Getting Soaked

To protect the innocent-and the naked-no photos accompany this blog post.

It's been the usual autumn weather smorgasbord in Seattle, stunningly shiny days with bright blue skies, monsoon-like, warm and wet from a "pineapple express", or just cold and drizzly with gusty winds. On one of these latter afternoons three of my "girls" and I gathered with towels to try out Hothouse, a woman's spa and sauna on Capitol Hill in the Pike/Pine Corridor. We spent a toasty hour soaking in the hot tub, sweating in the sauna or steam room and refreshing ourselves in the cold plunge shower. Not for the bashful, they encourage nudity; but the lights are low, the air is steamy and even though there's a lesbian bar upstairs, we straight gals felt perfectly comfortable. It helps that we've been friends since we were teenagers when the flesh was firmer. So if you don't mind dropping trou with strangers, I can't recommend a better way to spend $12 and a chilly afternoon. They also offer massages by appointment.

Afterwards, damp and relaxed, we walked up the street to Boom Noodle for a little supper. Boom is owned by the same folks who have a local chain of very popular conveyor belt sushi restaurants called Blue C. We snacked on spring rolls, katsu prawns, ahi tacos and calimari and washed them down with cold beer or mojitos. We recommend sitting in the bar, it's slightly quieter since the main dining has very high ceilings, long uncovered tables and the night were there, some noisy kids slurping noodles and fidgeting in their chairs. Deciding to skip the dessert menu, we stopped into Cupcake Royale just a few doors down to indulge in some of their very pretty cupcakes. Is this a great town or what?!

Cathy Wiese-Innkeeper

Japanese Garden Seattle Arboretum

Japanese Garden

Assistant Innkeeper, Shelley, had muffin duty this morning so Phil and I had some free time. We decided to check out the Japanese Garden in the Arboretum since they re-opened last month after some renovation work. From Salisbury House it’s not far to walk to the Garden, but it is a little adventurous. You walk east on Aloha down the hill and cross 23rd at the light, continuing down what must be some of the steepest blocks in the city, some of the sidewalks are ribbed, to provide more secure footing in damp weather- this isn’t a route for bad knees. At the bottom of the hill you find a ravine, which is in fact the edge of the Arboretum, but you need to turn to the left and walk about half a block until you see a small Park Department service yard; at the north side of the yard is a path that takes you past a tatty storage area then down into the leafy depths of the Arboretum and into the parking lot that serves the Japanese Garden and some playing fields to the south.

The major changes at the Japanese Garden are only at the entrance, which is now designed to look like a small village. Happily the nearly fifty-year old garden hasn’t been fussed with, though it is still meticulously maintained. I love how the Garden seems like the inset of a map, imposed on the lower left corner of the huge, messy and well-used Arboretum.


It was a sultry morning and while it is a warm month away from the blooming azaleas, rhododendrons, and cherry trees, still the air was scented with the sweet scents of foliage and the water lilies were blooming on the small lake. Sitting in the middle of one island of lilies was a large heron, fishing quietly, or perhaps just posing for pictures from the visitors. On bridge a girl feed the salmon sized carp, a few hungry turtles and one placid duck who seemed undisturbed by the roiling fish underneath him.

From the Japanese Garden you can go onto explore more of the Arboretum, but we headed south along Lake Washington Blvd. to Madison St. to one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Flora, for rosemary lemonades and pizza. The little Madison Valley neighborhood has a number of good choices for lunch and some interesting shops for browsing but we headed back up the hill after lunch. An alternative is the #8 bus which will take you up steep Madison to Thomas where you can hop off the bus right at 16th St. just four, or five, flat blocks from Salisbury House.

Louisa Boren Lookout Park

A short side trip off the one mile walk through Volunteer Park is Louisa Boren Lookout Park. The park is just North of Volunteer Park and looks out to the East over Lake Washington to the Cascade Mountains. Sun and moon risings can be spectacular. Rising schedules are found at the US Naval Observatory website. The pictures in the video were taken on June 1st at 0520.

One Mile Walk Thru Volunteer Park

Volunteer Park is an easy walk from Salisbury House Bed and Breakfast. Here is a recommended one mile hike through the park.


View Volunteer Park Walk in a larger map