After check-in, there is always Whole Foods. Whether we’re staying at a vacation rental or a hotel, our first stop in any major U.S. city is Whole Foods—to the extent that the stores themselves have become attractions.
Living on the West Coast, we’ve became familiar with stores from San Diego to Vancouver. Spotting celebrities in the Beverly Hills produce section, chilling on the patio in Mill Valley, talking granola with barefoot surfers in Laguna Beach, picking out pinot in Portland’s Pearl District. The stores offer a peek into the lives, livelihoods and ethos of each locale.
Our favourite location, hands-down, is Seattle’s Westlake store. The selection—from wines to toothbrushes—is pretty great, and the in-store café breakfast items, each under $10, are a near-daily ritual. A seafood grill at the back of the store rivals Matt’s at the Market (without the views). But what we like best about the Seattle location is that we get to sleep there. OK, not in the store, but on top of it: Seattle’s Pan Pacific Hotel occupies the upper floors, and staying there is convenient and confining: It’s hard to go—or eat—anything else.
Some people prefer Trader Joe’s. That’s fine. It makes do when we’re in places like Buffalo or Palm Springs. But Whole Foods, with its expansive produce department, lets us eat clean. The unfussy dining environs keep us comfortable eating out with our young son. The inexpensive coffee bars fuel us with vanilla lattes (Nicole) and Americanos (Tom) to sustain our adventures. And free Wi-Fi helps us plan the next leg of our day.
We challenge Expedia and Hotels.com to build in a distance calculator to Whole Foods for each and every property. Certainly nearby vacation rental listings would benefit from announcing their proximity.
We support our local health food stores and farmers markets when we are at home, but when we are away, Whole Foods helps.
Pacific Northwest Family 