Showing posts with label Pacific Northwest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pacific Northwest. Show all posts

Monday, June 16, 2025

Goodnight Seattle, We Love You- Day 3

 Seattle by Day and Night
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Seattle Center 

This was a GREAT day spent in Seattle! 

Morning
The sun started shining through our Airbnb windows shortly before 4AM which woke most of us up although Natalie could sleep through anything. We laid around and tried to go back to sleep but our bodies would have none of that. We got up and ready for the day and then took the Light Rail to Westlake where we would then take a bus to Seattle City Center. TIP- The Orca Cards we purchased and the day pass loaded onto said card for $6 would pay for Light Rail and Bus Transportation. However, the Seattle Monorail was not included and was $12/ day roundtrip. The near $50 for a family of four just wasn't worth it so we took the "longer route" to get to the Space Needle. 


Hello from bus #495

We had reservations at the Chihuly Glass Museum at 9AM so we made a quick pitstop at a local coffee shop. Chris says this was the worst coffee he had ever had but it wasn't "burnt tasting" so it was a win for me. 


Good morning from Seattle City Center! 


This local coffee shop had all kinds of coffee and tea options but it was anything from "normal"! 

The Chihuly Glass Museum is really neat and absolutely stunning. This was included as one of our 3 choices from the City Pass. This museum had countless glass blown pieces in many sections and was highly interesting. Our near teenage son wanted no part of it, but did exceptionally well surprisingly. We spent about 1 hour in this museum and I personally think that is all you need. 


This museum is SO PRETTY- Be sure to check it out when in Seattle! 


Another beautiful exhibit of blown glass inside Chihuly! 

The patio area give picture perfect views of the blown glass and the surrounding Seattle City Center- including the Space Needle. 


Another view of the patio! 


I just couldn't get enough of this area! 


Hello Space Needle and a crystal clear blue sky! 


We loved this area of the Chihuly Museum 

This was a great morning in Seattle! 

After Chihuly Glass Museum, we went to the Pacific Science Center across from the Space Needle. This, too, was also included in the City Pass. TIP- Oftentimes, attractions like these require advanced reservations when purchased via City Pass. When planning our trip, 4 out of the 5 attractions needed timed advanced reservations. The Pacific Science Center (PSC) was the one attraction that did not require a reservation, or so we thought. When we looked up the tickets the night before we realized we needed a timed entry. Now ALL attractions on the City Pass Seattle require advanced reservations!  The only available time was 10AM and this was between our Chihuly Glass and Space Needle reservations. Luckily when we arrived I explained our concern and we were able to enter and then get a stamp to leave and come back. This worked out really well as we were able to see about 30% of the bottom floor prior to our 11AM Space Needle reservations. 


Hello from the Pacific Science Center! 


Luke sitting in a dinosaur footprint (Age 12). 

Kellie in the same dinosaur footprint (Age 33) 
We loved this area on our 2016 Trip!


The kids making their own watershed area... They played in this "Sand" for nearly 20 minutes! They truly are just BIG KIDS! 

We then made our way down to the Space Needle for our 11AM entry. Chris and I expected a CRAZY LONG (hour plus) wait to get to the top of the Space Needle but we were able to walk right up to the elevators. TIP- Most schools were still in session this last week of May and I think this really helped us while in Seattle. Keep this in mind if you are able to visit cities prior to school being released for summer. 

Our City Pass tickets allowed us to have 2 visits within 24 hours- one in the day and one at night. This is a great bargain as regular Space Needle tickets are only for 1 timed entry. We LOVED the Space Needle and it offered absolutely gorgeous views of the city, Puget Sound and Mt Rainer. We were so lucky and loved every minute. 


Hello from 605' in the air! 


My babies loved this Skyscraper! 


The Davis Family has arrived! 


Mt Rainer was stunning on this day! We were SO LUCKY! 


This right here- the best picture we took the whole trip! 
And it just reminds me... this girl is growing up! 
She looks 20! Time is a thief! 


Me and my girl loving the breeze and gorgeous scenes from atop the Space Needle! 


We were able to witness a Marine being discharged from the Marines. 
This was SO COOL! Thank you, sir, for your service! 


Another iconic shot of my girl! 
Nattie Grace- You are GORGEOUS! 


Hello Seattle! 


Chris and I celebrated the 4th day of summer with a cocktail or two from the Space Needle Revolving Bar. TIP- These were very expensive but really good and strong! These mid-day drinks costs $106 with tip (4 drinks)- which honestly is outrageous! 

Cheers to TWO Master Teachers!

A view of the Pacific Science Center from above. This is a MASSIVE museum and has SO MUCH to offer. I highly suggest this attraction, especially with kids! 


I loved this picture! 


Be still my heart! 


And then there is this guy- Just 2 weeks away from being a TEENAGER! 


The Museum of Pop Culture as seen from the Space Needle! 

Afternoon
After we left our daytime tickets of the Space Needle, we grabbed some souvenirs at the gift shop and then went to the "Armory" Food Court within Seattle Center for lunch. Chris and I found this on our 2016 trip and it did not disappoint. Chris and Luke were able to get some fresh Fish and Chips while Natalie opted for Asian food. I grabbed a local burger and we all enjoyed our lunch! 


This burger was pretty good- $18 without a drink. 


This fish and chips meal was $23 but the boys loved it! 


The Seattle Center Armory is a great place to eat with a family as everyone can choose exactly what they want to eat! 

After lunch we went back to the Pacific Science Center to finish making our way around the museum. The kids LOVED so much about the PSC but the body exhibit was probably all of our favorites. 

Evening
After wrapping up our afternoon at the Pacific Science Center we opted to take the bus and Light Rail back to our Airbnb in Beacon Hill so we could nap. Honestly, this is so NOT like us on a land vacation but we were so tired. After we all got naps, we walked to the local brewery- Perihelion Brewery- for one of Seattle's "Best Burgers of 2023". The burgers were really good but the winner was the "Olive Appetizer" and the local beers. The service was impeccable and we really enjoyed this pub. 

The Mediterranean Olive plate was really good! 


We ordered Sweet Potato Fries for the table and we loved them! 


The Perihelion Burger was HUGE! 


A look at the inside... This could have fed both Luke and I! 


To me, the star of the meal were the beers! 
We loved the Mango Pear IPA! 

This meal with the appetizers, beers and burgers was $127 with tip. This seemed to be common costs for burgers within Seattle! 

After dinner we made our way back to Seattle Center for our evening Space Needle reservations. TIP- With this City Pass double ticket, you could enter the Space Needle in the last 3 hours of operation and since the Space Needle closed at 11PM we opted to get there right at 8PM to optimize our time at the Space Needle. We spent some time on the outer deck but spent the majority of our time on the lower level on the revolving floor. We were able to see the sun set over Puget Sound and it was breath- taking! I would HIGHLY recommend everyone do this one time in their life! Seeing the sun set on a city is such an American thing to do! 


The sun setting on Puget Sound was gorgeous! 


Goodnight Seattle! 


Goodnight Mt. Rainer! 


Another classic Skyscraper selfie for my collection! 


This was taken around 9:45PM. 

After spending over 2 hours at the Space Needle, we took the Light Rail back to our Airbnb for the night! It was a GREAT day spent all over Seattle Center and the Space Needle. 


Day 3 was AWESOME! 

Up Next- The Future of Flight and more baseball! 

Did you miss day 2- Check it out!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Deep in the Heart of Texas; San Antonio- July 2015 

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Friday, June 13, 2025

Goodnight Seattle, We Love You- Day 1

 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. 

5AM departure on school day- NOPE 
5AM departure on vacation- ALL SMILES! 

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! 

Day ONE WAS AWESOME! 

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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