There are a lot of cool things about running Merlin’s Munchies Coffee Company—creating out-of-this-world coffee, slapping our wizardly branding on them, and, most importantly, getting to travel the country selling them at some of the biggest pop culture conventions. One of those conventions? Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle.

Last year was our first time vending at ECCC and our first time ever in Seattle. We’d heard a lot about the city—towering mountains, evergreen trees, a next-level food scene, and, of course, the rain. But let’s be real, we weren’t there just to soak in the PNW vibes. We were there to sell coffee. In Seattle. The coffee capital of America. No pressure, right?

The Journey: Coffee-Fueled & Sleep-Deprived

Like all great adventures, this one started with a ridiculously early flight. We had to be up at 3:00 AM to catch our 7:00 AM departure, which meant about two hours of sleep, max. Good thing we run a coffee company because at this point, we’re probably 60% caffeine. If you took a peek inside our veins that morning, there’s a good chance they were just running on straight espresso. The flight itself? Smooth sailing… right up until the descent into Denver, where it suddenly felt like we’d been dropped into an extreme weather simulator set to “maximum chaos”

Apparently, we landed in something called an Arctic Blast—which, if you’ve never experienced one, imagine Mother Nature shaking an Etch A Sketch filled with snow and wind while you’re trying to land a plane.

Whiteout conditions. Wind tossing the plane like a ragdoll. For about 15 minutes, it looked like a full-on blizzard. And then? Poof. Gone. It was like a weather event from another dimension, or maybe we just accidentally slipped through a multiversal glitch?

Touchdown in Seattle: Rain, Coffee, and Comic Con Prep

After surviving the Denver Blizzard Warp Zone, we landed in Seattle to—you guessed it—rain. But not a full-on downpour. More like a light, misty drizzle. The kind that makes you feel like you’re in a moody detective movie from the ‘90s, we were for it!

We grabbed our rental car and got ready for four days of selling coffee at Emerald City Comic Con. Now, let’s pause for a second.

Seattle. Coffee. Comic Con.

We love our coffee. We know it’s top-tier. But let’s be real—Seattle is the coffee capital. It’s like stepping onto the court with the NBA’s best and seeing if you can hold your own. We were nervously excited. Would people embrace our cosmic brews, or would they take one look at us and think, 'Florida? What do they know about coffee?' We were eager to find out.

Thankfully, Seattle welcomed us with open arms (and mugs). Our fun, colorful branding caught a ton of eyes, and by day two, we had people coming back for more after trying their first bag. By the end of the weekend, we were one of the top-performing shows we’d done all year—right behind New York Comic Con and C2E2 in Chicago.

The People: Seattle’s Energy Was Next-Level

One thing that stood out? The people at ECCC.

Some conventions feel chaotic. Some feel transactional. But Emerald City Comic Con had some of the best energy we’ve ever experienced. People were excited to be there. It set the tone for us and made the long days way more fun. It felt like we were among friends. So yeah, we were already counting down the days until we could come back.

The Food: Wings, Pizza, Lobster Roll's and a Culinary Awakening

Now, if you know anything about us, you know we have three great loves in life:

1. Coffee (obviously).
2. Wings (because they’re perfect).
3. Pizza (because, again, perfection).
4. Lobster Rolls (When in Rome... Or Pike Place Market)

Whenever we travel, we hunt down the best wing and pizza spots in the city. And Seattle did not disappoint.

Vindicktive Wings: The Holy Grail of Buffalo Wings

Seattleites, you probably already know this, but let us shout it from the Space Needle:

Vindicktive Wings = WING HEAVEN.

The perfect crisp, perfect sauce, perfect size. I’m not saying I’d move to Seattle just for these wings, but… I’d at least consider a timeshare.

Location & Vibe:

• A small, laid-back bar in an awesome neighborhood.
• Upstairs arcade featuring old-school classics like Golden Tee, Area 51, and Pinball.
• Blacklight-style, neon-lit room that felt like a secret hideout for wing lovers and arcade junkies.
• Great TV’s to watch whatever game is going on at the moment!

We ordered the Hot Buffalo wings (because we take Buffalo sauce VERY seriously), had a couple of beers, and basically transcended reality. This place needs to be protected at all costs.

***EDIT ALERT  We went back for the second time yesterday (ECCC 2025- 1 year later) and here's what happened...***

So this is hands down some of the best—if not the best—wings I’ve ever had in my life. And you know how it goes… when something is that good, the second time around never quite hits the same. You build it up in your head, set the bar too high, and BAM—disappointment.

But somehow… SOMEHOW… it was better?!

Like, what in the actual hell do they put in these wings?? Black magic? Liquid gold? A secret handshake with the Wing Gods??

We happened to roll up just in time for 99-Cent Wing Wednesday (starting at 4 PM). We read about it, thought about it all day, basically planned our whole day around it. Got there at 4:02, already salivating. And let me tell you—not only were the wings better than I remembered, but we actually met one of the owners.

Did we know he was the owner at first? Nope. But the guy’s awesome—super chill, kicking back at our table like we’d all known each other for years before jumping back into the madness of a packed house. If the food wasn’t already legendary, meeting him made us realize even more how awesome this establishment was.

Now, let’s talk about commitment—because we each ordered 30 wings (the max per person). I put down 24, but Marni tapped out at 12, so we had a ton of leftovers. And honestly? I wasn’t expecting much from them the next day.

Because let’s be real—wings are NEVER good cold.

They lose the crisp, the sauce turns weird, and even when you try to reheat them, it’s just meh.

But these?? INSANELY GOOD COLD. Somehow still crispy, still packed with flavor—like another puzzling moment in wing heaven.

And as if that wasn’t enough, their homemade blue cheese is another chef’s kiss straight from the Mount Olympus of Wing Gods. We ended up going out 3 times in Seattle for food in 2025 ECCC.... Yep... You guessed it, 3 times at Vindicktive Wings!

(3rd Vindicktive Wings Session of 2025 ECCC.  Celebrating after a great show in the upstairs video game bar)

I'll be checking myself into therapy when I get home, because I simply don't know how I'm gonna live without this place in my life. Well done, guys. We’ll see you next year!

***Edit Over.  Now let's time warp back to 2024***

Verrrrrroooshhh.... BAZINGA!

Serious Pie: The Pizza That Lives Up to Its Name

On day two, I needed a break. Marni was running the booth, and I took a pizza pilgrimage to a place I found on Google:

Serious Pie.

First of all, the walk there? Perfectly Seattle. A light drizzle hung in the air, giving everything a misty, cinematic feel—the kind that makes you half-expect a jazz soundtrack to start playing in the background. With my headphones in, I wandered through downtown, fully embracing the role of a main character in an indie film. When I finally arrived, I knew I was in the right place. The glow of brick ovens flickered through huge glass windows, and the entire vibe practically whispered, “Yeah, we take pizza seriously.”

The verdict? Next-level.

• Crispy yet chewy crust.
• High-quality ingredients.
• Rich flavors that made me question every life decision leading up to that moment.
• They even have their own Serious Pie Pizza Seasoning, which took things to another level. Or, as Farva in Super Troopers so accurately put it, “It’s delicious!” I just wanted to throw that in because, well... Super Troopers is a classic. And if you haven’t seen it yet—you’re welcome!

It was so good, I dragged Marni back that night for round two. And yes, we also went back to Vindicktive Wings, because balance is important.

Pike Place Market: The Grand Finale

On the final day of our trip, we had one last adventure before heading to the airport—Pike Place Market.

We walked all the way down to the pier, soaking in the stunning views, when suddenly we both stopped in our tracks.

A massive mountain loomed in the distance.

I turned to Marni.
"Is that a volcano?"

She shook her head.
"I don’t think so. It must just be a really big mountain."

But something about it felt... too extreme. Like, suspiciously extreme. Naturally, I Googled it.

And that’s when we both lost our minds.

That was Mount Rainier. A legit, active volcano. Right there. In Seattle.

Now, in hindsight, we probably should have known about this whole active volcano looming over Seattle thing. But we’re from Florida—natural disasters for us come with five-day warning cones, panicked grocery runs, and at least one guy in board shorts trying to surf the storm surge. Nobody ever told us to keep an eye out for stealth mountains that could explode at any moment.

Apparently, there are only 161 active volcanoes in the U.S., and Mount Rainier is one of the most potentially dangerous (casually sitting just 60 miles from the city). So not only were we standing in awe of our first real-life volcano, but we were also suddenly very aware that Seattle is literally living in the shadow of this sleeping giant.

If we were in a multiverse where volcanoes had minds of their own, Mount Rainier would be sitting there, sipping coffee, thinking, “Nah, I’m good… for now.”

After geeking out over the volcano (and questioning everything we thought we knew about Washington state), we continued our walk along the pier—for about a mile—before encountering a staircase that made the steps from Rocky look like child’s play.

I’m serious. I don’t know how much Rocky would be punching after running up these things.

Once we finally made it to Pike Place Market, it was everything we imagined and more. Cobblestone streets. Endless food stalls. Fresh seafood. Hidden alleys packed with amazing restaurants—Walking through Pike Place felt like stepping into a Seattle version of Diagon Alley—except instead of wands and spellbooks, they had fresh seafood and artisanal cheeses. If Hagrid had a stall here, he’d probably be selling Kraken tentacles the size of broomsticks and shouting, ‘Yeh might wanna cook that first!

We stopped at the famous Pike Place Chowder for one last meal in Seattle.

It was a little pricey, so we split a lobster roll and a large scallop chowder. And let me tell you… it was right there with Vindicktive Wings on the ‘WTF this is incredible’ food scale.

Returning to ECCC: Seattle, We’re Ready for Round Two

So here we are, one year later, about to do it all again. This time, we know exactly what we’re walking into—a fantastic convention with some of the best energy we’ve ever seen, customers who appreciate damn good coffee, and, of course, a mandatory return to Vindicktive Wings and Serious Pie.

We’ve also heard Seattle has some killer Thai food, so that’s definitely making its way onto our food tour this time around. And yes—we’re fully prepared for the rain. Hopefully, it’s that cool, misty, cinematic kind again. You know, the type that makes you feel like you’re in a gritty detective movie or the opening scene of Blade Runner.

Seattle, we’re coming back. And we’re ready for more coffee. More wings More Pizza, and more wizardry. See you at Emerald City Comic Con 2025!

***Final Edit: We just finished ECCC 2025 and it was***

INCREDIBLE!!!! 

We can't wait to come back in 2026 for some coffee, wings, and magic that this beautiful city seems more than happy to offer up!  Stay Weird.