Two years ago the opportunity to live in Seattle for a summer presented itself to me and after much deliberation and weeks of packing I went for it. That summer is still one of the best summers I’ve ever had. It was like one of those summer adventures that you see on a TV show, I had a fabulous internship, roommates for the first time ever, and weekends full of adventure! I met some great people that summer and am lucky to still call them friends. I also fell in love with Seattle that summer, from the great restaurants, colorful people, and ability to take a break from hustle and bustle by taking a hike in the mountains. So when I found myself debating what I wanted to do for labor day weekend I called up a friend (or texted) and asked if she wanted a house guest for a long weekend!
*I don’t think it crossed her mind that she would be cleaning bird poop out of my abundantly curly hair with receipt paper while walking downtown during my visit but what are friends for right?! (yes I have a video of this memorable event)
PS Thanks again Rachel!
And so the travel adventure began…
Getting there
Unfortunately I booked my trip to Seattle before I knew my hometown would come face to face with one of the biggest natural disasters of the year (Hurricane Harvey). After roughly 3 hours on the phone with the airline I got a reasonable flight plan… you know instead the one where they wanted my to fly from Austin>Dallas>Los Angeles (have a 12 hour layover)>San Fransisco>Seattle, you can imagine my dismay as my original flight plan was Houston to Seattle in roughly 4 hours… Needless to say 3 hours later instead of flying out of Houston I flew out of Austin and got to Seattle no problem…
The Journey home… I thought for sure this would be less chaotic.. I was wrong. My timely friend got me to the airport in enough time for me to change into my comfy flying clothes and possibly have a meal before my red eye flight home so that I could make it to my morning meeting for work. Got to my assigned gate which was no longer my gate when I arrived there so I took the train to my new gate. When I arrived I instantly got a ding on my phone with a flight delay notification… no biggie flight delayed an hour well an hour turned into 2 then 3 then 4… This time it wasn’t hurricanes it was wild fires in California. That being said I spent roughly 9 hours sitting in the airport then proceeded to fly for another 7 hours. Yes I made my morning meeting but after being awake for 30+ hours when I sat down for the meeting let’s just say I couldn’t tell you how badly I wanted to crawl in the corner, curl up into a ball and sleep for however long my body wanted! Needless to say these things happen when you like to travel so it’s a risk I am most certainly willing to take.
Views
The Space Needle- It’s the obvious thing to do, I would recommend going at night around sunset to get the best views of the skyline.
Smith Tower- I did this on my most recent visit! SO WORTH IT! Not only do you get rewarded with spectacular views but the journey to the top is nothing less than epic! I won’t ruin it for you. Go check it out yourself.
Kerry Park- Killer Views of the skyline this is in the Queen Anne neighborhood.
Eats & Drinks
Molly Moon- Umm dessert before the real stuff am I right? You can order any variation of ice cream here and never make a bad decision. Plus they have tons of cute items to purchase while you’re in line (um anything that involves a puppy and an ice cream cone is worth buying).
Oddfellows- awesome bites and food ( I had the veggie lasagna) and a very hipster vibe and cool atmosphere with a cute patio out back.
The Pink Door- This is one of my favorite restaurants EVER! This is a unique little Italian restaurant that you could miss if you weren’t looking for it, though it does have a “pink door” what lies behind it is something so different and inspired you’ll just have to visit 1919 Post Alley for yourself to see why! Be sure to book your reservation ahead of time they book up quite quickly!
Ellenos Yogurt- This is not a place but a small stand in Pike Place, I am not kidding when I say that this is literally the best yogurt ever! Yes I’ve tried to have it shipped to Houston, it isn’t possible… (yet).
Westland- American Single Malt Distillery, this quaint place produces some of the best Single Malt Whiskey I have ever had! Book a tour and a tasting to get the full experience and understanding of what goes into making this outstanding product!
Hikes
Mt Rainer- awesome views of Mt. Rainer (and if your directionally challenged like myself you could find yourself walking the trail that takes you to the mountain where all the real climbers embark on their journey to the top of Rainer) I was clearly not cut out for that with my Nike shoes and no gear but I caught on quite quickly. I did get some awesome views and pictures out of it!
Snoqualmie falls – waterfalls, all the waterfalls!
Hoh Rainforest- This is a decent drive from Seattle (6 hours) but so worth it, you will drive through the city of Forks to get to and from here. If your lucky to go with a great friend like I did you can experience the wilderness together with no cell service or restrooms except for what is a sort of outhouse situation that I won’t fully go into but let’s just say the laughs we had here have left us with memories that we will never forget!
Shopping
Downtown Seattle- Offeres a lot of options from All Saints to Seattle’s own Nordstrom Flagship Store.
Pike Place- Has some great shops as well and something to strike your fancy with a huge variety of stores. This is probably the most popular thing to do in Seattle if you don’t won’t heavy crowds try going during the week. There is a lot to see here with lots of different levels and tons of shops, everything from jewelry to books to local cuisine and some of the most beautiful flowers call this place home. The original Starbucks is here as well! While you’re there be sure to visit the Gum Wall…”didn’t they just clean this?” Yes but it didn’t stay that way! This is kind of gross but sort of awesome. Go take a picture of it blow a bubble in front of it do your thing… though I wouldn’t recommend licking it or touching it but some people are brave (not this chick) but some people.
Bellingham- little further north offers a colorful crowd and some great boutique shopping.
Kirkland- Located right on Lake Washington also offers some great boutique shopping and eateries!
What to wear
It really does depend on what time of year you visit. I have only been to the PNW in the summer months which I’ve been told can be very deceiving!
I visited in late August so Seattle was going through its tail end of Summer so I did not need any rain gear. I packed mostly jeans and one pair of jean shorts and light tops that could be layered. Bring comfortable walking shoes because you’ll be walking a lot! I brought a cute pair sandals with a small heel and I ended up wearing my gold slip on espadrilles most of the time. It did get a little cooler at night so I brought a neutral leather jacket as well to throw on top of whatever outfit I had on. I would bring a cross body bag or backpack it’s just easier to carry and move around in the city with something more compact.
There is tons to keep you busy in Seattle, if you’re lucky enough to have a local as a great friend you get to do things like ride on the back of a life sized blow up duck and take a killer Instagram photo or drag this said local to all the tourist spots and make them do tourist things like eat roasted corn and take pictures of you eating your fav yogurt, and maybe if your lucky catch an awesome Mukilteo sunset on the drive home!
Here’s to your next trip to the PNW!
XOXO