Doug and I had a lovely time at the Cottage! It was warm & cozy despite the winter rain outside, and Nan's attention to detail really made us feel welcome and at home. Since Doug works offshore and I'm a full-time grad student, we often do not have as much time together as we would like. For this get-away, we were looking for a place that was quiet and private, where we could either hunker down at "home" with a bottle of wine, or go exploring; we both agreed that we could not have imagined a more perfect place.

The location was perfect for us, too; the #40 bus was our go-to. A short ride to Ballard took us to the Locks for a brisk walk along the water (cormorants fishing, eagle circling, heron preening, seal barking), and then to Walrus & Carpenter for a sublime dinner of oysters & small plates; a longer ride south to 3rd & Main took us to the ID for dim sum at Jade Garden. We spent a day downtown admiring regional art & in the Market gathering wine & picnic goodies to take on the ferry to Bainbridge; it is a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon! We spent a little time kicking around the lovely Fremont, and went antiquing (found a great vintage modern coffee set!) at Seattle Antiques Mall on the waterfront and on Capitol Hill, where we enjoyed Molly Moon's homemade ice cream (earl grey for her; "walnut maple bourbon crunchy something-or-other" for him) and a phenomenal meal of smelt, mussels, and salmon at Sitka & Spruce (in the Melrose Market) for our last dinner in town.

In summary: TOP NOTCH! We hope to be back very soon!

Thank you, Nan and Mark, for a wonderful stay!

Doug & Melea