Hello Emerald City
Monday, May 26, 2025
Travel Day
We LOVE Seattle!
Morning
We have a DAILY alarm wake us up at 4:45AM and this morning was no different. We had an early morning flight and despite it being Memorial Day, we knew there would be traffic and we were right. We were up and out the door by 5:15AM and parked at The Parking Spot 2 at Hobby Airport shortly after 6AM. We got loaded on the shuttle bus and made our way to the terminal to find out it was already CRAZY busy and we were not the only ones who thought an early morning holiday flight was a good idea.
We did notice a few new things for the Hobby Airport security that was not there prior to the "Real ID" push that began on May 7th. There were drug dogs who sniffed people and bags prior to the security check. Then once at the security counter there was a facial recognition aspect for Chris and I and passport scans for the kids. Once in the metal detector line, we were NOT required to take off our shoes or pull electronics from our bags, which has been standard for many trips for us! We were in and out of these security lines within 25 minutes and in line for what would be one of the most expensive meal of the day, breakfast at Chick-fil-A in the Hobby Airport. (I know I say this every trip but GOOD GRIEF- I need a 2nd job just to pay for the food we eat in the airport). However, the line to order and then get our food at CFA actually took longer than the Hobby security lines!
Southwest Airlines Info- We booked these flights back in December and were still able to have 2 bags checked for free and a carryon plus personal item. We did notice a lot more carry on bags than usual since this was near the May 28th deadline of "no free bags" for Southwest. We have been LOYAL to SW for years but we will see where they land when it is time to book another flight! They may not be the economical choice anymore- only time will tell!
Unfortunately, our Southwest Airlines flight was delayed by 35 minutes and did not begin boarding until 8:30AM for a 9:05AM departure time. The flight was completely full but we had EARLY BIRD check in and were able to board in Group A (A 34-37). TIP- Early Bird is offered by Southwest Airlines for $15-30 each way and allows AI to check you in prior to the general public checking in. This means an earlier boarding time and since SW is an "Open Seating" airline, this means we choose our seats and more likely to have seats together. This allowed us to get a row all to ourselves for the kids and I as well as Chris sitting in an aisle seat. The flight itself was forgettable which always means it was a good one. We arrived at Sacramento for our connecting flight at 11AM and our 2nd flight to Seattle didn't board until 1:25PM.
Flight #1 (3.5 hours) to Sacramento= Success!
(There was a little brother and sisterly love- to say the least)
Afternoon
Once in Sacramento, we were able to get lunch in the main food court area- another $100+ meal for basic lunch food. We ate lunch and then tried to get some "rest" for the 2nd leg of our flight to The Emerald City. This flight was also "full" yet somehow, Chris managed to have the only empty seat on the plane! (#winning) Natalie had researched and knew to sit on the RIGHT SIDE OF THE PLANE for our flight to Seattle and that REALLY paid off as the approach to Sea-Tac Airport allowed for some GORGEOUS pictures!
Flight #2 (1.5 hours)= Success!
Look out Seattle, the Davis Family is headed your way!
Mt. Rainer from the air!
Seattle from our plane!
The Space Needle- Isn't she gorgeous!
Once on the ground in Seattle we made our way to the baggage claim to find all of our 4 suitcases that we checked with SW. We made our way out of the airport to the Light Rail to get us to our Airbnb in Beacon Hill. This proved to be a great choice as the train was not at all full and it only cost $6 total for a one-way adult ticket (kids 0-18 ride for free in Seattle). TIP- The Light Rail in Seattle offers one way ($3) and round trip tickets ($6) as well as all day passes for only $6 per person. This is a GREAT way to get around the city and SAVE MONEY, especially since kids 0-18 ride for FREE!
Evening
Once in Beacon Hill we walked approximately 2.5 blocks to our updated condo Airbnb. This location was INCREDIBLE and I would book this Airbnb again solely for that. TIP- This Airbnb was newly updated and had 2 bedrooms and 3 beds which worked well for us with 2 teenagers. It also had 2 bathrooms which we have recently realized is a near necessity with a teenager girl. However, it was a FOUR story condo. Each bedroom had it's own floor- which was great, but it meant a lot of stair climbing. It even had a patio giving EXCEPTIONAL views of Puget Sound, Downtown Seattle and even Mt. Rainer but we were tired within the 1st day. I read reviews explaining this and I pretty much let that info go in one ear and out the other. I should have re-thought this as Chris really struggled the next morning with knee pain from climbing so many stairs. But again- I WOULD BOOK this Airbnb again, just know it will require people who are in "tip top shape" as one review mentioned! And we are NOT!
"Updated Seattle Condo Near Light Rail" Airbnb
The 4th floor balcony with exceptional view of Downtown Seattle!
Check out our tour of this Airbnb.
We unpacked our suitcases and then went to the Hilltop Apple Grocery store just down the block for some breakfast items, water bottles and other necessities for the trip. This store being within a 3 minute walk proved to also be VERY HELPFUL as we ventured into this store nightly! Then it was dinner time and we chose to go to the local Mexican Restaurant near the Light Rail- Baja Bistro. This was "Baja" style Mexican food and while it was different than our usual Tex-Mex, we all LOVED it!
Baja Bistro- Just outside the Beacon Hill Light Rail station.
The food, drinks and prices were great!
The Baja Bistro Menu- Decently priced for Seattle.
Our tab was $123 with tip.
The Cheese Enchiladas plate- 3.5
(How I judge EVERY Mexican restaurant)
First dinner of the trip with my girl- LOVE YOU NATTIE!
With the time change and the long travel day, we were all TIRED so we called it a night early and tried to go to sleep despite the sun being out until past 9PM.
This was 9:15PM from the balcony!
It was a long tiring day but we were ready for a FULL DAY in Seattle coming up next!
Up Next- Seattle Day #2
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
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