PNW - Part 1: Seattle

I finally got to visit the PNW! Seattle and Portland to be specific. People have always told me that I'd really enjoy the PNW..and I must say, they were correct. This was our first trip as a family of four.  Erin had already been on a plane a few times before, but I could tell she enjoyed traveling this time around (probably because she's older). She was beyond excited to ride on an airplane and she was so looking forward to seeing her uncle and riding in his car. The girls did great on the flights and other than Ava having trouble sleeping at night, I'd say this trip was a success! We lucked out with the weather too. It only rained one day (only for a few hours) in Seattle and it ended up being a lot cooler than expected. We even needed a jacket. Score (I hate hot weather)! Ken's brother lives in Seattle, so we were able to crash at his place and even got to drive his car while we were there. Tons of money saved right there! 

I definitely liked the vibe in Seattle. It was SO green. The city had the right amount of chill and hustle. It was nice getting away from the crazy hot weather here in socal and it was also great seeing old friends. I feel like we could have used a few more days there. I guess we'll just have to take another trip back up (maybe sans kids?).

We walked tons and ate tons. Here are a few highlights.

Top places to eat in Seattle (ranked):

1. Pike Place Chowder - Their claim chowder is seriously so yummy. The line was long, but it went by fast. Took about 30 minutes to get our food. So stanking good.
2. Bakery Nouveau - Everything at this bakery was delicious. It was like heaven for me because I love pastries and sweets. I got the quiche Lorraine and a bunch of other pastries. Ken got the baked ham and cheese croissant.Two thumbs up!
3. Ellenos - I'm not a huge fan of Greek yogurt, but this one is really good. Wish they sold it down here.
4. Un Bien - These sandwiches were quite delicious. I'd recommend the seared scallop and Caribbean roast.
5. The Crumpet Shop - This place has cute little crumpets with all sorts of topping choices. Didn't really know what a crumpet was before eating here, but they're like muffins that are crispy on the outside and chewy/spongy on the inside. My favorite was the butter, with fresh preserves and ricotta cream cheese.

*Shiro's - This one isn't on my list above, because we didn't actually eat this while we were in Seattle. We wanted to eat some sushi, but we just couldn't make it happen. Ken's brother ended up driving it down to us in Portland! The fish was great and that Tamago..it seriously tastes like cake.


Things to do in Seattle:

• Hike - Lots of hiking trails around Seattle. It rained the day we decided to hike so we had to cut it short, but we just hung out by the lake and soaked in all the fresh air.
• Pike's Market/Downtown - Lots to do and see in downtown, especially around Pike's market. I wish I lived there so I could buy and take home some flowers. The flowers are so cheap in Seattle!
• Space Needle - We didn't go up the Space Needle, but we got to see it. We went over to Kerry Park to take pictures of the skyline.
• Gas Works Park - This park doesn't really have a kids playground, but it's really big with tons of grass. Erin was able to run around and play with rocks and whatnot. We also brought our lunch and had a little picnic. This park has a great view of the city too.

 

*I'll be posting about our time in Portland soon.