Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We want to say “thank you” to all of our guests who have made 2011 a wonderful year! They come from all over the country, as well as the world. Many are visiting friends and family in the neighborhood, and others are traveling for business or just want to visit Green Lake and Seattle.
We are now in our eighth year of business at the Greenlake Guest House, and we’re still loving it. Blayne is back to work full time, but is enjoying doing some of the guest check in’s and serving breakfast on the weekends. We have also hired 2 new assistant innkeepers; Kelsey during the week and Susanna on the weekend. They help us keep the place sparkling clean and help Julie bake all those delicious coffee cakes, muffins, and cookies.

This year, we added some new amenities for our guests: individual tables in the dining room, a new Keurig coffee maker for 24/7 availability of coffee and tea, chocolate truffles at the bedside, and a new wine and cheese hour Monday-Friday. We hope to continue improving our B&B and making our guests happy they chose to stay with us.
We are celebrating the new year with a house concert and reception on Monday January 2, from 3-5pm, with “Cricket and Snail.” Please join us if you can!

Greenlake Guest House “Top 10” Picks for the Holidays

December is such a fun time to be in Seattle, despite the rain and the short days. It’s cozy and bright inside, and not terribly cold for being outside. We love the Christmas Lights and special holiday shows and traditions. Here’s our “Top 10” list of fun holiday events around here this month:

1. Of course, we love the annual Greenlake Pathway of Lights. This event is always held at Greenlake on the second Saturday in December. Volunteers line the entire 2.8 mile pathway with luminaires, and thousands of people come to walk the lake and enjoy live carolers and lights. Even the kayaks and canoes are decorated with lights.

2. See a Christmas play at Seattle Public Theater’s Bathhouse Theater at Green Lake. This year you can choose from “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” or the ever-popular “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” The Theater is a 10 minute walk from Greenlake Guest House as well as several restaurants for dinner or dessert before or after the show.

3. Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “Nutcracker” at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall. This Nutcracker is a magical production of the popular ballet, with over the top sets and costumes designed my Maurice Sendak. Family packages available.

4. Downtown shopping: See the Christmas Star at Macy’s, take your photo with Santa, view the window displays, and ride the holiday carousel at Westlake Center.

5. Don’t’ forget to see the “snow” fall inside downtown’s Pacific Place Mall.

6. Visit the amazing Gingerbread Village inside the lobby at the Sheraton Hotel downtown. Admission is free. These houses are designed by architects, and donations benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

7. Ride the Argosy Christmas Ship and see the parade of decorated boats throughout the month of December. Join the parade, or listen to the live carols broadcast from the ship from a beach bonfire at one of 45 locations throughout the Seattle area.

8. Attend the 50th Anniversary of Langston Hughes’ joyful gospel play, “Black Nativity” here in Seattle at the Moore Theater.

9. See the sweet holiday lights at nearby Ravenna neighborhood’s “Candy Cane Lane,” a Seattle tradition since 1949.

10. For the largest area light display, we recommend driving to Bellevue’s Botanical Garden, for the annual Garden D’Lights.

Visit Seattle in October and Enjoy “Seattle Restaurant Week” October 16-27

Now is a great time to stay with us at Greenlake Guest House in Seattle and take advantage of some amazing dining deals at over 150 of Seattle’s top restaurants. Participating restaurants are offering 3 course dinners for $28, and some are also offering $15 lunches. This promotion runs from October 16-27, Sunday through Thursday nights. To see a listing of participating restaurants.

Monday night, we decided to try out celebrity chef Maria Hines’ new Mediterranean restaurant, Golden Beetle which is located in nearby the nearby Ballard neighborhood. It was delicious, and we will definitely be going back! We look forward to trying more new places before the end of Seattle Restaurant week.

Some of the other participating restaurants that are located right at Greenlake include Eva, Kisaku, and Nell’s. We have dined a number of times at all of these restaurants and can give a hearty recommendation to them all.
Other nearby recommendations include Carmelita, Stumbling Goat, and the Olive & Grape in the Greenwood-Phinney neighborhood. Ivar’s Salmon House and Tilth are good choices in the close by Wallingford neighborhood.
Not visiting us in October? Stay tuned for more special offers in November, with Dine Around Seattle.