Bainbridge

Come for the nature, stay for the people.

Really, what an incredibly friendly place!

Three Stories:

  1. While jogging to the ferry, a car passed me, pulled over to the side of the road, and then offered me a ride. This hasn’t happened to me anywhere else in the US ever. (I took the ride beacuse I want this kind of thing to become more common!)

  2. A friend and I were at the supermarket self-checkout machine buying ice cream when my credit card or the machine was acting up. The store manager walked up, and while pretending to fix the machine ended up paying for it herself and just asked to “pay it forward.” I was dumbfounded.

  3. Nearly every Saturday mornings, I joined Greg Nance for the Fort Ward parkrun. We’d run join the local community for a 5k and coffee (or hot chocolate in my case) afterwards at The Marketplace at Lynwood Center. You’d be hard pressed to find a more welcoming group of people. parkrun friends

Food

Bainbridge is expensive, though I have the sense that most of Seattle is expensive. Or maybe just most of the coastal US is expensive. It’s been years since I lived back home so it’s hard to say for sure. Nonetheless, I did have some great meals while I was out there.

For light breakfast or a snack, I would frequent Blackbird Bakery in Winslow. The Lemon Poppyseed muffin, though I only saw it once, was my favorite. Every other day I frequented the Lemon Tea Cake. Blackbird Bakery Treats

For something more substantial, Streamliner’s Potatoes Deluxe is the real deal. The Seattle Times quotes that “one diner claims that of all the breakfast foods she has sampled worldwide, this is her favorite.” At the very least, this is the best hashed browns I’ve ever had from a restaurant. I won’t include a picture because you should enjoy the surprise.

Westside Pizza was my go-to pizza place. Apprantly it’s a chain but I had never been. It has that end of soccer season pizza party type of atmosphere. Not fine dining, but just the kind of pepperoni pizza I like.

Last but not least, the real food MVP was my colleague who cooked many many delicious meals and desserts for me, but that wouldn’t be fair play :).

Transportation

The Washington State Ferries from Seattle provides a scenic trip and direct access to the heart of the island.

After you’re on the island, you need a car or bicycle. Or you need to be an ultra- athlete. Just don’t expect to Uber or Taxi your way around.

Bainbridge Misc.

  • There are a fair number of authors that live or stay on the island. Unsurprising given the ocean, pace of live, and closeness to Seattle.

  • The Manitou Beach area was pictureesque and my favorite stay on the island.

  • Cherry blossoms in late Spring were reminiscent of Japan.

  • Take the ferry into town for a Mariner’s or Seahawk’s game. It’s just a 20-minute walk from the downtown Seattle port.

  • To Be Continued