What We Did: Seattle, Washington

It isn’t very often that I get to explore a place with my family that I haven’t already visited. Crossing off 36 states visited, I usually play tour guide as my family experiences the location for the first time. For this trip, we decided to make it an adventure for all of us.

It was a complete change of what we usually do. I usually am attached to an itinerary that I research and plan out. However, we went not even knowing the exact location of our hotel.

After arriving at the airport at 4 am, my husband, 4-year-old, and I boarded the plane, heading for Seattle after a quick layover in Las Vegas. At no surprise, it was raining when we landed. That was also the point where I realized that we forgot my son’s stroller. To be on the safe (and as it turned out, expensive) side, we took a cab to Hotel Max.

We grabbed lunch, relaxed in the room, looked at brochures, and since it was Cinco de Mayo, grabbed dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. We woke up and walked to Pike Place Market for breakfast, stopping for coffee on the way. We also walked by the original Starbucks location, but boy, was it busy! After looking at the art, crafts, and nick nacks by the waterfront, we walked to the Space Needle. Now, let me remind you that our 4-year-old didn’t have his stroller this whole time, so I was very impressed that he walked the entire time in Seattle.

We bought tickets for the Space Needle, then explored the Seattle Center, watching a juggler and unicyclist perform in the park. We definitely played a tourist role during the trip!

Once it was our scheduled time for the Space Needle, we stood in line, learning about history on the way to the elevators. However, the wait was worth it. The view of Seattle from above was breathtaking!

We ventured to the Seattle Children’s Museum afterward so our 4-year-old could learn, have fun, and burn through his energy. There were a lot of exhibits, which he enjoyed, especially a mini, pretend grocery store. Although it wasn’t fully up-to-date, he could have played there all day.

Finally, we took the Monorail back to our hotel to enjoy the free beer hour Hotel Max offered and to get ready for Sunday.

On Sunday, we went on a fun and kid-friendly land and water tour with Ride the Ducks and explored Pike Place Market again to shop and eat. There was too much to do with too little time!

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On our way home on Monday, we thankfully figured out how to use the light rail, which took us straight to the airport (and saved us a lot of money!) We LOVED Seattle for the long weekend and were thankful that the weather cooperated!

If we would have had more time, we would have visited the Seattle Aquarium, took the ferry, took a day trip to Portland, Oregon or Vancouver, BC, or explored the underground. There are also a variety of museums to keep you occupied during your whole trip!

Headed to Seattle? Be prepared to see A LOT of Starbucks, don’t forget good walking shoes, and be ready to have a lot of fun! I would suggest taking a tour the first day, if you are a newbie, to get to know the city and point out places you would like to explore further on the trip. Overall, have a great time!