Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories-Sleepless in Seattle

Day 1:

Mount Rainier to Seattle was a quick drive compared to what we had been experiencing--it ended up taking us about 2.5 hours to our hotel-The Mediterranean. Our hotel was a great little spot with a gorgeous rooftop and spacious rooms. Our room was upgraded and our view looked out onto the Elliot Bay. After check-in, our first stop was up to Pike Market. It was crazy crowded but we still managed to grab a few bites to eat and cocktails. Our first spot was Beecher’s Handmade cheese were we split a Mac & Cheese and Grilled Cheese sandwich. We walked through the market and spotted the famous fish stands, walked by the first ever Starbucks, and smelled the beautiful flowers.

After Pike Market, we decided to head down to Smith Tower for a little history and a cocktail. The Smith Tower included a beautiful panoramic views of the city that dates back to the early 1900s.with some rich history. We took the elevator which made you feel like you were traveling back in time to the Prohibition style Bar. I opted to have the bartender create a cocktail for me after letting him know what pallet flavors I enjoyed.

After the Smith Tower, we were a little hungry and knew we needed to get changed for the evening, so we opted to go back to the Queen Anne area for a little Happy Hour. We chose Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar. Their oysters were AMAZING-our favorites were the Pacific Oysters.

For dinner---I made my first mistake of the trip <cringe>. I swore I made reservations at the Pink Door as it was so highly recommended; unfortunately when I called I found out that I did not make the reservations. I was really upset about this, but we opted to try to get on the waiting list. The universe did a little magic for me and there were two perfect spots left at the bar as we entered. This restaurant is located on a side street in the center of Pike Market and is recognizable by, you may have guessed, a pink door. It was a cozy venue that made me feel like I was back in Italy. One of their signature dishes is spinach pasta Lasagna---something I normally would not order out, but opted to try. I was so glad I did because it melted in my mouth.

After dinner we hit up a few bars-one being Nest, a popular rooftop bar that would have totally been our vibe if we were in our early 20s-before meeting up with an old colleague at Radiator Whiskey. It was great to meet up with Serg, an east coast friend, now west coast living. We caught up on his adventures before he walked us around a bit, showing us the gum wall and a few other staple venues in the area that were much easier to see at night than in the crowded day.

Day 2:

Our last official day of our trip. We were sad this day had come but we were also ready to head back home. However, Mark booked us the red eye, so we still had a whole day to explore Seattle. We grabbed some breakfast before taking in the last few minutes of relaxation and views of our hotel room and packing our belongings.

We decided to walk around the Queen Anne area and finally find some good Seattle Coffee. We found a place called La Marzocco--as I sip my Starbucks, I can still taste this beautiful Cherry coffee that I needed to add nothing to in order to enjoy. I am honestly not a huge coffee lover, but man this stuff was good. It was also a real live radio station which was cool because they were recording while we were there. We next opted to walk around the area of the space needle---there were some beautiful parks, fountains, the museum of Pop Culture and more! It was a great way to end our last time walking around the city.

We grabbed our car from the hotel and headed to find some lunch. We first stopped at Kerry Park which is a scenic spot where many movies have been shot such as 10 Things I Hate About You. Then we made our way to Chinook’s’ for lunch. It was a beautiful location on the Salmon Bay viewing the boats and workers near the water. After lunch we stopped at the Fremont Troll under the bridge which is another 10 Things I Hate About You as well as the show Once Upon a Time. Our last official stop was at the flagship REI store which was a great stop to experience.

As we turned in our minivan, checked in our bags, and said our final goodbyes to the Seattle gloom, it seemed as though it was the perfect way to end. As I write this final chapter to reminisce about our trip, I still get a bit sad wishing I could relive those two weeks. I can’t begin to put into words the way this experience made me feel. It truly reflects the purpose of travel in my mind-growth in my mind, in my relationship, and in my soul. I also never knew that it could be possible to spend two full weeks with only one other person and feel even happier at the end. I hope one day we will experience another trip similar to this and I hope anyone reading this can take the opportunity to do the same. This is not a trip that I would have planned in my own mind and am so thankful that Mark gets the ball rolling for these adventures, so I can fill in the stops. Ironically, we embark on our trip to Florida tomorrow and I can’t wait to add to our memory bank!