Oh! Chocolate, Madison Park

I took my first sip of the house-made French Hot Chocolate on a Friday afternoon. Spring sun spilled through the many windows of Oh! Chocolate's Madison Park storefront as I lifted the ceramic demitasse mug to my lips allowing the silky beverage to roll onto my tongue. "Oh my!" were the only words I could use to describe my inaugural taste. I have a girlfriend who lives in Los Angeles. She had a box of...

Nia Seattle, Seattle

One of the best parts about being a travel writer is that I get to experience things that fall outside of my usual activities. I could be the poster child for the saying, "creature of habit." I have eaten the same breakfast nearly every morning for five years (onion, red pepper, garlic, and steamed broccoli scrambled with one egg and topped with salsa, a piece of Essential Baking Company's Mille Grane bread toasted with peanut...

Inn at the Market, Pike Place Market

Right off First Avenue, mere steps from bustling Pike Place Market, lies a little boutique hotel whose guest rooms locals often mistake for condominiums. It's easy to see why. With just a few small signs and an elegant yet modest lobby tucked past a small courtyard, away from the main road, there is not a single item that screams, "Hotel! Vacancy! Tourists stay here!" It's like they say, blink and you'll miss it. But trust...