North by Northwest- Space (Needle) Where 57 MILLION Have Gone Before

* Disclaimer- Chris and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest and a cruise to Alaska in June 2016 as a 10 year anniversary trip. This will be a multiple entry blog that will highlight our activities, our reflections and of course pictures of these gorgeous locations! I have highlighted the tips and tricks of each post in red. I hope this helps in planning trips to Vancouver, Seattle or Alaska! Thanks again for following along! 

Day 4- June 19, 2016

Seattle, WA 

Happy Father's Day from Seattle. WA!

 I knew I wanted this day to be very special for Chris, especially since we would be away from the kids, so I booked a very neat bicycle tour of Seattle for us. After a good night's sleep in a hot hotel room we were out the door and headed to Seattle Center. Seattle Center is the location of the Space Needle, EMP museum, Pacific Science museum and the Key Arena. It is approximately 1 mile from downtown Seattle and is accessible from downtown by the monorail. 

Again, there was little to no traffic on our 15 mile commute, but keep in mind it was Sunday! Once we arrived and got parked we noticed that the Space Needle was not busy at all. We originally planned to go to the Needle after our bike tour but changed our minds once we realized it was open early and there were no lines. We were up in the needle before 8:15AM and enjoying the early morning colors. The Space Needle was also part of the Seattle City Pass which cost $74/ per person. With the City Pass you could go up in the Space Needle TWO times, one during the day and one during the last 3 hours of business (8:30PM-11:30PM).  If purchased separately the Space Needle would cost $23.75/ per person for a single visit to the skydeck. This was the main reason we purchased the City Pass as I knew I wanted to go up in the daytime and the nighttime! 

I've arrived... I am SO excited! 

Hello from 521 feet up! 

This thing is HUGE! 

Skyscraper Selfie! 

The Mountain was out! (It was out everyday at some point while we were there) 

I absolutely LOVE skyscrapers! 

Our Seattle Bicycle Tour began at 9:30AM so we came down from the skydeck around 9AM so we could walk several blocks to the starting point of the tour. We were able to get to the tour starting point in plenty of time and get suited up in our gear for the tour. This tour was labeled as a "FLAT" course but come to find out it was flat "for Seattle". I almost feel as if it was false advertising. If you have been to Seattle you know that the streets are NOT flat and there are many hills. Think about along the same lines of San Francisco. I knew before we left the starting point that it would be harder than I thought but man was I wrong... IT WAS KILLER! We biked all over Seattle including Olympic Monument Park, Fremont, Union Lake and so much more and it was well over 15 miles. The elevation was loaded with hills and climbs that were just brutal. I went into it thinking it would be a "stroll the park" and it was anything but! We used a Groupon for 2 people and paid $76. The normal cost of this tour is $69/ per person. I think we would both do it again but I would be a little more prepared. Check out their website Seattle Bicycle Tours.

This really was a good tour! 

Chris choosing his bike and getting ready to bike 15 miles! 

At the Ballard Locks... This was AMAZING and I am so glad the tour took us there!
It was on my list to do and we just didn't have time! 

Ballard Locks! 

This was BEFORE the big hill... I didn't take an after!
That's because I was trying to call an UBER... Just kidding! 

This was a "festival" going on in Fremont... Let me just say "It was INTERESTING"!

Freemont Bridge

Near Lake Union

Haha... This is why I had a love/hate relationship with this tour!
But I love this video! 

At Seattle Center... the last stop of the tour! 

Here is something you don't see everyday... A Bari sax duet featuring a BASS clarinet playing jazz with a drummer too... only on the west coast! I loved it! 

After the bike tour we headed towards Seattle Center to get some lunch at the Armory before we went to the Pacific Science Center. The Armory was a HUGE food court style of area near the Space Needle, EMP museum and Pacific Science Center. I had read all about it and knew which places to go to. While I went to Skillet Chris went looking for other places but quickly remembered I had his wallet thanks to the bike tour so we both ate at Skillet. I had the grilled cheese with bacon jam (OMG... I could walk back for that) and Chris had a special blue cheese burger. The prices were somewhat high and this meal costs us $30 but it was worth it. We also got us and my mother in law some fancy cinamon pecans at Ceres Roasting and they were also very good. Be sure to check out the Armory if you are going to be spending the day at Seattle Center. 

Grilled Cheese with bacon JAM... Can you say "Yes please"! 

After we ate we went to the Pacific Science Center which was a really neat museum which was also on the City Pass. The City Pass gave you 3 main attractions (Space Needle X2, Argosy Harbor Cruise and Seattle Aquarium) and then either Chuilly Glass OR Pacific Science Center and Woodland Park Zoo or EMP Museum. We chose to go to the Pacific Science Center as Chris thought it would be more interesting than the glass museum. It turned out to be very entertaining but LOADED with kids! It costs $25/ per person for regular admission. Also the City Pass gave you an IMAX ticket which was a great addition. We enjoyed it very much but I do not think we would go to this museum again, especially without our kids! 

At the Pacific Science Center! 

Hello Dino-feet! 

The IMAX National Park movie was the saving grace for us at the PSC!
It was a great museum but for 2 teachers at the beginning of the summer... it was just too busy with kids for us! 

Found these "street performers" at the Seattle Center!
It made me really miss my little boy Luke! He would have loved this! 

After the PSC we headed towards the car and hoped to be able to get into the Bill Gates Welcome center but they were closed on Sundays. We then went back to downtown to park our car for the evening. We knew we would be back to the Space Needle but wanted to go back to Pike Place Market for dinner. It was already 4:30PM and we knew the vendors and market itself would be closing soon. We went to Piroshky Piroshky first as I knew it was a HUGE hit at the market and our tour did not stop there. It did not disappoint and we got a savory and sweet piroshki. We got 4 pastries and the grand total was less than $12 so they are reasonably priced. It is not to be missed in the PPM. 

Time for round 2 at Pike Place Market... This time, we choose the vendors! 

Piroshky Piroshky menu... They ALL looked good! 

Then we went to Daily Dozen as I wanted to try some of their other varieties of mini donuts. We got there at 4:55PM and they were telling people they were all sold out. I was sad and then the owner gave me a sack of 6 assorted donuts FOR FREE. I was so appreciative and gave her a big tip in the tip jar. I was amazed at these little delicacies but more so by the owners! If you are a donuts love you HAVE to check out Daily Dozen in the Economy Market area of PPM. 

Then we went to Beecher's in hopes of getting some of their flagship cheese and crackers but they only sold the cheese in a large block. That did not stop Chris from buying it and tearing off small pieces for his dinner. 

We ended the evening at Starbucks at First and Pine. We ordered some caffeine as we knew we would be up late to see Seattle at night from the Space Needle and then we sat outside in the gorgeous 55* temps to people watch. It was quite a site to see. Seattle as legalized "medical" marijuana and let me just say... that whole city is stoned! But nonetheless it made for GREAT people watching. This is a great Starbucks to sit and rest while in Seattle. 

One of my favorite sights of the whole trip.
An older man with a walker and a #SWAG hat. He crossed the road and a person commented and he started dancing in the street. We saw him after our cruise too! Just too funny! 

Chris was tired so he went to the car to take a nap while I went to Target to get final things for our cruise. While I was there I saw a homeless guy get arrested and it was a complete show! I have seen some crazy stuff in my east coast travels but this was insane. Then I went to Walgreen's to get a corkscrew and found one but it had a pocket knife on it so I knew it would get confiscated on the ship. But much to my surprise the security guard at Walgreen's said "Ma'am, I can fix that for you". Then he broke off the knife part. This was the best 30 minutes in all Seattle! I felt like a local. 

Chris couldn't fall asleep so we drove down to Safeco to see the area before next Tuesday's tour and game. Then we went to Kerry Park as I knew it was the place to go to see the entire city and I knew the mountain was out so it was going to be a great evening. It turned out to be the best evening to go as tons of locals were there to photograph Mt. Rainer. It was beautiful and again, another FREE attraction. Be sure to check out Kerry Park on the northwest side of Seattle. It offers AMAZING views. 

We LOVED this park!
It would be a great place for a picnic too! 

Chris was already over the picture taking... little did he know it was just getting started!

Mt. Rainer taken from Kerry Park at 8:00PM.

The best picture of Seattle the whole trip! 

Around 8:30PM we headed back to Seattle Center to go to the Space Needle at night. I am glad we got there when we did because it was BUSY! It took us about 40 minutes just to get to the actual elevator but the views were worth it. I have always been a huge fan of skyscrapers and viewing cities at night and the Space Needle did not disappoint! We saw an array of colors and the sun setting over the Olympia Mountain Range. It was incredible!  Again, this was part of our City Pass but at $25 per person per trip to the top I would suggest going to SkyView Observatory during the day and the Space Needle at night! 

This is our FREE picture from SPACEBOOK... Taken and provided by the Space Needle!
I loved this feature! 

One of the 1st pictures taken from the Space Needle.
This was taken at 9:20PM! 

This picture leaves me just in AWE of God's creation! 

This is the Fraiser Crane tower... Elliot Bay condos do not exist so to get pictures of Seattle and Elliot Bay the producers climbed this tower! We thought it was hilarious! 

The Olympia Mountains west of Seattle! 

This was taken around 9:55PM. 

Goodnight Seattle... We LOVE you!
(Frasier Crane reference!)

This was taken at 10:45PM. I love to see the color changes! 

We left after 10:30PM and headed up to Lynnwood to our hotel. About halfway there a local kept honking at me and rolled down his window to tell me my headlights were not on. Yep... "Stupid tourist" moment for me too! We laughed and laughed once again! Gosh... what is wrong with us? 

Father's Day turned out to be a very busy and fun day! We biked 15 miles all over Seattle and got to see the city from 520 feet above! Our last day in Seattle and our last day before we board the Carnival Legend for our much anticipated cruise to Alaska was coming up and we could not wait! Day 5 in Seattle, the Boeing Tour and our helicopter tour are up next. Thanks for following along! 

God is good... All the time! 

Missed a day?

Day 1/ Vancouver- No Rest for the Weary

Day 2/ Vancouver- Oh Canada

Day 3/ Seattle- On the Waterfront

North by Northwest- On the Waterfront

* Disclaimer- Chris and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest and a cruise to Alaska in June 2016 as a 10 year anniversary trip. This will be a multiple entry blog that will highlight our activities, our reflections and of course pictures of these gorgeous locations! I have highlighted the tips and tricks of each post in red. I hope this helps in planning trips to Vancouver, Seattle or Alaska! Thanks again for following along! 

Day 3- June 18, 2016
Seattle, WA 

After a good night's sleep in a hot room we got up and headed to downtown thinking the commute would be loaded with traffic. It was Saturday and we were able to make the 15 mile commute in just 20 minutes and even find parking fairly quickly. Our Pike Place Market Tour did not start until 9AM so we decided to be smart and go to the Original (1st) Starbucks Store at 7:30AM instead of the planned 1PM. This turned out to be one of the bet decisions of the trip as it was already packed with people. We had about a 10 minute wait time before we got our Pike Place Special Reserve coffees. They were delicious and worth the wait, plus the uniqueness was very special. This is a must see and do in Seattle but I would suggest getting there EARLY as it was loaded with a 50-100+ people line every time we went by. 

Our first glance at Pike Place Market! 

Good morning Seattle! 

It was worth the wait and the best Starbucks I have ever had! 

We walked around Pike Place Market for a few minutes before making our way to the "Gum Wall" and locate our tour guide. The "Gum Wall" was absolutely disgusting and was really stinky.

Absolutely disgusting but I HAD to get a picture!
No... we did not contribute to the wall! 

Once our tour started we were really excited as this tour was highly recommend to us from 4 sources. We came hungry and excited to try all of the specialty places inside the market. This VIP Early Access tour began at 9AM and the market officially opened at 10AM but several places were already open and oddly enough the market was already crammed with people as the tour started. We were able to visit and sample from the following stores/ booths: 

Honest Biscuit  

This biscuit was heavenly and despite the large amount of butter it was very good.

Sevens Coffee and Market Spice Tea

This is the longest running business in the market at 108 years old. 

Daily Dozen Donuts

I had heard so much about this place... i was ready to try it out! 

Holy Moly... It was AMAZING! 

All I can saw is WOW! These were perfection in the form of a small circle. They make 14,000 donuts a day and can make 30 in one minute. Chris was not impressed.  We sampled the Maple Bacon flavor on the tour but within the next few days we sampled them all. This is a MUST stop when at Pike Place. 

Pike Place Fish

Teasing UT fans NEVER gets old! 

This is the famous fish stall in the market and it did not disappoint! The worker was a UT graduate so we had a little fun with that. We sampled Alaska King Salmon, Garlic and Pepper Smoked and Salmon jerky. It was all incredible... Once again, the stupid baggage fees hindered our purchases. 

Frank's Produce

This was the absolute most fresh fruit I have ever had. We sampled Taylorville pears (Oh my gosh... wow) and Chuckered Cherries. It was about at this point that I decided I wanted to live near this market! 

Beecher's Cheese

This is a Pike Place staple and it did not disappoint... to some degree. But the Mac & Cheese was just OK and not as good as we had hoped. This stop was a little disappointing as far as the tour goes!  

Country Dough

This was just weird and odd! This is pretty much where I was disappointed in the tour. Random chinese vendor with a crazy dough sandwich. Neither of us were impressed. 

Rachel's Ginger Beer

We didn't realize this was the last stop. There were so many stops we expected to sample and were not able to. This was not an alcoholic stop but dessert actually. Fancy soft serve ice cream with fancy preserves. This too was somewhat of a disappointment. 

Look at this gorgeous arrangement Chris picked out for me. 

The VIP Early Access Pike Place tour turned out to be our biggest disappointment of the entire Pre-cruise Seattle trip. It cost $57/ per person and there was hardly anything VIP or Early about it! We did not leave full but hungry rather. It took nearly 3 hours and did not hit or go to the most famous places and vendors within Pike Place. I truly believe that we must have had a different tour than those who recommend it to us. Either way, we will not be doing this tour again! 

After that tour we were supposed to go to the Argosy Harbor Tour but it was rather cold outside (50*) and rainy so Chris decided he would need long pants so we made a run to Ross and Target. Then we went down to the waterfront to get our tickets to the harbor cruise and grabbed some lunch before the tour started. Elliot's Cafe on the waterfront was affordable and very good! If you are in a hurry be mindful that it is pretty slow and in no way fast-food!

The Clam Chowder was good but no surprises here! 

The salmon BLT was AMAZING! I didn't expect such good salmon on a sandwich. 

And of course, what meal would be complete without a cupcake?
Cupcake Royale originally started as a bakery for the president in the 1960s.
They were delicious! 

The Argosy Harbor Cruise was incredible and well worth the money. It was part of the Seattle City Pass which was $74/ per person but you can purchase them separately for $25. This tour was very informative with tons of information about the city of Seattle and it was comfortable and we could hear everything the host said. We learned that Seattle has 196 Starbucks in a 2 mile radius and that does not include the water and after being in Seattle for just a few hours I could see that. I would highly recommend it as part of the city pass or alone. If we ever go back to Seattle this will be an attraction we repeat. 

The boat we rode for the Argosy harbor cruise of Elliot Bay. 

We are on the boat and ready to go! 

This is the BLACK pod on the Great Wheel of Seattle. This will cost you $50 per person but includes champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. 

Pike Place Market from the harbor cruise. 

The Norwegian Jewel was embarking on this day headed to Alaska! 

Olympic Park in Seattle. 

The Space Needle and Seattle Center! 

A view of downtown Seattle from the harbor. 

Starbucks Headquarters in downtown Seattle. 

After the harbor tour we went to the Seattle Aquarium. This was a fantastic aquarium and we were able to see it all within 3 hours. This too was part of the City Pass but is $25 if purchased separately. We enjoyed it very much but if we return we would not go to the aquarium again, at least without our kids. 

We really enjoyed the hands on areas of this aquarium.
I know our kids would have LOVED this! 

Hey y'all... I am a jellyfish! 

This type of halibut grows sideways and swims sideways! It was so cool! 

We loved this aquarium! 

After the aquarium we were in somewhat of a pickle with our parking as there was a 12 hour time limit so we had to go back to the parking garage and exit then re-enter again. We parked at 3rd and Stewart and it was a large covered parking garage. It was a hassle but paying the $7 weekend special was much better than the $37 unlimited access. We then walked to the Columbia Center in downtown near Pioneer Square. This is where the SkyView Observatory is and we purchased a Groupon for 2 people to access the observatory for only $18 but the original price was just $14 per person. This was a typical skyscraper observatory and it was absolutely gorgeous. Plus you get views of Seattle WITH the Space Needle. I would recommend going to the SkyView Observatory instead of the Space Needle in fact. It is cheaper, better views and a lot less crowded! It too offers plush seating and a small cafe! Be sure to check it out if you are in town. 

73 floors up and we are loving the view! 

Hello Safeco Field... I will see you in a week! 

A view of Seattle's homeless area from 73 floors high! 

While we were 73 floors high in the sky we noticed a rain storm approaching the city from the north so we went on down and ran down to the waterfront to eat dinner at Ivar's Clam House. This was a delicious meal and our most expensive while on the trip at plates that were $50-75. We were able to eat Copper River Sockeye salmon which was absolutely divine. I would recommend this restaurant and especially that filet and type of salmon as it was the best we had ever had. 

Wow... this was INCREDIBLE! The best salmon I have ever had! I will be looking for this style of salmon at home from now on! 

The Great Wheel... reminded us of the London Eye but unfortunately we never found time to ride it! 

We then went and got Seattle souvenirs and called the kids. By this time it was after 11PM in Louisiana where they were traveling with my parents but we knew they would still be awake. They play hard with Gigi Shirley and Poppy and sure enough, they were. We told them about our trip thus far then made our way back to our home away from home at the hotel. It was a LONG day and we were exhausted. The following day we would be taking a bicycle tour of Seattle so we knew we needed our rest. 

The first day in Seattle was busy and tiring but we were falling in love with the city and the gorgeous scenery and most of all the perfect temperatures. 

God is good... All the time! 

Missed a day?

Day 1/ Vancouver- No Rest for the Weary

Day 2/ Vancouver- Oh Canada