S E A T T L E. Number one on my bucket list for like, I don’t know, an eternity and I FINALLY made it there. This trip turned out to be everything I wanted and so much more. Seattle wasn’t a huge foodie town, at least from my perspective, but the places we did go were AMAZING. We also did more excursions and sight seeing on this trip.
We landed around 6:00 P.M. and took the public transportation system from the airport to downtown and then an uber to our place. The tram was $2.75 a person and the uber was like $5 bucks or so, super cheap! Our Air BnB was about a 7 minute walk from Pike Place Market so we walked in that direction once we arrived, but I wouldn’t go see it because I didn’t want to ruin the morning surprise haha. We roamed, got some food and then headed to bed so we were well rested for the next three days! Some added bonuses to the days ahead—my cousin and his friend were in town and so was Gabe’s high school friend and her boyfriend! We met up at different times throughout the trip and formed a cute little Seattle family if I do say so myself!
Just a heads up: A lot of places close early in downtown Seattle–I didn’t know that either, but it seemed to be the trend when looking for food around 7:30 P.M on a Wednesday. Also, I loved that we went in May when it was warmer. The one day it was around 60 degrees w/ off and on rain but that was the worst of it, and considering we walked everywhere and did a ton of outdoor stuff I’d definitely recommend the more tolerable weather months!
Pike Place Market: I was and still am obsessed with all of it’s gloriousness. That place is bumping and grooving even during the week! I loved it all– from the seafood, to the FLOWERS, to the food, and the little shops they have!
I knew the flowers were a must for me even before I got there. They were so reasonably priced compared to any other market or florist that I’ve been to and not to mention hella beautiful. You’ll also see a bunch of people downtown carrying their recently purchased flowers so it’s clearly the thing to do!
Coffee: Known for their coffee, I’ve been told and I’ve read that the biggest mistake people when visiting Seattle is that they only drink Starbucks. Well listen Nancy, I flew all the way across the country to go to the original Starbucks and that Starbucks happened to only be a four minute yog from place of stay and I happily paid for the overpriced coffee, and yes I thoroughly enjoyed it while shopping for souvenirs like I was at Disney World! Oh, and I went back the next day as well!!
So yes, I’m sure Seattle has bomb coffee, but Starbucks is the only recommendation I have for ya and I have zero ragrats about that! Alright, tips. We got there super early around 7 A.M. and there was zero waiting (we were the only ones in there at one point). It is very much a tourist attraction so it’s kind of like come in, look around, buy something to remember us by and then keep moving (you won’t find any table or chairs in there)! Around 10:00 A.M. is when I saw the line become what everyone warned me about so if this is a must for you, just go early and you won’t have to wait!!
Seattle Bagel Company: I ordered the salmon lox on an everything bagel and it was AMAZING– a good size too! The salmon was delicious and since that was something I wanted to try while in the PNW, I decided to slap it on a bagel!
Lowell’s: We grabbed a drink here and scurried to the second floor to find a bomb window seat since it offered a beautiful view of the water! We had already eaten otherwise we would’ve ordered, but the food looked great–the basics yano? I recommended it to my cousin when he seemed to really enjoy it!
Pike Place Fish Market: This is located right down the hill from the iconic sign (there are two!!) where they toss the fish back and forth to their co-workers. This usually happens when someone buys something or when aggressive tourists ask them to do so…sorry I needed to see it twice so I knew it was real.
The Gum Wall: Located below the market is a big freaking wall of gum lol. It’s actually like at least a block or two long. It is pretty impressive and admire anything that can stand the test of time I guess!
Food
Biscuit Bitch: Gabe is obsessed with biscuits so whenever there’s a placed name after it 
we take advantage. They greet you “what’s up bitches” and if they need you to move, “hey bitch, can you just scoot over a little bit?” LOL we loved it not the mention the food was HELLA good (the names on the menu are also hysterical). It’s a walk up n’ order and take your number kind of place. We ordered the Cheesy Pork n Bitch and added two eggs on top!
The Pink Door: Ugh, just the cutest. This was highly recommended by a ton of websites and other people that had been to Seattle. There’s no sign, but you can find them by spotting a pink door! (Feel lost? Stand in front and face the original Starbucks and then walk left. Make a left at the first street and then a quick left at that cute alley and it’ll be up on your left!) The ambiance, the food, the drinks, the service was 10/10. We split some arancini for an app and then I ordered the linguine alle vongole (baby clams, pancetta, garlic, chills in white wine sauce) and a Pink Madonna since it was their signature drink (not on the menu so you have to ask)!
Top Pot: Donuts baby. I’m not a donut person but I’ve become a pro at trying them lol. We ordered the Glazed Old Fashioned (better than Blue Star) and maple chocolate. It was so yummy that it quickly became the morning routine–Starbucks for me, Top Pot for him.
Beachers’s Handmade Cheese: YOU GUYS, GO. The best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever
had in my life. Like I actually contemplated drinking the leftovers. It’s right across from the market and more than likely will be busy but 100% worth the wait.
**P.S. all of the spots I just mentioned are within a five minute walk of each other :).**
Local Public Eatery: We attempted to eat at the highly recommended Portage Bay, but it was so busy by 10/11ish that we wandered on over to the Local. This place had only a few people inside, but the reviews on Yelp were great and the ambiance with their big garage door windows was everything. The brunch ended up being a 10/10 by enjoying the recommended breakfast sandwich, an hospitable waiter, and lots of free shots. YAS BRUNCH YAS. I can’t speak for Portage Bay, but i’d highly recommend Local for a boujier brunch experience!
The next foodie spots we enjoyed were located in Capital Hill.
Paquitos: 
We sat on the patio (closed in, all natural lighting, festive decor aka LOVED) to
enjoy some coronas and nachos before roaming the area. Honestly, some of the best nachos I’ve had haha. The vibes were great and just what we were looking for, a perfect midday pick me up!
Big Mario’s: Headed here to grab Gabe a slice of NY style pizza. Super chill dive bar with a few booths and a small bar to order some za and grab a drink.
Afterwards we spotted a nearby football field, plopped our butts and laid in the sun while enjoying some conveniently packed roadpops if yano what I mean…jelly bean 🙂
The Drinking Scene:
The Nest: Located in the Thompson hotel, I can’t imagine a better view of Seattle’s insane beauty than from the patio of The Nest (w went here twice so that should speak for itself). From the water, to the ferris wheel, to Mount Rainier, it was totally breathtaking. It was packed both times, but we did get lucky and managed to find a table and or a couch to chill at, but we were also willing and okay with standing!
Frolic Kitchen and Cocktails: What appeared to be another hotspot for warm sunny days, Frolic’s patio was located in the Motif Hotel with a spacious patio, a great happy hour, and corn hole boards. We enjoyed some dranks and literally sunbathed on their deck. This bar wasn’t technically on the roof, but located on the 5th floor still offered a great vibe and a solid spot to enjoy the warm spring day.
Kellers Irish Pub: Located right across from The Pink Door, we scurried into this Irish bar and unexpectedly found a Lebanese celebration happening upstairs. The next day we concurred that we somehow crashed someone’s birthday party, so I can’t give you an accurate representation of the place because it was definitely not the norm haha but it was definitely fun!
Adventures:
Starbucks Reserve: I guess I wouldn’t call this an adventure per say but more of a highly enjoyable activity if you’re a coffee lover! The Reserve is a whole brick and mortar dedicated to the production of Starbucks’ coffee along with tastings, small plates, and alcoholic drinks. We taste tested both espresso and coffee and left there wired and ready for the day.
Kayaking: Drove over to Lake Union post brunch at Local to kayak and see some city views from a different perspective. It was a beautiful day in Seattle and for $16 bucks for the hour you couldn’t beat it.
Whale watching: Probably one of if not the best part of the trip. We rented a car through Toro, drove 1.5 hours north, and whale watched for orcas on the Pacific Ocean. We brought beer and snacks on board and it seemed like as long as you behaved, the crew was cool with it. Our time on the water was about 4 hours and I wish it never ended. Seeing the orcas was like the highlight of my life–I lived for these whales when I was little girl!! You also get to see other animals like bald eagles, sea lions and otters along with breathtaking views all around. This is something I will do again without a doubt. Keep in mind this will take up a good part of your day so plan accordingly! P.S. we searched groupon and got the excursion for 50% off. We went through Outer Islands Excursion and departed from Anacortes because that part was closer to Seattle vs Orca Island, regardless, they’re the same tour.
Underground Tours: We did the underground tour of Seattle where they explained the history behind old Seattle and how the city became to be what it is today. It was an hour tour, I learned a lot, saw a cute part of town called Pioneer Square, but probably wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re truly into this kind of stuff.
Interlaken and Discovery Park: Interlake was more of a beautifully glorified metro park with fun trails, and Discovery was more of a mild/moderate hilly hike with some amazing views. We didn’t spend too much time in Interlaken, but Discovery took about 2 hours. Definitely a great workout and a solid option for a hike if you’re not looking to travel too too far out of the city!
Ferris Wheel and Wings over Washington: The ferris wheel felt like a must because it was located in the hype of it all and also offered great views of the city, water, and mountains. Wings over Washington was a simulator that took you through all of Washington’s main tourist attractions and honestly was really freaking cool. We did both of these 30 minutes before we left for the airport and it was a great recap of such an amazing trip.
Seattle, you exceeded my expectations and then some, so much so that I’m already looking forward to my return! Any questions about what we did or where we went? Let your girl know Thanks for always following the journey, friends, it’s been so fun!
Till next time!
-Lauren