1) the Presidential suite at Hyatt at Olive 8

After filling ourselves silly with food, we jetted back up to Seattle to celebrate New Year’s. We chose to stay at Hyatt at Olive 8 – a hotel self-styled as ‘sleek, modern design’ but really it’s contemporary – near Seattle’s theatre district. There we took up residence in its sprawling Presidential Suite – giving us 1600 square feet to wander aimlessly amid. We shopped, we ate (more), we ventured by Seattle’s excellent public transit to Bellevue to the Belleuve Arts Museum to enjoy the George Nelson: Architect, Writer, Designer, Teacher exhibit as we are fans of Nelson and have some of his pieces. The world (and Ikea in particular) has Nelson to thank for he gave us the concept of the ‘storage wall’ way back in 1945.

On Friday night, we got all dolled up and headed to Benaroya Hall to watch the Seattle Symphony Orchestra play none other than Beethoven’s mighty Ninth Symphony. For New Year’s we ensconced ourselves in the suite, suitably stocked with several bottles of champange (bought at ridiculously low prices at World Markets down by Pike Place), ordered room service, danced, and watched a very uncomfortable Anderson Cooper try to remain calm while the ball dropped at Times Square.  

2) the bedroom; 3) the office

4) the other dining room table; 5) the living room

6) the bathroom

7 & 8) wine sampling at lunch at the Purple Cafe & Wine Bar – I opted for a flight of Italians; G for a flight of sparklers

9) pizza and salad; 10) fish fingers and salad

11 & 12) touring Pike Place Market

13 & 14) touring Pike Place Market

15 & 16) touring Pike Place Market – see fresh truffles!

17) the Market’s entrance; 18) making cheese … a lot of it

19) way up at Benaroya Hall; 20) looking down from the atrium at intermission