Find Me in Seattle Podcast with Conner Cayson

A weekend long adventure exploring with Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority and a group of businesses I had never tried. The two day itinerary covered 5 food businesses, indoor skydiving, a chocolate tour and a stay in a hotel. As you swipe thru the carousel of images, you'll get a glimpse of each stop. I will be posting more details about each place in the coming week. Featured above includes: Mizuki Buffet (Tukwila) ifly seattle (Tukwila) Contrivance Tasting Room (Tukwila) Dat Creole Soul (Des Moines) Star Coffee Ethiopian Restaurant (SeaTac) Seattle Chocolate (Tukwila) Mini... the Dough-Nut (Des Moines) Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority is responsible for promoting the communities in SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines and showing how these places are a dynamic place to live. Learn more > https://www.seattlesouthside.com/

In this episode of Dim Sumdays, Conner and Amanda reveal that they bought a house in South Seattle. After living in Lower Queen Anne (Uptown) for the past 7 years, they moved out of the immediate city. This episode reflects on the process of touring 50+ homes, offering on 10, losing on all of them, and then finding the perfect home. The best part, the got the house at listing price with all of the contingencies, which is rare in Seattle right now. Shout out to Mark Chavez Real Estate with Windermere Mount Baker who worked with us throughout the process and someone we recommend you call. Here is his website: https://markchavezrealty.com/

In early May, Conner and Amanda spent a day at Disney World's Hollywood Studios and another at Universal Studios Orlando. In this week's episode, they are not filming from their regular dashboard location, but rather from a guest bedroom in Florida. In the show, they talk about the wide array of experiences in both parks, their favorite activities and rides, visiting Galaxy's Edge and building a BB8 Droid.

Conner and Amanda seek out Seattle's Secret Congee in Wallingford. In this week's conversation, they talk about: - Conner's addiction to sugar and white chocolate coffee - Amanda's favorite candy - Sh*t My Parents Say

Conner and Amanda are in the car this week for a Miracle Berry Taste Test. We purchased mberry and a bunch of items from the grocery store including lemons, limes, vinegar chips, grapes, oranges, kiwi, and pickles. From the mberry website, we learned "Basically, a protein in miracle berries (called miraculin) binds to the sweet receptors on your tongue. When it experiences acids (the things that make foods sour), they change shape of the receptors causing them to send sweet signals to your brain instead of sour. It’s a miracle!" mberry website: https://mberry.us/

On this week's episode of Dim Sumdays, Amanda and Conner tried to visit Joyale, but they were closed for a holiday. Instead, they end up getting Dry Dipping Noodles and Chicken Wings from Hue Ky Mi Gia in Seattle's International District. The topics of the show include: - Sh*T My Mom Says - Best Things I Saw Online - Beef of the Week

Conner and Amanda are at the top of Queen Anne visiting Le Reve Bakery for some morning breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and Olympia Coffee. After picking up the food to go, the couple recorded this week's episode from their car at Kerry Park (one of Seattle's best city views). This show is focused on a special Ask Me Anything! The questions asked are: - Favorite Outdoor Dining in Seattle - Best Seattle Date Nights - Steamed vs Baked Buns - Favorite part of being in quarantine Amanda also talks about the online saga of someone finding shrimp tails in their Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and her tip of the week how cats love tooth brushes.

Amanda and Conner are in a parking lot in Seattle's International District enjoying delicious dim sum from Harbor City Restaurant. Along with covering all of the wonderful food they ordered, the follow topics are also covered: - Winning a Big Screen TV on Ellen - Getting 2nd dose - Sh*T My Mom Says - Best Things We Saw Online this week - Why NCAA March Madness is so fun

This week, Conner and Amanda visit Porkchop & Co in Ballard. Porkchop has become popular this past year for their bagels and burritos, however, we showed up too late to get them all. In the video, we feature: Pork Belly Hash - Potatoes, duroc pork belly, yams, chard, pears, and a slow-poached egg with tarragon salsa verde Raquel Breakfast Burrito - Chorizo, cheese, arugula, cilantro & onion, guajillo salsa We are talking about the transitions over the past year in wearing masks and give a shout out to our favorite mask maker on etsy Elena & Chris. Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElenaAndChris We also have our first ever sponsored segment of the show featuring Washington Department of Health and their app WA Notify which provides notifications if you were exposed to someone who tested positive for covid-19.

Conner and Amanda adventure to Bellevue, Washington to pick up food from Top Gun Seafood Restaurant. Here are the topics we talk about in this week's Dim Sumday: - March 2020 vs March 2021 - Dim Sum vs Brunch - Reviewing "Raya and The Last Dragon" on Disney+ - Vaccinating restaurant workers - Sh*t My Parents Say - Reviewing the Season Finale of "WandaVision"

Dim Sumdays Ep04 with Conner and Amanda is live! We recorded this episode from the parking lot of Dim Sum King in Seattle's International District. This week's topics include: - Millennial vs Gen Z - Sh*t My Mom Says - Favorite Thing from the Internet - New Names for the Pandemic

Conner and Amanda picked up lunch from one of their favorite restaurants in Pike Place Market, Pasta Casalinga. This restaurant features a simple menu of 4 primary items, lasagna and 3 special pasta dishes, one each from The Farm, The Sea, and The Garden. They drive their car onto the Bainbridge Ferry and talk about the topics of the week.

Conner and Amanda record their podcast while eating dim sum from their car. This week's featured restaurant is T & T Seafood Restaurant located in North Seattle. In this episode, Conner and Amanda feature and taste the items they ordered. The topics of the show include: - Shows They Are Watching - Chopstick Hack - Shower Thoughts - Thing My Mom Says - Beef of the Week - Weirdest Thing We Saw This Week

I'm launching an app next Friday! It's called Whoop! No, it's not the band that all of us have seen advertised on every podcast. The goal of Whoop! is to help people sell products and services, using short form videos and collaborations with creators. In today's episode, Conner discusses the last few months while secretly working on the new project. Please let me know if you have any feedback

Welcome to Episode 041 of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast. Another crazy week of headlines includes: - MLK Jr Day - Inauguration of Joe Biden - Protest (not riot) in Seattle - Jordan Morris to Swansea - Signing Up for COVID vaccine volunteering - Sick of the Bernie Sanders Memes Weekly Food Round Up includes: - Katsuya in South Lake Union and my frustration that their online ordering mechanism doesn't support tipping - Jerk Shack - Loretta's Northwesterner for one of Seattle's "Best Burgers" + A visit to Shawn Kemps Cannabis

Episode 040 covers Seattle Restaurants We Can't Live Without, Seattle Mayor Candidate Website, Canton Noodle House and Periodic Pop-Up. Restaurants Seattle’s cannot afford to lose https://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/food/article/3-Seattle-restaurants-make-esquire-list-top-100-15862097.php https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a34864761/restaurants-america-covid-19-pandemic-service-industry/ Building a Website for Seattle Mayoral Candidate, Ace Grant Houston - What I learned about Democracy Vouchers https://www.agh4sea.com/ https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/about-the-program Seattle’s Meal of the Week - Canton Noodle House Featured Business of the Week - Periodic Pop-Up, Amazon Spheres and Woodland Park Zoo

I won't forget what happened on January 6, 2021. I woke up early to see the results come in from the Georgia Special Senate Election, but by the end of the day, the news from that election were overshadowed by a terrible moment in American History. Donald Trump hosted a protest rally called "March on DC" at the same time the Congress and Senate were confirming the Electoral Votes for the next President of the United States (Joe Biden). The protest turned into a riot as the Trump followers stormed the Capitol with little police resistance, they breached the building, broke through police lines, forced elected officials into hiding, and trashed the offices of State Senators and Congress. The following hours led to clashes between police/nation guard and rioters, leaving 5 dead including 1 police officer. This recording is 2 days after the fact. I (conner) reflect on that moment and what it was like to watch, jumping back and forth from CNN and FoxNews to see how both sides of media covered the events. I think this was a coup. This was a physical attack on elected officials in an attempt to overturn a fair, legal Presidential election. I'm worried for what this means for America in the future. Enjoy the show.

2020 was the year of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but it wasn't all bad was it? In this final episode of the year, Conner reviews his timeline of the year and shows gratitude to all of the great things he discovered in 2020.

Treasure! This past week I discovered a TikTok account called @Treasure_guys and this Seattleite, I think his name is Mike, hides treasure around the city for people to find. In his most recent hunt, his pizza inspired video ended with a clue about treasure being hidden in a park on the same street as Kerry Park. I jumped out of bed to go find it, and it only took me 3 separate trips over 24 hours to finally discover the box hidden high up in a gazebo. The box contained 25 $2 bills and a bonus $50 after I posted a video declaring I found it on TikTok. This Week at Find Me in Seattle includes: The Christmas Burger from LOCAL IN SOUTH LAKE UNION includes crispy chicken, sausage patty, bacon, white cheddar cranberry sauce, caramelized onions, cabbage, peppercorn gravy - https://localpubliceatery.com/neighbourhoods/terry-ave/menu/ Poke in Edmonds from ONO Poke - https://eatonopoke.com/ Tres Lecheria in Wallingford - https://www.treslecheria.com/ Joey Kitchen Take Home Fajita Kit - https://joeyrestaurants.com/location/joey-university-village

It's Friday December 11th and Conner Cayson is back on the Find Me in Seattle podcast. In this show he talks about what he's been up to for the past two weeks and why there hasn't been a show lately. This Week in Seattle News includes: - Covid update + vaccine delivery - Ann McClain and Kayla Barron, both of Washington, are 2 of the 18 astronauts picked as candidates to be the first to re-land on the moon part of NASA's Artemis Moon missions. - Breanna Stewart named one of Sports Illustrated "Sportspersons of the Year" - Seattle Sounders headed to their 4th MLS Cup in the last 5 years THIS WEEK AT FIND ME IN SEATTLE: - Buttonwood Christmas Tree Farm - Upcoming Giveaways MEAL OF THE WEEK - Jerk Shack in Belltown BUSINESS OF THE WEEK - 15 Seconds of Stardom

I cannot stress enough about how important it is right now to support local businesses in your community. With the recent COVID shutdown in Washington thru December 2020, many businesses once again are going to be hit by a decrease in customers. If you have the means, I sincerely ask that you be intentional about how you spend your money this next couple of weeks. If you have restaurants you've wanted to try, or you know places that have always supported you in the past, please return to those businesses. Featured Meal of the Week - Mango Sticky Rice Pop Up in Wallingford - https://nitthaidessert.com/

We took last week off from the show to take care of some other deliverables, but we are back! This week's show starts with a COVID-19 update as we are looking at the worst week of the year nationally in terms of cases and deaths. Conner reflects on the changes of anxiety from April to October and how the numbers are worse, but my anxiety isn't as high as it was. In the This Week in Seattle segment, Conner covers: - Restaurant closings -Restaurant openings and changes in business models - Seattle Restaurant Week and why he never promotes it. Also how to take advantage of the week by visiting businesses you wouldn't normally be able to afford This Week at Find Me in Seattle includes: - A walk to Pike Place Market - Seattle's best pasta - Find Me in Seattle Merch - StreEATERIES in 6th Ave -

On this week's show, Conner talks about two headlines from This Week in Seattle News including the Washington Supreme Court striking down I-976 as unconstitutional after voters approved the initiative that capped car tabs at $30. We also talk about the NYT article that dove into Seattle's struggling restaurant scene source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/dining/seattle-restaurants-coronavirus.html?mc_cid=c916dfca8a&mc_eid=98adb54834 This week Conner visited Periodic Pop Up which was hosting their featured artist Sensebellum "Sensebellum is the space where the senses combine in the cerebellum to expand our ability to perceive and understand the world around us. This understanding is then leveraged with technology to create new sensory possibilities. At Periodic, you can experience this immersive interactive art installation that bridges the natural and digital worlds." Also featured in today's show is G H Pasta and Stoup Brewery.

Welcome to the Find Me in Seattle Podcast with Conner Cayson. This Week in Seattle News covers: - Closing and demolition of the famous Pink Elephant Car Wash. Their iconic neon sign will live at the Museum of History and Industry in South Lake Union. - Bartell Drug Stores sold for $95 Million to RiteAid - Governor Jay Inslee debated Loren Culp in the race for 2020 Governor - Seattle Storm win the 2020 WNBA Championship. Victory celebration will be held virtually - Canlis Community College video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ust8onOrk6c LOCAL BUSINESS OF THE WEEK: Smith Tower Observatory FAVORITE MEAL OF THE WEEK: Fresh farmed and picked produce from my friends Aashay and Mona

This is an unusual show at the Find Me in Seattle Podcast because I couldn't not talk about another huge moment in 2020... President Donald Trump tweeting he has tested Positive for COVID-19. It was another day where the internet exploded with commentary after the shocking, but maybe not very surprising news. We spend the first half of the show reflecting on the moment and speculate on what that could mean. Some other things that happened to me this week: - i5 Classic Golf Tournament MVP - Love Island USA Season 2 Finale - Clothing Moth fight - Uptown China's Hot & Sour Soup The Featured Business of the Week is from South Lake Union at 400 Fairview. THE HALL inside the building is a collection of businesses including Caffe Ladro, Bar Harbor, Meat & Bread, Juicy Cafe, MBar, Verde & Co., Kai Market, Urban Optix and Trophy Cupcakes.

This week in Seattle News covers: -our newly appointed title "Anarchist Jurisdiction" by Attorney General William - protest clash again at the East Precinct after the grand jury decision of not charging the officers who killed Breonna Taylor - overruling Mayor Durken's Veto - BLM Mural becoming official - Seattle sports weekend rundown The Featured Meal of the Week comes from Ballard's Brimmer & Heeltap. They served one of the most delicious slices of bread I've ever had along with Chicken Confit, and Tuscan Pork Ribs. The Featured Business of the Week is a story about creating an itinerary for The Nudge Text in which I went to The Ave at the University of Washington to visit Mountaineering Club, Flowers, UDon, and Sweet Alchemy.

In this week's episode of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast we have lots to recap as the smoke fire begins to clear, and rain is in the forecast. The Meal of the Week comes from Don Luchos Peruvian Restaurant in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. The meal started with a Passion Fruit Pisco Sour, Lomo Saltado, Rotisserie Chicken, and Ceviche. Every Thursday Don Luchos hosts a special popup featuring a local chef to show off a fushion of Peruvian flavors. This week was Chef Joe Tuesta who made Japanese Peruvian fusion sushi rolls. My featured business of the week is Lifelong Washington and Dining Out for Life. On Thursday September 24th, please visit one of the participating businesses or consider making a donation directly to their cause. I partnered with Viaduct for a fundraiser on our Socially Distant tshirts. $6 for each shirt sold will be donated to Dining Out for Life. In this week's segment of This Week in Seattle News we cover: - Seattle City Council voted to pay for council member Kshama Sawant’s legal defense - A fake press release for smoke protection at the Grand Hyatt - Lime Scooters launch in Seattle - 5th Avenue Theater launches their virtual memberships - Pier 58 collapse - UW researchers have found food insecurity rates have more than doubled - Chef Eduardo Jordan's popup at Dick's Drive in at Queen Anne

Welcome to the preview of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast, I'm your host, Conner Cayson. I have made it my job to find, share, promote and celebrate the beautiful people, places, things and more specifically, local businesses of Seattle. Please join me every week on the podcast for a weekly run down of my favorite meals, businesses, and places, as well as plenty of random thoughts and musings from the week. You can also find new and unique content on my Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube pages every week. Thank you for following along and supporting local businesses!

It's September 11, 2020 so I couldn't start the episode without reflecting on a tragic day in American History, 9/11/2001. The thoughts made me think about how we remember that day and compare it to how we are treating COVID-19. It feels like 9/11 was a day that brought us together as a country, so I'm surprised COVID feels like its doing the opposite. Fires are ravaging the entire West Coast so please stay inside, close your windows, and wear a mask. My Featured Business of the Week is the Northwest Cider Association and the beginning of Seattle Cider Week. I picked up some cider from Teku Tavern in Downtown Seattle and I'll be sharing those drinks this weekend on my IG stories. My Featured Meal of the Week is from Edmonds, Washington and ONO Poke. Their authentic Hawaiian is a fresh change from the assembly line style we see at most poke restaurants. Their fish is never frozen, the Ahi is fresh from Hawaii, Salmon from BC Canada and the Hamachi/Tako are from Japan – All Premium Sushi Grade 1. Check their Facebook page daily for their daily menu.

This week's show starts off with a reflection on the year so far and it stands as a personal reminder of the craziness of the year. It's not a normal year and we aren't living in a normal time. As I've developed new COVID-19 routines, I like to reflect that this is anything but routine. I started a new show this week with my friend @ Mr. Well Travelled called Community is a Verb where we discuss taking action about serving our communities. We are talking about social justice, social activism and how we can support the people and places of Seattle. I wanted to mention a weekly obsession that I dove into that has given me some time to relax, smile and temporarily separate from the anxiety of the world. The first is David Blaine's Ascension project, and the second is Love Island. My featured business of the week is SIMPLY SEATTLE and their free mask promotion online. They are giving away free face masks and all you need to pay is $5 for shipping. My featured Meal of Week is from Taco City Taqueria in Columbia City

I couldn't start the show without talking about what happened in the world of sports this week. It was another historical moment in 2020 when the Milwaukee Bucks decide to protest their playoff game on Wednesday night which led to a tidal wave of sports being cancelled. The rest of the NBA, WNBA, MLB and MLS all postponed their games that night. It all happened so quickly and in the beginning of this episode I recount what I thought was going on and how I'm proud of the Seattle Sounders for leading the way on the MLS' fight for social justice. In this week's section of "This Week in Seattle News" some of the topics I cover include: - Wolverines return to Mount Rainier after 100 years - Inslee allows museums to open at 25% capacity in phase 2 of Washington's reopening plans - Mayor Durken vetoed Seattle City Council's budget - And PEMOCO releases data hinting that neighbors have become more friendly in 2020 This week's Featured Business of the Week is GOURMONDO and their new subscription meal service called "Stock the Fridge." My Meal of the Week come from Jack's BBQ in SODO and their Brisket and Ribs Virtual Class

That's right, I finally did it. I ate at a restaurant during the pandemic. It was the first time eating at an establishment in Seattle since February. What's the one restaurant you would risk exposure for their food? Also included in this week's show is This Week in Seattle news including COVID 19 Relief funds for the International District and Arts & Science businesses. The Featured Meal of the Week is from South Seattle's BENT BURGERS. Their signature burger is called THE BENT BURGER and its fully loaded with burger patty, fried egg, hot link and bacon squished between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches.

This weeks show briefly reviews some of the top headlines from the news of this week including Chief Best stepping down as Seattle Chief of Police, Seattle City Council votes on COVID-19 Relief, Pier 58 separation and the closure of the Waterfront Park, and Seattle schools going virtual. More related to Find Me in Seattle, Optimism Brewing in Capitol Hill was awarded the first free street closure permit. Optimism Brewing is offering $15-$20 morning seats to work from. My featured meal of the week comes from La Palmera in South Lake Union and the Fiesta Box which includes quesadillas, nachos, taquitos and toppings for $35. I also visited Baked from the Hart in South Seattle for some sweet bean pie. Bill Hart is the owner of the bakery and he's been baking and serving Seattle for decades. Inside this maroon and tan house at the intersection of MLK and Rainier Ave, Baked from the Hart is full of tasty treats that aren't the fancy instagrammable treats, but are just as tasty as anything else in the city.

This Week in Seattle News includes the Primary election, Mayor Durken's veto, beach closures, Media companies turning over images from protests, space needle reopens, and police budget cut proposals. My Meal of the Week comes from Fremont's El Camino. The night ended with me drinking a Half Gallon Margarita Kit and fell asleep outside on a lawn chair. Honorable mention of the Week goes to Peace, Love & Happiness in Fremont. Lastly, check out The Works Seattle in Capitol Hill for Do It Yourself Kits. I recently tried their DIY Mochi Kit and I had a ton of fun.

Welcome back to the sweatiest podcast in Seattle. It's been a hot week here in Seattle and I'm melting. Here's what happened in our segment of "This Week in Seattle News:" - Seattle Sports are in full swing. Reign and Sounders have finished and been eliminated from their respective tournaments. Storm tipped off in Florida this past weekend and will be in the bubble for awhile. Mariners kickoff a week long home-stand on Friday July 31 against the A's, Angels, and Rockies making it 20 straight games before having a day off. - Jay Inslee halted any county-based reopening -Election Ballots are due next Tuesday - Amazon's Jeff Bezos, along with CEOs from Facebook, Google and Apple answered 4 hours of questions with a congressional subcommittee related to their growing market power and possible antitrust legislation. - Mail was temporarily not delivered in a part of the Greenwood neighborhood - Tahlequah (J35), part of the Souther Resident Orca Pods is pregnant. Our Meal of the Week came from South Seattle's Buddha Bruddah, a fusion between Thai and Hawaiian mixed plate. Our pro tip for their restaurant, is to pick up your food in person and make sure you try all of their tasty sauces. Hot Tip of the Week - If you've been melting in the heat, pick up a slushy or frozen cocktail from Citizen in Lower Queen Anne

Welcome to this week's episode of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast, Episode 021. I've titled the show "History Has Its Eyes On You" because of the second half of the show's focus on two movies I recently watched: Hidden Figures, and Hamilton. This week I saw the movie hidden figures at the Marymoor Drive In Movie Theater and I was so inspired by the story of those three women and their impact they had. They each show a level of resilience, drive and determination, in a world that is designed to stop them, to achieve their goals and help win the space race. Their stories and impact also had me reflect on my obsession with the Hamilton Musical and how that film is changing the narrative and rewriting history about how we see some of the Founding Fathers of America. The show also includes "This Week in Seattle News" including: - Seattle NHL Team is named "Seattle Kraken" - COVID-19 reopening rollback and restrictions - The end of Youth Detention Centers in Seattle - Protests continue - COVID019 Artifacts THE BEST THING I ATE THIS WEEK: Breakfast Burrito from Stone Way Cafe in Wallingford (Fremont).

Hello friends and listeners! It's been a couple of months since I got on the microphone to talk about the world of Find Me in Seattle. As you all are experiencing, it's a weird time. It's scary, and confusing. There is so much going on that has changed the ways we live forever. Between Coronavirus, civil unrest, Black Lives Matter, politics invading every aspects of regular life, and the internet canceling anyone who disagrees, its been tough to want to post content. I have lost any sense of routine the last few months since returning from Thailand. But this show is an attempt at reestablishing that connection. The beginning of this episode talks about the importance of routine and finding those small aspects of a day that can ground us in this crazy life. The one routine both Amanda and myself look forward to everyday is what we call "Morning Hugs" where the first thing we do when both of us are out of bed is give each other a hug. It's been real important in establishing the physical connection between us, because with physical distancing in place, we don't have access to the physical interactions we so deeply rely on. These hugs have become one of the highlights of the day and they've become very important. When I recognized the importance of that little routine, I started to work on new routines. This show is one of them. I have been thinking about getting back here for a few weeks, and now I want to be back. I plan to bring back the former topics of featured meal of the week and featured business of the week. If you have any new ideas, please let me know. In this show I also briefly address the controversy of wearing masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the difficulty I had creating content during BLM, and how I am learning more about Leadership from 2020 than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for jumping back in the show, I'll see you next week.

The United States had declared a Level 4 travel advisory (first time in history) and warned everyone abroad that if they didn't return home, there was a likelihood that they wouldn't be able to receive help from the US to return home. Obviously, that create a bit of urgency for everyone attending the wedding to get home. Amanda and I still had more than two weeks left in our vacation but we had started to come to terms with the trip ending earlier. A majority of our wedding guests had returned home early as well, and we had moved our departure up to Tuesday March 25th. But on the Sunday before we received a notice that both Taiwan and Singapore were closing their airports to transfers on Tuesday at Midnight. It's now March 24, 2020, just 4 days after our wedding in Bangkok. Amanda and I went first thing in the morning to the EVA Airlines Bangkok offices to manage our flights itinerary. After waiting for around 90 minutes, we finally met a ticketing agent. This is when she told us that the airports were actually closing at midnight between Monday and Tuesday, meaning, they closed tonight. She said the last flight leaving Bangkok for Taiwan in 3 hours, and if we weren't on that plane, we would need to find another way home. After this point, Japan would be the only country we could fly back through to get into America. It started a crazy rush that we were not very prepared for. 3 very wild and crazy hours after that conversation, we were on a plane to Taiwan and our trip was over. This is the story about that day.

We left for Bangkok, Thailand in the beginning of March to embark on our month long Asia adventure, with our wedding happening on March 19th. The week leading up to the wedding was wild; COVID-19 had been deemed a global pandemic, countries had begun closing their borders, sports around the world had fully stopped, and our guest list was evaporating. When we left for Asia, we had 120 confirmed travelers, but leading up to the event, we had calls and text coming in every day from people who's flights had been cancelled, had pressure from their families to not go, cautionary health limitations, instructions from employers to not travel, and multiple people who had already lost their jobs. It was hectic, and stressful. Not to mention the anxiety caused by a changing public health climate in Thailand (check out the two previous episodes for more of those details). We tried to stay positive, not placing blame on anyone, but rather chalking the whole thing up to bad timing, bad luck, and being empathetic that each guest needed to be do what was best for them and their families first. It felt like everything was going wrong for us, and the ability to even host the wedding was in jeopardy. Both of our parents were the first to arrive in Bangkok which immediately settled some of our nerves, and as more people started to land in Thailand we knew there was some light at the end of the tunnel. The wedding was on Thursday, and by Monday that week, we had a little over 30 people in town. That day a bunch of us explored the Thai Grand Palace and a few temples, and went out that evening. By Thursday, we had over 60 people show up from around the world. We hosted a welcome reception, the night before the wedding, on our own private dinner cruise down the Chao Phraya River. The cruise was almost cancelled, when the Thai Government began to shut down gatherings of over 100 people. And instead of hosting a private event on the cruise, we "bought every public ticket available for the cruise instead" and everyone walked onto the boat with a ticket in hand. It would be the last river cruise for that company. The following day were THE WEDDINGS. Yes, plural. Amanda and I were having a traditional Thai KHAN MAK which includes a traditional Thai clothing, a parade, dowry negotiation, and water pouring ceremony. That event happened at the House on Sathorn Road, a 130 year old, colonial house, and historical landmark in Bangkok. The evening reception was more what you might be used to, white dress and black tux, speeches, cheers, cake, and dancing, but without the "i do" (because we did that in the morning Thai ceremony). But back to the beginning of this whole thing, where it seemed like everything was falling apart. After the wedding happened, our perspective had completely changed. It wasn't bad luck at all, it was actually good luck. If our wedding were to be in Seattle, or almost anywhere else in the world, it wouldn't have happened at all. We've talked about how sad we feel for the thousands of brides and grooms out there that had to cancel and reschedule their big days. Or the couples that are currently in the planning process right now, looking at a giant unknown if they can even host an event at that time. Our hearts go out to all of those couples right now, we know exactly what you are going through, and my best advice is that this is going to be a challenge that you will tackle together. The advice we received at the wedding from Amanda's parents was if we can handle the craziness of planning and executing a wedding on the other side of the world, during a global pandemic, it was a good sign for the strength of our relationship. That Thursday evening, a Level 4 Travel Advisory would be put in place and it was time for everyone to rush home. Our next episode will cover the mad last minute dash to get back to America. >> next episode

It's our second week in Bangkok, Thailand and it's been a tumultuous week full of very difficult emotions. When we started planning this wedding in Thailand 18 months ago, while knowing we wanted to have our wedding here well before then. In the beginning of February, we had 120 RSVP and traveling guests expected to fly around the world to join us for our week long celebration. At the time of recording, Friday March 13th, 2020, we are down to less than half of those numbers and we expect to have more. A majority of those cancellation have happened in the past 5 days after Trump banned flights from Europe. But we remain in high spirits, we still are so unbelievably grateful for the people who have risked their health to fly across the world to join us here. In this show we talk about some of those emotions and what it's like to be the bride and have our guest list, including most bridesmaids cancel their trip. But today had some positive moments when a few guests, including both sets of parents arrived in Bangkok just in time to settle some of our nerves. Now that we have some family here, we don't feel as anxious as we once did. Enough of the sad talk, this trip is our wedding and we need to make the best of what we can do with while we are here. So the second half of the video is dedicated to helping those of you traveling to Bangkok, with three (ok, maybe four) words/phrases that will help you communicate. Those phrases are "hello," "thank you," "yes" and "no" along with the appropriate gender identifiers which are important courtesy's in Thai language.

Amanda and I are living in Bangkok, Thailand for the month of March to celebrate our wedding, so the next few episodes of the show will be co-hosted by her and we will be talking about our adventures here in SE Asia and give lots of details of the wedding. Today's show is focused on helping the 100+ people we have traveling around the world to join us here. Topics include: - What it was like to fly here through Taiwan - Flying EVA Airlines - Wearing Masks - Getting SIM Cards - Exchanging Currency - Food in Bangkok - Tips for traveling - Apps you should download

It's our second week in Bangkok, Thailand and it's been a tumultuous week full of very difficult emotions. When we started planning this wedding in Thailand 18 months ago, while knowing we wanted to have our wedding here well before then. In the beginning of February, we had 120 RSVP and traveling guests expected to fly around the world to join us for our week long celebration. At the time of recording, Friday March 13th, 2020, we are down to less than half of those numbers and we expect to have more. A majority of those cancellation have happened in the past 5 days after Trump banned flights from Europe. But we remain in high spirits, we still are so unbelievably grateful for the people who have risked their health to fly across the world to join us here. In this show we talk about some of those emotions and what it's like to be the bride and have our guest list, including most bridesmaids cancel their trip. But today had some positive moments when a few guests, including both sets of parents arrived in Bangkok just in time to settle some of our nerves. Now that we have some family here, we don't feel as anxious as we once did. Enough of the sad talk, this trip is our wedding and we need to make the best of what we can do with while we are here. So the second half of the video is dedicated to helping those of you traveling to Bangkok, with three (ok, maybe four) words/phrases that will help you communicate. Those phrases are "hello," "thank you," "yes" and "no" along with the appropriate gender identifiers which are important courtesy's in Thai language.

Amanda and I are living in Bangkok, Thailand for the month of March to celebrate our wedding, so the next few episodes of the show will be co-hosted by her and we will be talking about our adventures here in SE Asia and give lots of details of the wedding. Today's show is focused on helping the 100+ people we have traveling around the world to join us here. Topics include: - What it was like to fly here through Taiwan - Flying EVA Airlines - Wearing Masks - Getting SIM Cards - Exchanging Currency - Food in Bangkok - Tips for traveling - Apps you should download Let us know if you have any topics you'd like covered for the month we are here!

Welcome back to the show! I had these topics set up for last week, but didn't get a chance to share them. The question in today's show comes from an article in Crosscut asking if new transplants who move to Seattle owe anything to the city? The article was written by Samantha Allen and after moving to Seattle with her wife, she wanted to get more involved with the city and shares a week of activities (source: https://crosscut.com/2020/02/what-does-transplant-owe-seattle?mc_cid=4c11d8d564&mc_eid=98adb54834). I'm very curious to know what other people think of this question. Personally, I go back and forth about it. Being a transplant myself, moving here in 2011, I can understand the difficulty of adjusting to a new place, getting lost in that adjustment, and not contributing much more than your day to day at work. With having this company and constantly promoting business in Seattle, I do feel like I am doing my part, but I'm not sure one does owe Seattle anything. The argument that set me on this path revolves around immigration. My personal feelings are that as long as they are acting out of good will, being friendly, working hard, raising their family and aren't not create anything of negative consequence, then who are we to ask them of anything. If they can create a better life for themselves without learning the language or contributing to the community, I think they are ok. However, I think my opinion changes if those people are then complaining about the city and not taking their own action. After living in Seattle for a year, I would recommend that person to register to vote so they can have a voice, but in terms of them OWING Seattle, I don't think they do. Briefly I talked about the brand new Amazon Go Grocery Store which I am excited to try out. I am amazed by the technology involved in the process and am interested to see where that goes. This week's MEAL OF THE WEEK comes from Beacon Hill's Musang. My pro tip when visiting this inviting home in South Seattle, whatever the special is that day, ORDER IT! https://www.musangseattle.com/ My FEATURED BUSINESS OF THE WEEK is also another Filipino restaurant in Pike Place Market, Oriental Mart. My pro tip here... ask for the "Do You Trust Me Plate." You won't find it on the menu but I promise it will be good. (source: https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/2020/02/oriental-mart-is-an-american-classic-according-to-the-james-beard-foundation?mc_cid=8e2cf1caf1&mc_eid=98adb54834)

This week's episode was inspired by a sad anniversary in Seattle and American history. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, our country committed horrible acts against our own citizens by placing over 100,000 people of Japanese heritage, in internment camps all over the west coast. "On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced evacuation. Both Seattle Mayor Earl Millikan and Governor Arthur Langlie (1900-1966) declared their support of the removal. " (source: https://www.historylink.org/File/240?mc_cid=8e2cf1caf1&mc_eid=98adb54834) At the time, there were 9,600 Japanese in King County and a day after the bombing, they started to be investigated, arrested, banned from public services, revoked business license and had bank account frozen. These horrible acts are barely a generation away from current Seattleites and I thought it would be fitting to educate myself a little more on what happened and share some of those details with you. This episodes FEATURED BUSINESS OF THE WEEK is inspired by the theme, Maneki. Maneki is a Japanese Restaurant that has been serving Seattle's International District since 1904. They survived this time of exclusion and continue to honor their traditions and rich history in the area. "Ownership of Maneki has changed hands only a few times in its century-long tenure. The longest owners were the Sato family; Tokuji Sato owned Maneki between 1923 and the early 1960s, when he handed ownership over to his daughter, “Shi-chan” Virginia Ichikawa, and her husband Joe. The restaurant is now officially owned by the nonprofit InterIm CDA, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Seattle’s International District." (source: https://crosscut.com/2017/05/maneki-seattle-oldest-sushi-restaurant) This episodes FEATURED MEAL OF THE WEEK comes from Wallingford's Yoroshiku. A big thank you to Wendy Kato for sharing these resources for us on her Facebook page, and being a big supporter of Find Me in Seattle and many more Seattle communities.

Welcome back to the show, episode 013 of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast. This week the National Council for Home Safety and Security released their list of the SAFEST CITY IN WASHINGTON and we dive into the list. Spoiler Alert! Oak Harbor was named the safest city with a violent crime rate of just above 1 per 1000 residents and a property crime rate below 7 per 1000 residents. Seattle ranked 61 out of 73 cities with a total of 43,298 crimes reported in 2019. Tukwila scored last with a property crime rate of 167 per 1000 residents. (source: https://komonews.com/news/local/new-study-ranks-safest-cities-in-washingtonguess-which-tops-the-list) The XFL launched last week and our Seattle Dragons got blasted by the DC Defenders. This weekend will be the home opener for our Seattle team and prices vary by a large margin for seats at Century Link Field. There are a few big differences between the NFL and XFL, most notably, the TV broadcast will show the play calls from coach to team in live time. The FEATURED MEAL OF THE WEEK comes from Capitol Hill's Carrello (https://carrellorestaurant.com/), a unique Italian inspired menu with a unique dim sum style twist. While waiting for your entrees, carts full of small bite plates walk around the dinning room offering up a-la-carte options for you to snack on. Each item is individually priced. We loved this aspect both as a customer and as a business model. It provided some unique moments to create conversation and share within our party. It also must be a nice way for the business to drive a few extra dollars on each check. Our FEATURED BUSINESS OF THE WEEK are Seattle's Chinese Restaurants. We have seen too much discrimination based off the recent coronavirus in China, so we want to encourage you to spend your dinner in one of these places this month. Here are some places that will serve you delicious Chinese Food: Mikes Noodles House, Xi'an Noodles, Uptown China, Dough Zone, Harbor City, Topgun, Jade Garden, Tai Tung, Kau Kau, and Hong Kong Bistro. Please make sure to subscribe to the podcast or on Youtube, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or visit our website: findmeinseattle.com

This first week of February came at me quickly. Here's what I'm talking about it today's show: 1) Seattle Shooting suspects captured in Las Vegas 2) I taught a 1 hour class this week on Instagram and I realized in the middle of the class that Insta is so much more complicated than I realized. It really is 3 platforms in one and I do my best to break down those three parts for you. 3) The Most Seattle Exercise Ever by The Evergrey 4) Meal of the Week comes from Seaplane Kitchen + Bar in Kenmore Washington. I featured their "ON THE FLY - DINNER TO GO" menu which has two options - 8pc Fried Chicken + veggie + salad for $28. OR... 2 pizzas + salad for $39. Also if you purchase a bottle of wine to go, they give you 25% off the bottle. 5) My Featured Business of the Week is INTENTIONALIST, and in the spirit of Black History Month, they have a list of Seattle' Black-owned business. Intentionalist is a community and website resource to help you be more intentional with your spending. They provide an outlet to learn about minority-owned businesses and the story behind those places. I really appreciate them as a service to our city and I hope you will support them also. Some of the Black-owned businesses that I shout out are Jerk Shack in Belltown, Fats Chicken and Waffles, Poco Wines, The Station, Conscious Eatery, Plum Pantry, and Cafe Chapagne. You can learn more about me and Find Me in Seattle at our website: findmeinseattle.com

Welcome back to Episode 011 of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast! Here's todays topics from the news: In the King County February 2020 election, 1.2 million people will have the opportunity to vote using their smart phones. I have some reservations about the security of our private information and tampering with votes, however, I don't think the mechanism to vote it the major issue with people not voting. Rather it's the time it takes to learn about what you're voting for. (source: https://www.npr.org/2020/01/22/798126153/exclusive-seattle-area-voters-to-vote-by-smartphone-in-1st-for-u-s-elections?mc_cid=835b53b822&mc_eid=98adb54834) Employees of Swedish Medical Hospital are on strike on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday asking for pay increases and major improvements related to safety and time. I don't know enough to take a serious opinion on this topic, but I do believe that the people working in Emergency Rooms and hospitals are extremely important and their health and safety provides them the opportunity to do their job well. We need those people to be taken care of. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/people-dont-have-any-idea-swedish-closing-two-ers-on-monday-in-advance-of-strike/?mc_cid=4f6ed5d932&mc_eid=98adb54834 "Die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain" is a quote from a batman movie, but it unfortunately came true for former Seattle Super Hero Phoenix Jones who was arrested on Jan 11th for selling "Molly" to an undercover police officer. It's sad to see someone who was an icon for citizens here in Seattle has fallen to such a low point. We wish the best for him and his recovery from this situation. https://komonews.com/news/local/real-life-superhero-phoenix-jones-in-super-trouble-facing-drug-charges Meal of the Week: Yum Yum Cafe in SeaTac is a Cantonese restaurant that served us a hot pot that contained crab, shrimp and an entire chicken (including the head). It was an unexpected experience, but a meal I wont forget. Featured Business of the Week: Tulalip Casino's Bingo Hall provides 3 hours of entertainment for less than $10 a person. It's become one of my goto activities on cold and rainy winter weekends. Lastly, there are rumors the NHL Seattle team will be named the Seattle Kraken! What are your thoughts?

It's a hard day for me to record the episode. It's been a very strange and emotional week. It started with some family related incidence that turned into both my dad and brother having surgeries from unrelated situations. In the middle of the week, Seattle had 3 shootings in 24 hours, all of which happened within blocks of each other. And on Sunday, Kobe Bryant, one of my idols passed away in a helicopter accident. Today's episode, I am wearing my Kobe Bryan #8 Lakers jersey in his honor. Growing up in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was my introduction into basketball. He's the reason I first took interest and he's someone I looked up to for the next decade of his career. His final game in the NBA was on my 27th birthday, and all I wanted to do for my birthday that year was watch his last game. His passing is horrible and I'm so sad he left us so early in his life. I'm trying to take some silver lining from this circumstance, because the events earlier in the week had me heated. I wasn't able to record this episode at my regular Friday timeline because of my mixed emotions between family and the reactions from the shootings in the city. I have been frustrated at how quickly we judge, place blame and form opinions on situations we don't know about. Just minutes after the shooting happened downtown, people were placing blame on homelessness, gun laws, police enforcement, drug use, and Uber & Lyft were being criticized for their fees skyrocketing as thousands of people requested rides out of the city. We need to find more people to prop up that represent positivity and encourage us to remember we are all human. No matter what side of the fence you are on, we need to look at each other with more respect, patience and empathy. This episode is a bit of a rant. I need to be better at not being so judgmental, and evaluating my emotions before I place blame. If you need help after these tough situations, please seek help and talk it through. We all have issues as humans, and we all need to work on forgiving each other.

Episode 009 takes us into the world of steak! My two big highlight of the week revolved around eating steak and meeting cattle ranchers, so it was only fair to bring that as the focus. We will get to those details shortly. The episode opens with a recent Seattle Times article "Is Seattle’s booming restaurant scene showing signs of slowing?" by Bethany Jean Clement and her data that shows how retail rents in Seattle have increased by over 30% in the last decade from around $21/sqft to $29/sqft and the impact that is having on the restaurant seen. We've also had an increase of 20% in the total number of food business opening which parallels the +20% increase in population density. All of these factors are adding a ton of pressure on retail and forcing many closures to well established brands. More included on the audio. Now lets get into the meat of this episode (pun intended). My featured Business of the Week is Country Natural Beef. I met them a few months ago at an influencer event hosted by Whole Foods. The reason I took interest in their company was the fact they had an interesting business model as a Co-Op. CNB is a collection of 80 ranches across the west coast, and collectively they all sell to big retailers like Whole Foods, PCC, and New Seasons. The Co-Op creates a unique partnership between the different ranches in which the smaller producers are given the chance to market and sell to bigger retailers. And the part the ranchers like the most, is they get to keep their independence while being part of a larger organization. The cattle ranchers of the CNB are required to spend time at the stores to connect with customers and see their product in stores first hand. However, their experiences have revealed the changing landscape of retail, in which at least 1/4 of all store shoppers are personal shoppers, coming from Amazon or Uber to shop for other people's online orders. This changing dynamic makes in store marketing less effective. So they invited me to speak at their conference and make a video about how they can innovate to reach customers before they buy. Learn more about CNB on their website (LINK). This week's featured Meal of the Week is from historic Downtown Seattle Metropolitan Grill. I ate their Chateaubriand from their Carved Table Side for Two portion of the menu. The 24oz steak includes classic cliff sauce, parmesan tomato crowns, mushroom caps with potatoes and asparagus with Bearnaise sauce. Check out their Meet at the Met promotion for an incredible buy 2, get 2 deal.

Welcome back to the Find Me in Seattle Podcast, Episode 008! This week is snowy and cold in Seattle but that didn't stop me from discovering some wonderful people and places around the city. In the news this week, Mayor Jenny Durkan and the City of Seattle awarded the winner of the new Small Business Stabilization Pilot Program to assist eight Seattle "micro businesses." All eight winners, who were either women-owned or minority-owned business, each will receive $25,000 grants to be used to cover "day-to-day operating expenses of the business, such as payroll or losses due to destabilizing events." Check out the article form the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. The headline of this week's show was "Seattle Will Have Nation's First Human Composting Site." In May 2019, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to cremation or burial. CEO of Recompose, Katrina Spade has created a process that involves composting a human body in individual containers with alfalfa, straw and wood chips. A month later, a square yard of soil is available for the family to plant in a home, or spread in another dedicated space. The Meal of the Week comes from Dolar Shop Hop Pot in the Bravern building of Downtown Bellevue. The highlights of the meal included getting your own individual hot pot for your choice of broth. We ordered a tower of assorted beef and lamb, a bowl of vegetables, handmade noodles, and the kicker at the end, a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone. The Featured Business of the Week is the Puget Sound Company. They are an 8 member a capella group based in Seattle. They invited me to watch their rehearsal leading up to the Seattle A Capella Festival at Benaroya Hall on Wednesday Jan 15th. Thank you so much for watching and listening to Episode 008 of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast!