Adventures in West Seattle

By Catiebeatty @catiebeatty
So after my amazing facial on Saturday, I decided to explore West Seattle a little bit. I've been out there maybe a handful of times. It seems too far away. I live in North Seattle, pretty much in the same neighborhood my dad grew up in, so my family, my job, are all right here. Needless to say, the paths I travel don't vary all that often.  Up Aurora to my Dad's; down Aurora to my nanny job; up 85th to the grocery store; down 80th to my in-laws; you know what I'm talking about. Even when you live in the city, you get set in your ways. That makes driving out to West Seattle like driving to a foreign country. I kept having reactions kind of like the ones I have in England; "Oh look, they have Cupcake Royale, just like back home!" and starting sentences with "I'm not from here..." 
One of my all-time favorite past times is exploring cities, so I was completely content wandering up and down California Ave. I was feeling pretty confident, too, so I introduced myself, as a blogger, to Linda, the owner of Clementine's Shoes. She was very friendly, and unlike another shop owner I encountered, totally open to me taking a couple shots for the blog. If I hadn't bought like 5 pairs of shoes this week (all used), I would have totally bought these adorable persimmon flatforms by FS/NY. Luckily, they're new in for Spring, so they might be there for a little while.

Bakery Nouveau came highly recommended by both Djaouida, my esthetician, and Linda at Clementine's, so I had to stop in for lunch. I had a veggie sandwich, and, like always, fell victim to the siren scent of the Pain au Chocolat. It was pretty good. Maybe a little on the sweet side, and not as good as Le Panier's, but still delicious. Maybe I should start a blog where I just review Pains au Chocolat. I would probably have to stop fashion blogging, though, due to the inevitable weight gain.
Turns out they have estate sales over in West Seattle, too, so I made the trek down the hill a few blocks from California Ave. to peruse the goods. Surprisingly, I had my third day in a row of thrifting luck and found some great things, all for under $20! I bought 3 pairs of vintage sandals, some neat old red bordered labels, assorted vintage papers, a hat, a cardigan, and a silk Dior blouse with a Peter Pan collar. Quite the haul! I should also mention that the person the things originally belonged to had more kitten-heeled sandals than anyone should ever have. She had 5 different version of one pair... which I bought 2 of. I'm planning on selling them, though!