andy & shaya

Fairhaven, WA When Andy suggested a trip to Fairhaven to attend the Dirty Dan Days Seafood Festival, there was no way I was going to turn him down. What could be better than spending a day eating shellfish in an historic waterfront town?

We decided to let my younger sister Sasha third wheel with us not just to provide some comic relief but also because she wanted to visit some friends who go to school in Bellingham.

The drive up was busy for a Saturday, especially because the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was still going on and some of the road traffic for that was spilling onto the freeway. As we finally pulled off the exit to Fairhaven, I was struck by how un-Washington the place felt; it was almost like we ended up in a scenic town in New England. We drove through the downtown, passing antique shops, Irish pubs, and a VERY Seattle-number of coffee houses and cafes, all ubiquitously housed in old brick buildings.

After scoring a parking spot right next to the town square (where the festival was already getting underway), we decided to take a lap of the booths to help us decide on lunch. On our way I was offered (and happily accepted) a short massage from a local masseuse. Afterwards we walked by a booth with a man who was stirring a giant pan of seafood paella, which smelled so heavenly all bets were off on trying anything else at the fair. We were informed that we’d have to wait a whole 30 minutes before we could partake, so we decided to explore a bit while it cooked.

Sasha led us on a lovely walk on a dock that stretched out over the water, parallel to the shore. We stopped when we saw steps leading down to the beach, and lucked out on a low tide. A good half hour was spent playing in the tide pools, poking at starfish, anemones, and crabs.

The walk ended for us at The Woods Coffee, a lodge-style café that looked so picturesque next to the water and large trees. Apparently, the drink sizes are named after trees… so Andy ordered a Cedar-sized latte to share for the walk back.

Back at the town square, we saw that not only was the paella ready to eat, but was more than half gone, so we scrambled for a place in line. Smell is indeed the best advertisement at a fair! The paella itself did not disappoint, though it was pricey at $10 for a small portion that Andy and I shared. The man must have made a grand on that flat of paella that day… not too shabby for about four hours of work.

We helped vote in the 1800’s costume contest…

… then Sasha decided to make fast friends with the local mascot…

…and we both exclaimed over the discovery of an old phone booth nearby…

…even though it was bolted shut…

…but I think I was most excited about THIS little guy!

Famished by now with the paella a distant memory, we decided to pick out dessert first at Katie’s Cupcakes.

By the way, don’t leave cupcakes in the car on a warm sunny day. They will melt. Buy them AFTER you explore the rest of the city, but do buy them because they were delicious. We had cookies’n’cream and peanut butter cup.

Sasha parted ways to visit her friend in the dorm so Andy and I decided to have a romantic lunch at Le Chat Noir, a very interestingly decorated restaurant that we picked solely based on the decor. There are Victorian-era portraits and hangings on the wall, but the overall feel was that of richly appointed French barroom from the 1800’s. While the atmosphere was fab, the food was only so-so, and the service was negligent at best. We were both disappointed that we’d wasted our lunch opportunity there.

Behind the restaurant however, was a picturesque cobble-stoned alley that led to the Abbey Garden Tea Room. This charming place excited all my nerve endings just looking at it. I knew I couldn’t let Sasha miss out, so we went to pick her up and brought her back to have a proper tea before we left Fairhaven.

Tea there was perhaps the highlight of my day, and lived up to all my expectations. We each had an individual pot of tea, with of course our choice of tea, and the packages came with delicious tea sandwiches and pastries galore. I was probably the most satisfied because I chose to have the scone for my pastry, and it outshone the other pastry items we tasted. I left Abbey Garden with a giant grin on my face.

So that about wraps up our little trip to Fairhaven. We had a wonderful time, drove home on the very scenic Chuckanut drive, and eagerly anticipated our next day trip.