Seattle 2017
May 18 - 23, 2017
Seattle was a long weekend Birthday trip with my mom. This was the first trip that started the “birthday trips,” It was all planned out on a sheet of paper from start to finish. I numbered each area and made a map of the things I wanted to see and do in those areas in the city of Seattle. My mom said I was crazy, but in the end, it was so much fun, and now each year, I prepare a trip in detail from start to finish for my birthday.
After grabbing our bags and ditching the airport, we took the train into the city and walked up a steep hill to our hotel. We were out of breath, to say the least. Day one consisted of getting our bearings and finding great history in the heart of Seattle.
We started at the Underground Tour company, where they show you how the streets once looked downtown. We were able to go beneath the streets and take in the history of what once was. The above pictures show the light coming through glass bricks on the sidewalk. The passageways were actually built at ground level in the 19th century. The streets would be run with water and sewage during floods, so they started building up. While new sidewalks and streets were being built, many of the sidewalks still were a level down, so they had ladders for people to climb up to the new street level. It was all really fascinating, even if it was a tourist trap.
After the tour, we decided to just stroll the streets towards Pike Place Market, and we found the infamous Gum Wall on Post Alley. While wildly gross, it was also very eye-catching and artistic. Post-Alley was packed full of people wanting to add their own sticky gum to the wall.
One of the most iconic signs in the country.
Pike Place Market was full of wonder and stalls of vendors selling various things. The typical flower shop, fruit and vegetable market, and of course, the flying fish market. There were also small donut and coffee shops and other food vendors.
Some street art/murals we came across looking for a brewery.
The eats from day 1:
1. Breakfast from Top Pot donuts and coffee
2&3. Beecher’s Mac and Cheese and it in the process of becoming cheese
4&5. Piroshky, Piroshky and all of the yummy Piroshky’s they make
6. Din Tai Fung - Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)
Day two consisted of being more of a tourist.
For some reason, we had to check out the library. It was amazing how much detail was put into the public library. Plus, it was free to enter and check the place out on a rainy morning.
As you can see by the many pictures, the Chihuly Glass Museum was by far my favorite part of the trip. I was in awe of each piece.
10/10 recommend!
Since the infamous Space Needle was located next to the Chihuly Glass Museum, we quickly bought tickets and went straight for the top. With a 360 degree view of Seattle and surrounding neighborhoods, it was ultimately the most excellent view you could get.
We jumped on the monorail and took it north to Fremont. My mom really wanted to see the Troll located under the bridge; yes, that’s a real thing. After taking pictures with the troll, we walked the streets of Fremont, a more eclectic area of Seattle. We stopped for a beer and stepped foot in many local shops.
Mural stops of the day
Day two eats:
1. Bubble Tea from The Bubble Tea Shop.
2. Lunch was a hot dog from Dog in the Park.
3. Birthday dessert at Blank Space Cafe.
4. Schilling Cider House in Fremont for a glass of hard cider.
5&6. Sushi birthday dinner.
Day three took us out of the city for a more scenic tour. We rented a car and went to visit Mt Rainer National Park. Even in the middle of summer, it was still covered in snow.
There we so many pull-offs in the National Park, it took us hours to enjoy just a tiny portion of what was offered. Many roads had not opened to the public yet with all of the snow.
The best views of the entire city including the Space Needle and Mt Rainer can be found at Kerry Park. What a way to end the trip!