A Fling with Seattle, Day 2

(day 1)

We woke up the next morning, exhausted, but determined not to let lack of sleep ruin our best day.

(above photo of Sedae: she was mad that she couldn't be walking on her own. Girlfriend loved to walk the city.)

First stop, Top Pot Doughnuts.


Hand forged, trans fat free, and full of flavor.


This is also the scene of the crime for poor, dear Tayden.

He pulled himself up to a table we were about to sit down at and our fresh poured coffees spilled all over him. It was so awful.

I quick pulled his pants and shoes off (where it all spilled).

Yeah, in the doughnut shop.

Oh, the looks.

It was parenting at its most awesome.

We took him back to the hotel to change and went walking to find the ferry. For the kids' first boat ride!


Easy to say they loved it. We looked for sharks in the water. (didn't see any ;))

We had taken the ferry to Bainbridge island. It was adorable. Loved.

From the ferry dock we walked all the way around downtown, down to the marina, and had lunch at Doc's.

Warm sun. Sitting at the marina. With our two kiddos. Eating great food and drinks.

Rich and I couldn't get past that moment of absolute perfection. It was the most memorable part of the trip.


Before heading back to the ferry we stopped for ice cream at Mora Iced Creamery. I got lemon bar and dark chocolate. It was so creamy and delicious.


We had to sprint (yes, again) a good mile, to get back to the ferry on time. Made it with one minute to spare.


From the dock we walked straight to another restaurant...at the Space Needle!

But that was another hike and a half.

And we were tired of walking.

But lacking other options (the horse carriage and bike pulley said they wouldn't go up the hill...we should've taken that as a clue to hunt down a taxi) we pressed on, carrying a kid most of the time, and finally made it.

We stopped for some quick photos at the Frank Gerhy EMP building.


Inside the Space Needle, we took the epic elevator ride to the restaurant and were seated at the window! The whole restaurant rotates while you're sitting and eating, in a full circle in 47 minutes. We saw the same views about 3 times. Another wonderful meal, service and memories.


(photo above: I ordered a drink with dry ice, that made it bubble and smoke. Sedae was not fond of it. Her face was classic.)


The last thing we had to do was take the monorail from the Space Needle conveniently right back to our hotel (it only stops once). We were full, happy, and tired of walking. It was also the kids' first "train" ride. It was so fun riding up over the city.


Back at the hotel, we had a wonderful nights sleep (as our next door neighbors were gone) and headed home the next morning. Thanks Seattle, for another memorable trip. See you again soon!

A Fling with Seattle, Day 1

Our little fam took a mini vacation to Seattle last week.

We had the best time ever.

Well, mostly.

Some absurd things happened on our 2 day trip.

Like a lady having a seizure in a restaurant and having to call 911.

Like getting into a fight with our hotel neighbors and security being called.

(got your attention huh? not quite that dramatic, but it'll make you keep reading)

Like Tayden pulling a table and pouring an entire hot cup of coffee onto himself.

Aside from that, we did what we love to do best: eat and discover. We walked everywhere. Which was good, for all the eating we did.

Another great thing about this trip? I marked two things off my 1001 list! (That list needs more attention.)

There are so many great places and pictures to share (I'll apologize now for the crappy photo quality, all I had was my trusty iPhone) that this will be a two posts.

The first day we checked into our room and the kids (and truthfully, us too) went nuts! It was a perfect introduction to our trip with views of the sea, Pikes Market and some fun only-in-Seattle window art of a beloved childhood icon.


We headed downtown for dinner, determined to eat Beecher's famous mac & cheese, when a poor woman had a seizure in the shop, and we had to call 911. Luckily there was a nurse dining there that started administering help to her. We soon realized the cramped little shop was about to get a lot more full, so we pushed on.

And around.

And circled back again.

Couldn't find anywhere that looked good to sit down, with kids.


So we ended up at Hard Rock.

I know, we were in Seattle and we ate at Hard Rock.

But, the service was friendly and the kids loved the music and loud atmosphere. Pretty good burger too. But not the margarita (this whole trip ended up being a marathon of trying margaritas). Save your money here folks.


The one place I had to go on this trip was Marie & Freres Chocolate. And we literally ran 15 city blocks, just to make it there before they closed (good way to work off that burger). It was so worth it too.


We sampled about a dozen different chocolates, and their famous macaroon. The kids ended up with chocolate pops and us, a bag full of favorites like said macaroon, their coconut dark chocolate, cinnamon, spicy and the ultimate dark chocolate and pop rocks. So delish!


Unfortunately, our great first day ended badly as we were wall-buddies with the wild rumpus room and we not only had to call hotel security (they fought back, mama bear claws came out, it was ugly) and we got no sleep that night.

(see day 2)