Seattle, Washington
I took a quick trip to Seattle to join my husband before his conference there started. The food was amazing and the weather was misty! They aren’t lying when they say it’s always raining in Seattle. It’s more of a mist, but a good raincoat and a heavy jacket on top kept me dry. Since we were just coming back from Paris, this itinerary is not fully built out.
Seattle is home to the first-ever Starbucks, which opened in 1971 at Pike Place Market — making coffee a must every day.
DETAILS
When — Dec. 8 - Dec. 11, 2018
Where — Seattle, Washington
Highlights — Asian cuisine
Flights
12/11/2018
7:05am PST— 1:16pm CST: Seattle to Houston
2:25pm CST — 5:37pm EST: Houston to Knoxville
12/08/2018
9:05am EST — 10:35am MST : Knoxville to Denver
11:20am MST — 1:23pm: Denver to Seattle
Lodging
Sheraton Grand Seattle, 400 6th Avenue
We stayed at the hotel where my husband's conference would take place. It was about a 30-minute Uber ride to the hotel from the airport, and the best part was its central location. I was able to walk almost everywhere.
Transportation
Airport to AirBnB (vice versa) — Uber
Getting Around —Uber and walking
Schedule
Day 1: Arrival and explore International District
Arrive at hotel and change for dinner
Explore the International District — We walked around the district and stopped for a photo op at the Historic Chinatown Gate, located at 5th and King Street.
Dessert: Young Tea, 609 S. Weller Street — This location is no longer open but any tea shop in the district would be great. We grabbed a cup of the signature hot milk tea and a dessert to end the night.
Day 2: Seattle Sights
Breakfast: Biscuit Bitch, 1901 1st Ave
Explore Waterfront Park — Despite the drizzle, we ventured to Waterfront Park after breakfast. While there, we took a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. At the time the tickets were only $10 each, they have since gone up to about $20.
Visit Pike Place Market, 1st Ave and Pike St.— A Seattle must! We spent several hours just walking around the market. The Visitors Center has a walking guide booklet to help you plan your path. Highlights are the Gum Wall, the original Starbucks, and the fish throwing at the seafood stalls. Great places to eat include:
Jack’s Fish Spot
Pike Place Chowder
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
4:00 pm: Seattle Space Needle, 400 Broad St. — You have to buy a timed entry to visit the Needle. We opted to visit during sunset.
Happy Hour: Taylor Shellfish , 124 Republican St — When near the ocean you must eat seafood. For a pre-dinner happy hour we stopped for oysters at Taylor Shellfish. The restaurant has several locations across Seattle. This location is a short 10 minute walk from the Needle.
Dinner: Yu-Mei’s Uptown-China, 200 Queen Anne Ave N. — Easily the best food we ate in Seattle! Just a short walk from Taylor Shellfish, Yu-Mei’s has some of the best Chinese food every and it wasn’t crowded. The General Tso and Dry Sautéed String Beans were our favorite.
Day 3 : Walking Around
For Day 3, I was on my own. My husband’s conference officially started so I took the time to get my steps in before I headed out early the next morning.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery, 1124 Pike St. — After sleeping in, I started with a leisure coffee and pastry at Starbucks Reserve, basically a super fancy Starbucks. It was neat to see it and I also made sure to bring home some of the beans they had available.
Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave — The weather was still iffy so I took time to check out the public library. The building had unique architecture and was nice to rest and see what books they had.
Shopping: Nordstrom, 500 Pine St. — We don’t have Nordstrom where we live so I walked over for some shopping after lunch. Along the way I stopped in some local shops as well.
