Pulling up to the Italianate architecture of our hotel on a rain-soaked weeknight, we were welcomed into an almond-stained, wood-panelled lounge dripping with luxe Edwardian ambiance. Ahhh, the warmth beckoned me and I embraced it!
Low lights, Persian rugs, and groupings of worn velvet settees, leather wing chairs, and embroidered Queen Annes immediately put us at ease. The seaweed, matte-textured tiles surrounded a mosaic of a traditional southern Italian landscape and sat safely above a roaring fire for all to admire. I could picture early guests such as the Vanderbilts and Guggenheims sitting nearby murmuring over their brandies.
On the first Wednesday night of every month, The Sorrento Hotel in Seattle hosts a no-charge, silent reading party in their Fireside Room from 6 to 8 PM. My husband and I chose this event for a spontaneous date in early February. When we arrived on the dot at 6 PM, we found the room overflowing with humans of all stripes and sizes.
Seattleites, or anyone living on the WET Coast, regularly seek shelters offering solace on rainy wintry nights. The Fireside Room is one such scrumptious shelter.
Readers and writers come in quietly and cuddle up near the fire, a small table, or comfy armchairs and soon bend their heads toward paperback novels, academic tomes, comic books, and laptops and ereaders galore.
A happy hour menu is available all night, and one only has to fill it out and raise their hand in the air to grab the attention of the wait staff. Oh so civilized!
Owing to the crowd already ensconced in the Fireside Room, we ambled over to the bar, but soon left because of the noise. Almost a Goldilocks moment when we finally found our little haven in a corner of the Hunt Club. A delicious dinner, a de rigeur delectable bottle of wine, and two hours later, we slipped back into the near-empty Fireside Room to partake of the luscious lemon liqueurs and sweets, a hotel trademark.
Writing and reading quietly by the fire was a wonderful way to end our date. Kudos to The Sorrento Hotel for hosting this cool event. We'll be back, books in hand.
Join us next month when we explore The Syliva Beach Hotel, the next jewel in our 2015 tour of curious and creative literary spots in the Pacific Northwest