Monday, August 20, 2012

How To: Plan Your Perfect Fifty Shades of Grey Vacation

As you all know by now, I am a huge Fifty Shades of Grey fan! It's such a bad obsession to the point where I have planned a vacation with my boyfriend Shawn to go and have a Fifty Shades of Grey themed vacation for our TWO year anniversary!! Yes indeed girls, I have done it! I wanted to share you with the ideas I had for the trip so maybe in the future you can take your own Fifty Shades of Grey themed vacation. You know you want to!

***PLEASE NOTE: All of these pictures are my OWN!!!***

Escala
1920 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington (Intersection of 4th Avenue and Virginia Street)
The infamous home of Christian Grey!! It's a must have on your places to visit if you are going to plan a trip all around Fifty Shades. The public is not allowed in the building unless you are an actual resident of the building or if you have made an appointment to view a model home. They only take serious inquires so don't even try to make up a story. You might get caught! They should seriously consider charging people for tours of the place because the book is such a huge hit and when the movie comes around, we all know this place will be packed!! You can take pictures outside however so that is what I plan to do. If I could, I am going to try and get a picture in the lobby...*crosses fingers* (Update: I didn't get to go in but I had an opportunity. You will see it in this video.)

Click for Escala website



Ralph's Grocery and Deli
2035 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington (One block west of Escala)
I believe Ana talks about this grocery store in Fifty Shades Freed. The store name is not mentioned in the book but it is "two blocks from Escala". Ralph's is just one block so close enough for me! Ms. Jones does some of her grocery shopping at this store since it's just a few blocks away from Escala. I plan to buy a bucket of Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream here...



Pike Place Market
1st Avenue and Pike Street, Seattle, Washington
This market is close to where Ana's apartment is with Kate. In the book they did not mention the exact address to where her apartment is but we do know it's located in the Pike Place Market area. So why not stop buy and do some grocery shopping here. Some interesting places to check out here is the first Starbucks store (1912 Pike Place) and The Gum Wall.

Click for Pike Place Market website


Puget Sound
Seattle, Washington
This is the exact sound that Christian takes Ana on board The Grace in Fifty Shades Darker. I believe they also take another trip on The Grace in Fifty Shades Freed. For those of us who don't own our own yacht, we can always take a ferry around Puget Sound. I am planning to take the Harbour Cruise. It's a one hour trip around the sound and departs at various times throughout the day. You can take amazing views of the Seattle skyline. I can't wait! 


Columbia Tower
701 5th Avenue, Seattle, Washington
Yes indeed girls.....this place EXISTS!! But as for the Mile High Club on the 76th floor that Christian Grey owns, it's not real. This is the tallest skyscraper in Seattle which is a plus because they have an amazing Sky View Observatory that the public can check out. Supposedly it has the best views of Seattle and is better than The Space Needle. It is also cheaper than The Space Needle! It only costs $9 for adults and $6 for students!! Please note these prices are as of August 18, 2012. Prices may change! There is an exclusive club on the 76th floor. It's called the Columbia Tower Club. I have looked into it and it's great for people who live in the area but not for us tourists.




Parking Lot
Boren Avenue and Stewart Street, Seattle, Washington
Yes I know....I have done it again....THIS PLACE EXISTS! If you all remember that steamy car scene that Christian and Ana shared after the intense car chase in Fifty Shades Freed, this is the exact parking lot!!! I plan to visit this place but as for doing the deed in public in a car parking, I don't think so.




The Fairmont Olympic Hotel
411 University Street, Seattle, Washington
This is the hotel that Christian and Ana stayed at when they find out that Christian's home is no longer safe in Fifty Shades Darker (I don't want to spoil who it was for those who haven't read it). They stayed in the Cascade Suite. Don't forget to order the Chicken Soup when getting room service. It's the same soup that Christian has ordered for Ana in Fifty Shades Freed.



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Now moving onto locations to check out in Portland, Oregon. It's about a three hours drive from Seattle, Washington. I tried to find Ana's apartment in Vancouver, Washington but it does not exist. Same as Clayton's Hardware Store.

The Heathman Hotel
1001 SW Broadway, Portland, Oregon
The hotel where the magic happens. Well more like where they spent their first night together. I plan to stay at this hotel for one night. I am not sure what suite that Christian and Ana stayed in. I'm imagining the biggest suite. They also stay here in Fifty Shades Freed, where Ana got to enjoy their Tarte Tatin. I tried looking at their menu and it's not on there! They have special Fifty Shades of Grey packages that can be added to your hotel room. They are only there for a limited time! They just recently however came up with a cocktail inspired by the books. It's called Fifty Shades of Gin! So if you can't get a hotel room here, at least stop by the hotel bar and grab a cocktail! This hotel is right in the Downtown core of Portland so there is tons of things to check out! Please note, there is also another Heathman Hotel in Kirkland, Washington. But the one in the book is Portland, Oregon. (Update: Check out my hotel room tour for the Deluxe King Suite HERE!)



Public Domain Coffee a.k.a. Portland Coffee House
603 SW Broadway, Portland, Oregon (4 blocks south of The Heathman Hotel)
This coffee shop used to be called Portland Coffee House where Christian and Ana had their first date in Fifty Shades of Grey. It is just a few blocks from the hotel which they walked from after the photoshoot. Don't forget to order a Twinings English Breakfast tea! I highly doubt they have it but it's worth a try.



Le Pigeon a.k.a. Le Picotin Restaurant
738 East Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon
I could not find Le Picotin anywhere in Portland so I decided to settle for whatever was the closest. This restaurant has a French cuisine and has a very laid back type of feel to it. Attire is casual so don't worry about having to dress up too much. It is located in the Industrial district which is perfect because Jose's Art Show (Fifty Shades Darker) would be in the type of area. I would say I did a great job at finding a close match to Le Picotin. 



Voodoo Donut
26 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon

These are the doughnuts that Ray Steele requests Ana to get for him in Fifty Shades Freed. They have several locations around Portland. Just looking at their website makes me drool. I am definitely making a late night run for doughnuts. They do have locations that are open 24 hours so no need to worry if they are closed!



I hope you enjoyed this and please let me know if you do plan a vacation with a Fifty Shades of Grey theme! I would love to know if I have helped you at all! Don't forget to check back for updated photos. It should be up not later than October 2012. Don't forget to share this with your other Fifty Shades of Grey obsessed friends! 

21 comments:

  1. A delightful blog entry. How brilliant of you to search out all these places for us!

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  2. I wasn't planning on reading Fifity Shades of Grey, but after reading your blog, I really wonna read it now! I hope you're having a blast in Seattle!!

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    1. YES you should do it! I had so much fun in Seattle!

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  3. Everything sounds great, but I have to ask...what is the cost of this trip? From your blog and twitter it doesn't seem like you have a job so I'm curious to know how something like this was affordable. No judgement - I'm also unemployed lol.

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  4. The trip costs around $1,000 including hotel, airfare, car rental, valet parking and gas. I have money saved up and we share a lot of the costs together. We also saved a lot of money since our friends let us stay with them while we were in Seattle.

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    1. You can't get a room at the Heathman for less than $340. Just FYI. Dinner entree alone there is about $30 per person. It's a great place, but if you plan to include it in your trip you need to have extra money for it. They do treat you like you are the only person on the planet though.

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  5. Wow! You are so in depth with re-creating the whole Fifty Shades experience...I love it!! lol Its nice to see that someone else is so obsessed with these characters as much as I am! ;) Ya kno, these books influenced me so much that Ive even considered moving to Seattle to find a "Christian Grey" of my own!! lol

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    1. Aww thank you so much! Your comment means so much to me, you have no idea! I wrote this blog post for people just like you! I am considering moving to Seattle one day but only for a year or so. I am enjoying the free healthcare in Canada right now. My current boyfriend Shawn is similar to Christina Grey in certain ways. I don't think I will ever find a Christian Grey but I am close! Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel! I filmed my entire Fifty Shades Vacation! Check it out at jdomakeup.

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  6. wow this blog is awesome! I am a fifty shades fan as well and seeing those pictures together with the descriptions that only a fifty shade fan can describe is really really awesome of you! i just hope I would also have a tour in Seattle and Portland with my own Christian Grey ;)

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    1. Thank you so much! Don't worry, you will go one day =)

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  7. This is so awesome!!! Thank you so much for this.

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    1. No problem!!! Don't forget to share this with your friends who are fans of Fifty Shades!!

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  8. Jesus Christ, are you a teenager? I get being a fan of something, but planning an entire trip pretending to be the girlfriend of an abusive asshole is a lot.

    I live in the area, right about where Ana supposedly lived, and go to Voodoo a lot. These books really aren't very popular around here.

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    1. No I am not a teenager. I am just a big fan of the books. I had friends who lived in the area as well so I got to visit them at the same time. I didn't just visit locations from the book. And I am no pretending to be something that I am not. The popularity of the books has gone down now since it has been released over a year ago. That is probably why it's not popular in the cities it takes place in.

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    2. Kendra, Isn't it great that we live in a country where people can enjoy reading whatever they want. I'm not sure you read all three books. If you did, you might not have the same view of them that you currently hold. I don't live in the area, but did visit and while I was there I did search out these places as well as others to visit because they were mentioned in the books. It's interesting to see and connect with places in books. It also increases income for people in the area. Forks has built a brand new high school with the money they have made off the Twilight books. The Fifty Shades books aren't really for teenagers anyway.

      jdomakeup, thank you for some insight on where to find these places so we don't all have to spend the time doing the research.

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    3. No problem =) Thank you for the support!

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  9. Thank you so much for the wonderful book! I finished it a few days ago and cannot get it out of my head. It is pure magic. It was everything I hoped it would be and much more. Thank you so much.
    ...Fifty shades

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    1. I am so glad you enjoyed the book! Yay to another Fifty Shades fan!

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  10. I am awaiting for the releasing of fifty shades of grey..........
    christian grey

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  11. I too have been yo these places, but you are missing the Zig Zag Cafe on Western ave. If you have a chance visit this place.... It's fun.

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