Seattle, Washington 2019
- bradleighmartin
- Jun 25, 2021
- 5 min read
Four days spent in The Emerald City, one of the best vacations taken with my group of friends. The sunny and 80-degree weather made for the perfect trip spent outdoors walking the city, hiking, and eating great food. Also, stay tuned for my Seattle 2021 blog post!
My friends and I decided to plan a spontaneous trip to Seattle, Washington in May 2019. We booked on American Airlines for a long weekend from Thursday- Monday. Our flight ended up being canceled Thursday night for unknown reasons, but we were on an early flight Friday morning and arrived in Seattle around noon. I booked our hotel at Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle Downtown for $35 a night. The hotel was located 14 miles from the airport and was conveniently located within walking distance, or bike rides, from grocery stores, shops, and restaurants. Since I worked for the Hilton at the time I was able to get cheap hotel rooms so the total for the hotel for the weekend was $169.
We started the weekend off by exploring Seattle and the Pike Place Public Market. Our hotel was located 2 miles away so we took Uber Bikes, bikes on the street that you use the Uber app to pay for when you are done. The Pike Place Market is full of vendors, shops, dining in and outside, fish throwing, homemade crafts, art, the gumball wall, and so much more. You can spend hours here getting lost while shopping and eating delicious food. We stopped by Rachel's Ginger Beer across the street and I ordered a 12-ounce pink guava flavor ginger beer for only $5. Yum! We spent the rest of our time walking Pier 69, stopping at stands to take oyster shooters, and then went to Wings of Washington, a $17 ticket for a ride in a "flying theater" located next to the Seattle Great Wheel. You will experience the sites, sounds, and smells of Washington all while strapped into a seat. I would describe this ride as a small roller coaster, moving up and down and around while watching a large theater screen. It was amazing!
Next on our stop was the famous Seattle Space Needle, built in 1962 this landmark is 605 feet tall and one of the most photographed structures in the world. After buying a $35 ticket at the kiosk you head inside to the elevators where there are two different levels to the tower. The lower level features an all-glass floor, views from the top can be seen in the top three pictures. The upper level has floor-to-ceiling glass where you can step onto the Loupe, the rotating glass floor. Due to the renovations, the rotating restaurant was not open and parts of the level were blocked off. I thought the views from the top were amazing, you could see Mount Rainier so clearly, but I would not pay to go to the Space Needle again. There is only so much to see and do that you spend very little time there for the amount you pay and due to renovations not much was open at the time. On Saturday night of our trip, we rented a boat with a driver from Lake Union, located within walking distance of our hotel. We split the cost between 5 people so it ended up costing $60 per person. We rented the boat for a few hours, brought our own wine, and got to ride around the lake and out into the bay, pictured below you can see the city from our boat. I loved the boat ride and bald eagles were flying around us when we rode through the canal. The boat went out into the bay and we got to experience a beautiful sunset!
Some of my favorite places to eat in Seattle are pictured below. The first is The Pink Door, an Italian restaurant known for its nightly entertainment, wine, and a seasonally changing menu. I ordered the Linguine Alle Vongole, linguine pasta served with baby clams, pancetta and white wine, for $21. I loved the pasta, I had never tried something like that before! The next restaurant is Shugs Soda Fountain and Ice Cream, a diner serving sundaes, floats, sodas, and more. I ordered an ice cream cocktail, the Prosecco Float, for $12. Made with a glass of prosecco and sorbet, this drink was nice and refreshing. For the best biscuits and gravy in town, we went to Biscuit B*tch, the only two locations they have are right here in Seattle. Their southern-style breakfast makes you feel like you are right at home! The line was down the street when we arrived, but I think their food is worth the wait! I ordered the Gritty Scrambled Cheesy B*tch, a $13 top seller of theirs, made with a big biscuit topped with sausage gravy, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, garlic grits, and I added jalapenos. I am picky about grits and I loved theirs! I cannot wait to come here again on my next trip to Seattle! If you love Irish pubs and oysters check out, Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub for happy hour. We ordered their white wine for $3.50 a glass and oysters, this was our appetizer while we waited for our reservation at The Pink Door.
On our last day of the trip we decided to rent a car and head to the town of Snoqualmie to hike, a 30-minute drive from our hotel to Rattlesnake Ledge Trail. A parking lot is located right next to the lake, it gets busy during the summer so make sure to arrive early. Although boats and fishing are not allowed on this lake, this spot is ideal for kayakers or swimmers. This trail was full of tourists so do not be surprised when there are a lot of people hiking or at the lake. Along the 5.3 mile hike, there are three ledges to stop at, the first being view of Mount Si and Mount Washington, then the middle and upper ledge. The pictures below show the different ledges we stopped at to take pictures. The view of the lake was my favorite! I loved this hike and I did not find it too hard even though parts of the trail were steep and slick with rocks. I would hike this trail again if I ever got the chance!
I hope this blog can give you great recommendations on where to eat and fun activities to explore when visiting Seattle, Washington! Everything I post in my blogs is family-friendly and in safe areas to travel alone or with family. If you try anything out please let me know! I hope your experience is as good as mine! I have posted all links to hotels, restaurants, and national parks below. Hope you enjoyed reading and stay tuned for my Seattle 2021 blog post!!
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