Persona Grata: Derek Hess

The bf and I were glued to LA Ink for awhile. It featured Miss Kat von D and her tattoo biz and an incredible amount of amazing (as well as some not so much) sketching skillz. In one episode, we were introduced to Derek Hess, a rather well known artist himself. They brought this kid in who planned on getting inked with a drawing by Mr. Hess and the drawing was AWESOME! His style is mainly sketches in pen (ink!) and the results have been captured on many popular album covers. He now has his own clothing line called STRHESS that showcases some of his most noted pieces. So now the bf and I both want the same thing: a tattoo AND a shirt!

*photos courtesy of derekhess.com*





For Me:
STRHESS
Falling Feather
$28.00




For Him:
STRHESS
Flying Angel
$21




or
STRHESS
Foliage
$21.00

Trippin': Seattle - Purple Dot Cafe

515 Maynard S
Seattle, WA 98104

As stated in previous entries, the bf and I LOVE us some yum yum dim sum. A contact that we had in Seattle suggested that we try Purple Dot Cafe. She had a cousin from Houston who declared that the dim sum at Purple Dot Cafe rivaled the dim sum from Houston. And whoever her cousin is has great taste! The dim sum was mos def a treat from all the other over-priced restaurants that Seattle had way too many to offer. I think they over did the fine dining thing. In any case, the dim sum was good but it's too close to tell which city is better. It's a TIE! The outside of the restaurant gave it a hole-in-the-wall appeal until you walk inside and take in the trendy interior with bold purple's and yellow accents. They sat us right next to this beautiful fish tank with the coolest looking fishies!

Trippin': Seattle - The Original Starbuck's

This is the very first Starbuck's EVAR! It's located at the Pike Place Public Market on 1st and Pike. The area around the Pike Place Market is considered a historic district and therefore this Starbuck's has retained it's original look. It's hard to imagine that this place was able to blow up to be one of the largest and most recognizable coffee chains in the WORLD! Queue the "money" song ...

Trippin': Seattle - Red Mill Burger's

1613 W Dravus St
Seattle, WA 98119

312 N 67th St
Seattle, WA 98103

On an episode of Oprah, her besty Gayle was on a burger mission. GQ magazine came out with this list called The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die and Gayle decided that she was going to go cross country and try out every single one of these burgers. Seattle's own Red Mill Burger's made the list and I think the verdict was a positive one however I'm not 100% sure since I didn't watch the show myself. But since it was showcased on this supposed credible show, I knew that I just had to try it for myself. The bf ordered their Red Mill Deluxe and I had the Red Mill Chicken Sandwich. We didn't feel as though the burgers were all that spectacular. Fuddrucker's is WAAAAY better! What was good though was their onion rings. They were SUPERB! It had this seasoning added to it that just made it better than your average onion rings. If it's any consolation though, Gayle had tried the Bacon Deluxe w/ Cheese so maybe that might have made a difference. I highly doubt it though. I have no pictures of the food itself because I was so hungry that I devoured my burger before I realized my mistake. Oops!