Once we returned from our trip to Seattle we recapped our adventures with friends and family.  They were so many times we said, “nope we didn’t get a chance for that.” Our days were full, plus we did have plenty of down time, but 5 days in Seattle is just not enough.  The best part is that we can definitely look forward to a return trip in the near future, but in the mean time here are some of the fun things we did and some of the best food we ate!

As you’ve heard me say before, my husband is a professional civil engineer and land surveyor as well as a lover of all things historical, functional, and cool.  If you like any of those things, visit the Hiram M. Chittenden Ballard Locks just outside downtown Seattle.  Think Panama Canal but on a much smaller scale.  The grounds has gorgeous English Gardens, a visitor’s center, two locks (large and small), and a fish ladder that is really unique.  This is a family friendly place, it’s free, and there are free tours to get even more information.  If you want to see the locks in action, check out my second slide on this Instagram post and press play, https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj5sE49B9lS/ (it’s REALLY cool). I have to admit I wasn’t jumping up and down excited, I went because my husband was interested.  I left totally fascinated and had a million questions for my husband as we sat down for lunch.  I love it when that happens!

After the locks, we decided on Mexican food for lunch.  I know, we were in Seattle, but we love what we love!  So we’re in Ballard, and we find this spot El Borracho that has scratch-made Mexican food so we stop in for a beer or two.  There’s outdoor dining, but inside has character!  

The tacos were out of this world and waitress claims they have the best margaritas in the PNW!  I get a tinga de pollo taco, but the Coca-Cola braised carnitas taco is where it’s at!  My husband got the carnitas burrito and I helped him finish it off, and we’re happy to learn there’s another location in Pike Place Market near our hotel.  We rarely eat at the same location twice when we’re exploring a new city, but this will sure tempt you!

Walking around the city from our hotel, we walked past Seattle Beer Company twice before we strolled in.  We ordered a flight and my husband pulled a cold can of Rainier from the fridge.  Two levels of seating with the lower level full of tvs, we just outside the lower level to enjoy some local brews.  I’m still learning about beer so I love sampling flights.  I chose Wander Irish it were Redder, Orlison Oragelicious, and Bad Jimmy’s Habenero Amber.  The Amber was my favorite although there’s no way I could take more than a sip every five minutes.  The spice from the chili was forward and present all the way down your throat.  I love spicy food, but drinks are new.  I craved more and more, and hoped it would settle down in the hot department but it never did.  When the rain came down we moved inside and enjoyed our unlimited pretzels ($2 a bowl) around a table covered in a Seattle map.

Speaking of Rainier beer, it was $4 at Seattle Beer Co., when we went to the Seattle Mariners game a few days later, that same beer was $14 a can!  That’s a dollar less than what we paid for each ticket thanks to Mariners’ Value Games.  We sat in the View Level seats and what it view it was!  We watched the sun go down somewhere close to 10pm and had the city skyline including the Space Needle in plain sight.  I couldn’t imagine sitting anywhere else when we watched Nelson Cruz and Mike Trout hit two homeruns each that night.  We’ve been to 5 major league ball parks on our quest to see the 30-some there are. If you’re a baseball fan, it’s worth the time and when staying downtown it’s easy to jump on the Link Light Rail to get to the stadium for under $4 per person.

There’s nothing I love more than wine tasting, except maybe wine and chocolate pairings!  In Downtown Seattle we happened upon Chocolate Box, upon walking in your senses are overloaded with the alluring chocolate aroma and frankly you just can’t leave without some.  There are wine and chocolate gift ideas from ceiling to floor and in the back of the store you’ll find a bar and some tables where you can enjoy a tasting.  I chose the Spring Favorites flight that includes, Scarpetta Brut Rosé, Amity White Pinot Noir,  and Airfield Sangiovese Rosé paired with Chocolate and Sea Salt Cashews, Vanilla Salted Milk Caramel, and Lemon Pepper in White Chocolate in that order.  My husband tried the Washington Whites, Forgeron Cellars Chardonnay, Anne Amie Cuvee, and Lone Birch Riesling paired with Vanilla Salted Milk Caramel, Lavender Sea Salt Caramel, and Sea Salt in Milk Chocolate.  I honestly could have enjoyed both flights to myself, they were all so delicious and it was a wonderful way to escape the rain for a few hours.

If you want to leave the city like we did, drive to Snoqualmie, Washington.  The Snoqualmie Falls are so beautiful and peaceful, it’s a great way to take in some nature in the Pacific Northwest.  Just about 30 miles from Seattle, the falls drop from 268 feet high with the width ranging from 50 to 150 feet, depending on water levels.  It’s been said that they’re most beautiful in inclement weather, but we had a light drizzle and they were stunning just the same.  Most parking is free aside from some premium spots near the gift shop.  My husband hiked down to the lower observation deck, about 15 minute walk/hike down and 15 minutes back.  We later drove down and parked (free) and I took this shot:

Again my husband loves the history and here’s what he found out…”In 1889, the town of Snoqualmie was platted by Charles Baker, a civil engineer. He also constructed an underground power plant at the falls in the 1890s (those original generators are still functioning today). The power plant resulted in electricity and jobs for locals, and soon a small company town was established at the falls. In 1911, a second powerhouse was constructed.”

Of course we had seafood in Seattle.  Ivar’s at the waterfront was recommended to us by a few people and it was delicious!  My husband loves clams, so the chowder sampler was perfect for him.  Northwest-style White Clam Chowder, Salmon and Corn Chowder and NW Seafood Chowder came along-side a Space Needle Golden IPA and paired well.  He enjoyed the flavor-forward salmon chowder the most while I ordered spicy cod tacos.

One morning walk took us to a French bakery called La Parisienne.  The pastries available have your mouth watering immediately:  croissant, pain au chocolat, tarte citron meringuée, tarte à l’abricot.  I could decipher each delectable from their latin roots, but we ultimately passed on sugary choices and shared a baguette sandwich, boring right? Well it hit the spot, the Le Parisien included ham with a tang from the cornichons.  I did include a freshly squeezed orange juice that was luscious but packed a hefty $5 price tag for a tiny glass.

Our last morning in Seattle found us at Pike Place Market’s Lowell’s Restaurant with three levels of dining overlooking Elliott Bay. On the first and third floors, you order first with the cashier/barista and then find a view seat and your food is brought to you with a number. The second floor “View Lounge” offers traditional “sit down” table service as well as a full bar selection of unique handmade cocktails, microbrews, and wine. It is here on the second floor guests may choose from either the above mentioned view of the waterfront seating or a booth overlooking the parade of people shopping below that is acknowledged as the best “people watching spot in Seattle.” We chose the second floor and ordered a Lowell’s classic bloody Mary and breakfast.  My husband had the All American with sausage and eggs while I opted for the grilled sourdough sandwich with eggs, cheese, spinach, tomatoes and sausage.  Oh so good, but way too much food, I don’t think we had lunch that day for sure! Next time we will share, but nonetheless check it out!

I had to have pizza, it’s my all-time weakness and favorite food.  Serious Pie is a cool, unique spot to dine.  The place is pretty tiny and they make up for it by seating everyone family-style at communal tables.  Pizzas, salads, and desserts are what you can expect plus a good wine and beer selection.  We shared a mixed lettuce and radish salad, and a sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers, and provolone pizza and it was just enough.  Most people around us were ordering the $18+ pizzas individually but we were pushing the scales this trip so we often choose to share our meals.

So what do you think?  Ready to explore Seattle?  Don’t forget, I wrote a full article on the Seattle CityPASS that you should look into as well, five iconic Seattle attractions for nearly 50% off!  Also, I wrote about where to stay, Warwick Seattle and Hotel Andra (coming soon), so be sure to read those posts and consider their prime downtown Seattle locations. We can’t wait to visit again, feel free to add more ideas for our round 2 in the comments!

When you visit a new city, your to-do and must-see lists can be overwhelming. It was for us as we planned our trip to Seattle, Washington. We had information and suggestions coming from all angles, friends that once lived in the area sent us a 20-item checklist, other friends gave us a what not to waste time on list, and then there was our personal list that we were eager to experience.  After we chiseled away at all our options, there were a few things that remained constant.  We wanted to experience the Space Needle and wanted to get on the water somehow.  We looked into the Seattle CityPASS and learned they offer a booklet of coupons for 5 great city excursions for nearly half off the regular admission prices.  It was just the thing we needed to see some iconic Seattle venues on our visit.The booklets are easy to purchase online (for a voucher to print or booklet mailed to you) or at the first location you visit.  Once you visit your first attraction, then your booklet is good for nine consecutive days.  We were only traveling for 5 days so we hoped to have time to experience as many as possible.  Here are the excursions available on the Seattle CityPASS and take note that 2 choices are “select one of two options” which may depend on who you’re traveling with:

1. Space Needle
Includes: Day/Night admission, including two visits to the top: one during the day and a second same-day visit during the last three hours of operation. Head up and see what all the oohhhs and ahhhhhs are about: unparalleled views of Mt. Rainer to the south, the Cascade range to the East, and the majestic Olympics to the West. Zoom in on the action below with a Swarovski telescope, for free. Explore the Space Needle’s history and Seattle’s sights like never before with award-winning interactive technology.

2. Seattle Aquarium
Includes: General admission to all major exhibits, plus interpretive shows. Step through a short tunnel into the one-of-a-kind underwater dome. You’ll get a 360-degree view into a mammoth 400,000-gallon tank filled with hundreds of fascinating Puget Sound fish! Meet a fabulous assortment of charming and entertaining marine mammals: gregarious sea otters, river otters, harbor seals and fur seals. Discover some of the most interesting and eye-catching animals that make their homes in the warm waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Experience a one-of-a-kind glimpse into life under the surface of Puget Sound at the Window on Washington Waters exhibit, a mammoth 120,000-gallon exhibit filled with more than 800 fish and invertebrates indigenous to the Pacific Northwest’s local waters.

3. Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour
Includes: A one-hour narrated Harbor Cruise Tour. Take in amazing views of the Seattle skyline, Elliott Bay waterfront, the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, shipping terminals, and historic neighborhoods. Discover interesting facts about waterfront piers, Seattle’s maritime history and Space Needle from the expert narration offered on the cruise. Catch a glimpse of container ships and The Washington State ferry fleet — the largest in the U.S.

4a. Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
Includes: General admission. Explore the tools of rock’n’roll in Sound Lab, where you can play instruments, jam out with friends in soundproof rooms, and record your own song. Travel to a pixelated world of wonder and play in Indie Game Revolution, and get the whole family in on the fun by playing one of the twenty featured single and multiplayer games. Trace the historical development of the signature instrument of rock ‘n’ roll in Guitar Gallery: The Quest for Volume, presenting 55 vintage, world-changing guitars from the 1770s to the present. Travel alongside the legendary Jimi Hendrix at the height of his fame in Wild Blue Angel: Hendrix Abroad, 1966-1970.

~~OR~~

4b. Woodland Park Zoo
Includes: General admission. See the world’s first sustainable penguin exhibit, using geothermal technology to cool and heat the water. Visit naturalistic habitats that take you from Alaska’s tundra (Northern Trail) to Australia & New Zealand to South America & Africa. Meet a vast assortment of amazing animals at The Temperate Forest, African Savanna and Tropical Rain Forest. Immerse yourself in the desert coast of Peru with the state-of-the-art Humboldt penguin exhibit. Don’t miss the state-of-the-art Banyan Wilds exhibit, home to tigers and sloth bears!

5a. Chihuly Garden and Glass
Includes: General admission, plus a complimentary audio tour (smartphone required). Enter the 40-foot tall glass and steel Glasshouse, the centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass and home to an expansive 100-foot long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows and amber. Meander the garden paths lined with trees, plants and flowers, including Crimson camellias, scarlet daylilies, dogwoods, hardy fuchsias and handkerchief trees that provide the setting for the Crystal and Icicle Towers and an installation of Reeds on Logs. At the center of this lush landscape, on a bed of black mondo grass, is the Sun, an explosion of yellow and orange. Explore the comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly’s significant series of work in the eight galleries and three Drawing Walls.

~~OR~~

5b. Pacific Science Center
Includes: General admission. Learn how personal choices can positively affect our health and well-being at Professor Wellbody’s Academy of Health and Wellness, a 7000-square foot permanent exhibit that presents health as a life-long process of balancing exercise, diet, proper rest and hygiene. Enjoy year-round sunshine in the Tropical Butterfly House! Watch beautiful, exotic butterflies fly, sun themselves and feed among tropical flowers. See a brand-new butterfly emerge in the chrysalis viewing window. New butterflies are released into the exhibit each morning. Travel back to the Mesozoic Era in Dinosaurs: A Journey Through Time, where you’ll meet 7 dinosaurs in a lifelike environment. See live creatures of all kinds, from the domestic to the exotic. Animal displays feature reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including a colony of East African naked mole rats. Get a personal tour of the universe in the planetarium, where you’ll be guided by a live planetarian who will answer your questions and tailor the show to your interests.

Our first adventure took us on the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour.  We visited the ticket booth at Pier 55 and it was quick and easy to exchange our voucher for the Seattle CityPASS booklet and then receive our timed boarding pass.  It’s suggested you arrive back 45 minutes prior to departure, but we were lucky to have just 10 minutes to the next boat so we quickly walked over next door to Pier 56 from the ticket booth.  The tour is one hour long and during the summer there are between 6-10 cruises each day.  Once on board, there’s a full-service bar to purchase both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, and even a meat and cheese platter.  We made our way to the outside deck before we set sail so we could take in all the great sights around Elliott Bay.

The live narration was both informative and fun as the passengers were involved in a lot of Q&A.  The weather was mild with some sprinkles, but you can move about the boat as you wish, with indoor seating available.  The water was calm, the boat ride was relaxing and close to the middle of our cruise the sun broke through, unfortunately Mt. Rainier was still covered by clouds. Argosy Cruises offer many different cruise types and can be upgraded to from the Seattle CityPASS.

Our next adventure was to the Space Needle.  As we drove around the city in our rental car, we would spy it here and there in the distance, and of course we saw it on our Harbor Tour. Built in 1962 for the World’s Fair, up close and personal the Space Needle shoots upward to 605 feet where you can stroll inside and out of it’s observation deck in the “saucer” at 520 feet.  Information my civil engineer-husband loved learning was “An underground foundation was poured into a hole 30’ deep and 120’ across. It took 467 cement trucks an entire day to fill the hole, and the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West. Once the pour was completed, the foundation weighed as much as the Space Needle itself, establishing the center of gravity just five feet above ground.”

The elevator that takes you up reminds me of the “Wonka-vator” in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie, and you’re led up with a guide who fills you in with as much information as 41 seconds allows.  There was construction going on (continuing through the summer) but the 360 degree bird’s eye views were phenomenal including a peek at some of the Olympic mountains. 

After your tour, the elevator drops you off into a 360 degree Spacebase gift shop for all the souvenir’s you can imagine, including a Space Needle-shaped foot-long pepper grinder I almost bought!

Because we only had 5 days in the city and we did so many other things, we fit in one last excursion from the Seattle CityPASS.  We toured the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop).  This is a great option if the weather is rainy and you don’t want to get soaked exploring!  When you walk into the building you’re enchanted by the Sky Church central area that boasts 65-foot ceilings, an awe-inspiring 33’ x 60’ HD LED screen, state-of-the-art acoustics and a wide variety of lighting effects.  Michael Jackson’s Thriller was being projected and I couldn’t tear my eyes from it as I sat with a crowd watching and eventually dancing to the experience.

My husband scurried down the stairs to the Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction exhibit where I found him in front of Mork from Ork’s costume.  I was immediately transformed to the 80’s watching television at my grandparent’s house after school.  With over 150 artifacts from iconic science fiction movies and TV, this was probably my favorite section of the museum.

The Seattle rock band Nirvana has a cool exhibit as does Pearl Jam and Jimi Hendrix, all were my husband’s favorite spots to explore, read, and listen.  If you are a Marvel fan, you’ll be happy to know there’s a special exhibit (for an additional $8 charge for CityPASS holders) featuring more than 300 original artifacts including iconic artwork, costumes, and props from comics and films.

The sound lab was totally fascinating and was clearly the most popular area of the museum.  I scratched like the best of them in the DJ Hallway and watched a few people jam on the guitar.  There are also twelve acoustically isolated rooms known as studio pods, containing interactive devices, gear, and traditional instruments. I’d hope to “take a lesson” but this area was jam-packed with people and many creating a waiting line.

We clearly spent nearly 3 hours here and feel as we only touched the surface.  It was a pleasant surprise on our itinerary.

Our Seattle CityPASS gave us the opportunity to experience what we wanted in the city as well as introduced us to a few other excursions we didn’t have on our radar but welcomed.  CityPASS discount booklets are available in 13 nationwide cities like San Francisco, New York City, Boston and also Toronto, Canada.  If you’re interested in saving money while you travel, check out their website and pick one up for your next vacation, https://www.citypass.com.

Booklets were given for review, all opinions are 100% our own.