandwagon for years. I heard that Seattle could give San Francisco a run for its money when it came to this lovely hole shaped pastry, so after quite a few trippy members told me to check out Top Pot Doughnuts and Daily Dozen Donut Co, I knew I was on my way to donut bliss.

"The original Top Pot, delicious doughnuts, made on site. Do breakfast (maybe 1st breakfast) there 1 day." - Briana Saunders

Top Pot was quite good, but Daily Dozen blew me away! These mini donuts were bite size balls of pure delight. The maple bacon had the perfect amount of crispy bacon combined with gooey maple glaze. The powdered donut was like a biting into a sugary cloud. The sprinkled chocolate was like taking a bite from the best piece of birthday cake you've ever tasted. I was truly in donut heaven.

Not one to pass up a good food truck, when Tony Wright suggested I take the water taxi to West Seattle and check out the brick and mortar version of Marination, declared “Best Food Truck in America” by GMA, I couldn't resist. The skyline views would have been worth it alone, but the food... oh the food. I had short rib tacos and pork sliders and they might have been the best sliders I've ever had. AND they even have hawaiian shaved ice filled with booze. Yes, boozy sweet hawaiian shaved ice. You win, Marination Ma Kai. You win.

If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what it would be? For me, the answer is sushi. I could eat it every single day. Knowing that, I was thrilled when Reza Pazooki gave me the inside scoop on Shiro's:

"Shiro was the first sushi chef in Seattle 40 years ago and still goes to the fish markets every morning to choose the best before the rest gets on trucks for delivery to the other restaurants. If you're lucky (and early) he may be working the sushi bar."

I also took Reza's advice and stopped by Mistral Kitchen to snag some of their $1 oysters. Reza had mentioned that it was the best happy hour in town, and I think he was right. Because when I saw that foie gras was on the happy hour menu, I was very happy indeed. No longer available in California, I had to indulge. So I did. Twice.

And then there was the highlight of it all. The apotheosis of my Seattle culinary adventure: Le Pichet.

Alissa Vaughn said that Le Pichet was the perfect place to grab a bite and a glass of wine. I decided to swing by for a quick lunch before my flight back to San Francisco, and suddenly I found myself transported from the rainy streets of Seattle to a cafe in Paris. The menu was simple but superb, and my "quick bite" turned into a half carafe of vino, an octopus salad, and a large array of various charcuterie, pâtés , and cheeses. Needless to say, I devoured every single bite.

All in all, my Seattle trip was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had, and I can honestly say I owe all of it to Trippy.

Thank you, Trippy! Thank you!

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Serena McClain is a San Francisco based freelance writer. A copywriter by day and a travel writer by night, she is always on the lookout for her next big adventure. See what helper joy she is spreading over on Trippy, or stop by her just-for-fun personal blog Spillerena.

Has Trippy helped you discover cool things on your travels? If so, please drop us a line at feedback@trippy.com. We’d love to learn how Trippy helped you and feature you on our blog!