seattle.

Seattle was part of our ultimate Pacific North West trip. After leaving Portland, we decided to stop at Mount Rainier National Park. When we are that close to a park, it’s hard not to stop! Mount Rainier National Park is just under three hours from downtown Portland. We love National Parks so being this close to Rainier, we couldn’t turn it down. Disclaimer: we love driving and are used to long drives, it’s one of the best ways to see America. Mount Rainier is in the middle of what seems like nowhere. We drove off the main highway for quite some time and finally, we arrived at the park. Keep in mind, we were visiting in late May and much of the park was still closed to hikers, I couldn’t believe how much snow there was!

Paradise Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier National Park, May 2019

We visited the Paradise Visitors Center and then hiked the Paradise Loop as well as Mirror Lakes. With so much of the park still covered in snow, we made the best of the trip and parked along the main road and explored the smaller hikes that we could access. Did you know that Mount Rainier is an active volcano?! The volcano last erupted in 1894. If you do visit Rainier, I highly recommend dressing warmly because you will be hiking in the snow. When we visited, it was sunny and 75 degrees, yet we hiked through deep piles of snow.

Mirror Lake, Mt. Rainier National Park, May 2019

After leaving the park, we stopped by Logan’s coworkers home in Renton. He took us out in kayaks on his lake and we saw beavers and a bald eagle! Seattle has so many waterways year round outdoor activities! Mount Rainier is about 2hr 30min from downtown Seattle, so Renton was a perfect pit stop.

Seattle is one of my favorite cities, if it were not so expensive, I think I would move there. I love the moodiness of the city, it can be sunny one minute and raining the next. To me, Seattle is the perfect city to relax at a brewery in the rain and to explore the coast in the sun. Seattle has it all. The city is big but it’s so easy to get around between walking and the light rail.

Each time we have been to Seattle we have chosen to stay right downtown near Pike’s Place Market as this is the most centralized. It may be touristy but I love grabbing a cup of coffee or apple cider and navigating my way through Pike’s Place. The market is full of so much culture, history, and mouth-watering smells. I feel so content just wandering around, the market is actually much larger than it appears to be. Take your time and explore.

The original Starbucks is right across the street from the market, though the line is long, this is a fun thing to do (one of those things you do once and cross it off your list).

We enjoyed walking along the boardwalk, stopping for clam chowder, and hiking up the hill to Kerry Park. This is a long walk but exploring by foot is the best way to experience a city like the locals! Kerry Park is in the middle of a neighborhood but gives excellent views of the Space Needle and skyline.

Logan had always wanted to go to the top of the Space Needle so we decided to splurge and take the long elevator ride to the top. I was pleasantly surprised with the experience and would definitely recommend it. At the top of the needle is an open air deck and inside is a rotating floor with a concession stand and bar. We didn’t spend a ton of time here but I’m glad we did this. Crossed another thing off the bucket list!

Outside of the needle is the Chihuly Glass Museum. We didn’t go into the museum but just walking around the grounds is beautiful! Adjacent to the museum is a large park and while we there, a Folk festival just happened to be going on. There is always something to do in Seattle!

I am a big fan of Starbucks so I really wanted to visit the Seattle Roastery. If you are a coffee fan, I recommend visiting. Even the architecture of the building was unique and beautiful. The roastery was busy but still had a cozy feel on a gloomy day.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Seattle, October 2017

Capital Hill is the more expensive/nicer neighborhood in Seattle. Capital Hill is about a 15minute drive from downtown. The neighborhood is full of high end restaurants, trendy breweries, and classy bars. I highly recommend visiting Capital Hill and exploring their streets. I am sure you will find plenty of places to stop! One of my favorite things to do is visit a new city and just randomly walk the streets, stopping in shops and resturants along the way. Seattle is a perfect city to do this in.

Surrounding Seattle are several islands. One day, we took a ferry to West Seattle (can drive here but was more fun to take the ferry). West Seattle is mostly residential with a few streets of bars and restaurants. West Seattle does have a beach with a perfect view of the Seattle skyline. When we arrived in West Seattle, all of a sudden, it started pouring rain! ALWAYS BRING AN UMBRELLA. We didn’t have an umbrella on us so we quickly rented Lime bikes. I remember trying to download the app to rent the bikes in the pouring rain. I was as wet as a dog after a bath. We rode bikes a couple of miles until we found a restaurant to seek shelter in. We walked into the restaurant dripping wet. The bar tender smiled at us but still served us! In moments like these, all you can do is laugh. This is the beauty of traveling, not everything works out in your favor or goes the way you want it to go. But looking back, I remember laughing so hard and we have a great memory to look back on. After the rain stopped, we headed to a bar down the street. We ended up meeting a local who took us next door to the local Chinese restaurant that had a speak easy in the back! We took jello shots with the locals and returned to the ferry just in time to head back to Seattle. When you are open and without an agenda, good things happen.

Another great place to take a ferry to is Bainbridge island (not accessible by car). Bainbridge is a small town surrounded by trails and beautiful scenery. We enjoyed walking through the town, eating lunch, and hiking some of the trails. The ferry rides are around $5 a piece and only about a 20-30 minute ride. The islands are a fun way to escape the busyness of the city but still stay in the Seattle area.

The first time we went to Seattle we didn’t rent a car. Rather, we took the train from the airport right into downtown (you ride right past the Starbucks headquarters). The second time we were in Seattle we drove from Portland. Our next stop was over the border to Vancouver. Since it’s very costly to drive a car over the border (one-way), we dropped off our rental car in Seattle and took a bus from Seattle to Vancouver. We travelled via King Street Station. Side note: we were supposed to take a train but they unfortunately over booked the train and we did not arrive early enough so we had to take a bus. The good news was, the bus ride got us to Vancouver an hour before the train would have. Gotta think positive!

Where We Stayed:

Each time we have visited Seattle, I have enjoyed where we stayed. All of the hotels were in a great location. Loews Hotel 1000 was definitely my favorite but by far the most expensive (all hotels are more expensive in Seattle). Logan was in Seattle for work so they paid for this hotel. The rooms had three walls full of windows with incredible views. If you are willing to splurge on a hotel, choose Loews.

For a more affordable option I would suggest the Belltown Inn or the Executive Hotel Pacific. Both hotels are small boutique hotels with very small rooms. We don’t sit still much while traveling, so really, we are only in the hotel to sleep. Both of these hotels were older but clean and affordable. The Executive Pacific was a short walk to Pike’s Place and had a bar in the basement with a free happy hour for hotel guests.

Where We Ate:

Seattle is home to world class restaurants, trendy cafes, and dozens of breweries. There are coffee shops on every corner and class rooftops every few blocks. Seattle feels like a city that never sleeps! After bar hopping in Capital Hill, I remember being shocked at how many food cart vendors were in the streets selling hotdogs and sausages. I’m a Chicago girl at heart, but I have to say, Seattle’s hot dog carts give Chicago’s a run for their money.

When walking along the pier in Seattle, we stopped at the Six Seven Restaurant at the Edgewater Hotel. The restaurant is right on the water and we enjoyed a quick drink before continuing on our walk. Quick Tip: to explore more of a city, stop throughout the day at restaurants and just get a drink. You can still experience the culture of the restaurant without having a full meal.

We enjoyed a mediocre breakfast with dreamy views of the water while eating at Lowell’s. Though this was a pricey breakfast, it’s fun to eat inside of the market at a hideaway restaurant.

Catty-corner to the market, hidden in Post Alley is Kells Irish Restaurant. Though I’ve never been to Ireland (it’s on my list!), I felt like I was transported to a true Irish bar. The bar was full of locals and had true Irish fare and beer. This was a really fun place to stop for clam chowder and Irish car bombs!

Across the street from the Belltown Inn, is Rocco’s, a hip and moody craft pizza restaurant.

In Capitol Hill, we ate at a high end Mexican joint, Barrio. The bar is bigger than the restaurant and weaves in and out of the dining room tables. Though pricey, the portions were huge! Plenty of Clouds, also located in Capitol Hill had unique and upscale Chinese with a trendy atmosphere. A short walk from Plenty of Clouds is Tavern Law. A dark, library turned bar that is a perfect place to end the night (Keep in mind, Capitol Hill is one of the more expensive areas in Seattle).

Breweries:

One of Logan’s favorite beers is from Elysian and we didn’t even know they were from Seattle. Needless to say, we had to stop in! This is a short walk from the Pike Place Market. If you want a really unique bar experience, stop at The Unicorn in Capitol Hill. This is a carnival themed bar that serves popcorn alongside craft cocktails. Buyer beware, if you are afraid of clowns, this one may not be for you! Cloud Burst Brewing is within walking distance from the market as well. This brewery has a great atmosphere and specializes in IPA’s.

Next to the market is Old Stove Brewing, both a brewery and restaurant. The brewery has a large patio and is right on the water boasting breathtaking views! This was my favorite brewery in Seattle.

Best Time To Visit:

Summer
Fall

british columbia.

oregon.