Cleared for Takeoff
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Everett and Seattle, WA
Morning
Once again the sun woke most of up at an un-Godly hour. We all tried to go back to sleep but eventually just got up and ready for the day. This day was fully loaded with stuff and the first stop was renting a car so we were out the door before 7:30AM. We took the Light Rail north one stop to SODO then walked to the Budget Rental Car to get our ride for the day. We arrived just as the worker did so we had to wait a little while but we got our Mazda CX50 and were out the door by 8:10AM. TIP- The Light Rail is all you need in Seattle but if you wanted to branch out and go to Everett, Lynnwood or Mt Rainer, you would need to rent a car. This full day rental was only $81 (all fees included) for an SUV. An economy car was about $72. This is a great value for seeing "beyond" a city!
We liked this SUV for the day! The gas mileage was decent as well!
We got on I-5 and headed north with lots of rush hour traffic. Our first stop was the University of Washington as it is our tradition to visit a college campus on all of our trips. We started with a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, another tradition of ours, just outside of campus- Voula's Offshore Café. We expected a crowd but at 9AM, we just missed the rush. We were able to get a table and service VERY QUICKLY. The menu was extensive but I loved how they highlighted the items Guy Fieri tried on the menu and we did not have to ask what he ordered like other DDD we have been to recently. The food was delicious and MASSIVE. We should have shared- lesson learned! This breakfast cost $114 with tip and was TOO MUCH FOOD. You can easily share one of these plates with 2 ADULTS. We all 4 ordered an entrée and then got pancakes to share. We left SO MUCH FOOD on the table! This was a splurge but we love trying DDDs.
Honestly, the prices were about average for a West Coast city!
This was the HOBO and it was SO GOOD!
Voula's Offshore Café near the University of Washington!
After breakfast we meandered around the campus until we found a visitors parking lot (near the hospital) and set up camp for the rest of the morning. We walked all over this absolutely gorgeous campus. The hills, landscaping and trees were superbly well kept and lusciously green. However, the buildings were the winner of this visit. They were all so European with beautiful architecture and colors. We visited the music building (our tradition at every college campus), the Student Union, Campus Bookstore, the Biology building and a few others. Each building had character of it's own and we all really loved this campus. In fact, if it weren't a 4-5 hour flight away, Natalie would have this campus on her top 5 list of colleges. I was highly (and surprisingly) impressed with this campus!
Outside of Husky Stadium where College Gameday set up!
This was the walk from the stadium to the main campus! It was GORGEOUS!
Hello Central Union!
Outside of the Campus Bookstore!
Our traditional School of Music picture!
This makes my heart so happy!
They WANT to go into the music building and take a picture!
I seriously LOVED this campus!
The landscaping and the buildings made for a breathtaking campus!
But we had to stop at what would be her ACTUAL major building!
Luke loved this campus as well as looked it up... University of Washington has an outstanding pre-med program! It now is in HIS top 10!
Future Dr. Luke Davis (Cardiologist)- HS Class of 2030!
Goodbye UW- It's been real!
We spent about 2 hours at the University of Washington before making our way north to Everett for our tour of the largest building in the world- The Boeing Factory. Chris and I this tour on our 10 Year Anniversary trip in 2016 and it was incredible so we knew the kids would LOVE it! My grandfather was a chemical engineer at Boeing in Wichita, KS where he worked on building and maintaining fuselages his whole life. For me, visiting Boeing means so much to me and reminds me so much of Grandpa! I love and miss you!
Gareld and Patricia Klingsick (1998ish)
I love you both SO MUCH and miss you daily- I cannot wait to see you again!
The Future of Flight tour allowed us to see the gallery at the Boeing Factory as well as hanger 5-7 in our 80 minute guided tour. We were able to see them working on a 777 as well as a 737 that will soon be built at this location. We were also able to see a few 787 being tested on the runway. TIP- This is a great tour for the whole family and only $38.99/ adult. However, the tickets sell out about 3-4 months in advance so be sure to plan and book your spot early.
We loved this gallery- This alone is worth the entrance fee!
The 2016 $20 entrance fee... Not the 2025 $38 entry fee.
Not sure if this is a "glow up" but 9 years have passed... I am getting old!
I loved this studio and learning about the upcoming builds for Boeing!
Another side by side- We are "growing up" and getting old!
But I love that we revisit Boeing!
But in 2025, we add the kids! Love sharing these adventures with them!
Afternoon
Our tour was over around 3PM and we knew we needed to get on the road south back to Seattle as soon as possible before the rush hour traffic set in, but we were hungry. We loaded in the car and found a Quizno's sub shop just off the highway and got lunch to go as we made our way south. We expected an hour long commute but it turned into a near 2 hour commute back to SODO to deliver our rental car back before the 5PM deadline. We pulled into the Budget lot, having remembered to fill it up with gas this time, at 4:52pm.
Once we turned in the car we walked back to the Light Rail to take us back to our Airbnb to get ready for our 2nd game at T-Mobile Park. We changed clothes and started our 1st load of laundry as we would be boarding the Anthem of the Seas the next day.
Evening
We got to T-Mobile Park around 6PM for the 6:40PM first pitch and this allowed us just enough time to get to our upper deck seats and get the kids some food. The Mariners only sold tickets in certain sections in the upper deck and our section was fairly full for only 12K people in attendance. But we actually enjoyed our seats directly above home plate. We enjoyed some very over priced Chicken Nuggets, cotton candy and "value beers" and hotdogs before the 3rd inning. This dinner within T-Mobile cost an overall $97 for all 4 of us and this included beers and other treats.
Day #2 at T-Mobile and once again it was PERFECT!
A final side-by-side of our trip! We have gotten older but our passion still remains!
Thank you Chris for sharing all of this with me!
The game was tied in the 7th inning stretch when we began to make our way to the lower level. We ended up leaving in the top of the 9th inning and but of course, they went into extra innings and the Nationals blew them out. The Mariners lost 10-2 but it was a fun game! We got back to our Airbnb shortly before 10pm to finish up more laundry and pack for tomorrow when the REAL ADVENTURE begins- Alaska!
Goodnight Seattle, We Love You!
It was an EPIC day to end the Seattle Part of this Adventure!
This was a very busy but GREAT day and we loved getting to see an extra game in T-Mobile Park!
Miss Day 3? Check it out HERE!
Up Next- Embarkation Day on the Anthem of the Seas!
THE BEST DAY EVER!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
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