This post is long overdue. My full transition into adulthood made me lose track of everything and my blogging efforts fell by the wayside. I don't think that should be an excuse though, and I blame myself for not trying hard enough to keep up with this blog even after finally moving in to my new apartment. But more of that will come. Fellow reader, please enjoy this travel photo essay.
I turned 22 last month and had an itch to travel, so I spent my birthday weekend in the gorgeous greenery and sapphire skies of Seattle, the Emerald City as many call it. The city is a great place to go to if you want to make a short weekend trip! My boyfriend Austin and I spent 3 nights and 2 days in Seattle (arrived late Thursday night, left Sunday morning) and packed it with lots of activities! Here's some of the highlights:
Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill is a lovely, quaint neighborhood that reminded me so much of England because of all the greenery! Everywhere we walked there were fresh green trees and bushes. The neighborhood is not far from Downtown Seattle, which is a 30-40 min bus ride away and a 15 minute car ride away. It's close to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport as well! If you need a place to stay in Seattle, I definitely recommend Beacon Hill!
Downtown Seattle
I loved being in the actual city of Seattle and being able to look at the city skyscrapers. All the shops are in close proximity, so you don't have to walk too far to go from shopping to grabbing coffee or a quick bite to eat! There are also some pretty nice boutiques in Downtown Seattle, such as Etiquette, where I bought a very cute beige jacket, perfect for the Seattle weather!
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is easily my most favorite part of Seattle. Every step you take brings waves of smells ranging from fresh coffee, sweet pastries, warm bread, french fries, fried fish, and burgers. Anything you can think of, Pike Place probably has it. My boyfriend Austin and I grabbed Mr. D's Greek Delicacies for lunch and it was heavenly.
We also stopped by Mee Sum Pastries for their flavorful chicken hombow and red bean sesame balls, and Jack's Fish Spot for clam chowder and garlic fries. Pike Place is not just for food though -- you can find trinkets to buy and places to visit, like the Left Banks Books and the Gum Wall.
Chihuly Gardens and Glass
After spending as much time as we could at Pike Place, to Chihuly Gardens, which is 25 minutes away. We ordered tickets online for their best value deal, which got us access to both the Space Needle and Chihuly Gardens for just $36 (for context, separate regular tickets cost $22 for Space Needle and $27 for Chihuly Gardens, so this was a steal)! A great thing about buying online is that you can get the tickets straight to your phone, so you don’t have to print them out if you have no access to a printer. Just show up with your ticket bar code and they’ll scan you in!
If you have never been to Space Needle of the Chihuly Gardens, they are necessary go-to! The Chihuly Gardens is a beautiful exhibit with seas of studio glass art in each room, designed by Dale Chihuly himself. The dim lighting and the brightly colored glass made everything look so ethereal. One of the best things about the exhibit was that you could take your time and sit down to admire the artwork. Luckily there were outlets close by so Austin and I took our time to rest and take in the breathtaking view of the glass art and pieces. They also have paintings, woven fabric, and flower gardens.
Space Needle
Of course a first time trip to Seattle is incomplete without heading to the Space Needle! Since we bought our tickets beforehand, we headed straight to the line, where we got our picture taken and headed to the elevator, which took us about 500 floors to the observation deck area. The view was spectacular to say the least. We arrived at around 7PM, a perfect time to take pictures during the summer time since the sun doesn’t set until 9PM! Austin and I were able to snag some tables next to the view and toast a wonderful day to some wine.
Fremont Troll
Fremont Troll is an interesting art project Seattle developed that looks like a literal troll underneath the freeway. Besides the ominous feeling of looking into those blank eyes of the troll, it’s a pretty cool tourist site. I probably won’t come back to it if I ever visit Seattle again since the troll itself is out of the way, but it’s nice to stop by and snap a picture to say you saw the famous Fremont Troll.
Kerry Park
This last highlight was the perfect ending to a wonderful time in Seattle. We spent majority of the evening admiring the skyline and taking pictures of it. It’s definitely a spectacle when the sun begins to set and the lights begin to twinkle.
