Well, I certainly didn't expect that my first time visiting Seattle would be a day trip, but that's exactly what happened! At the top of November, Mr. Well-Travelled (my brother) asked me to assist with a book launch event Every Day Is Juneteenth was sponsoring along with University of Washington. I would fly out to Seattle the morning of the event and return to Austin the next day. I didn't want to miss out on this special opportunity and agreed to go. Although the travel time does not appear as though I was taking a day trip, the actual time I spent in Seattle was equivalent to about a day -- similar to my Day Trip to Dallas earlier this year.
Here's what my day trip to Seattle was like:
Flights
I took the first flight to Seattle out of Austin and this time I used a different airline. I flew Alaska Airlines for this trip since my brother booked the ticket for me and this was the airline that offered more flight options at more reasonable pricing. However, I did not take the last flight home because of the event. Rather, I took an earlier flight (but not the first flight) back to Austin the next day and watched as much as the Big 12 Championship Game from the airport as I could. It wasn't the same as going to a watch party like I did last year, but I was happy to just not miss the game completely! That being said, Alaska is just fine in terms of quality. However, I my flight to Seattle was on a plane that was very obviously an older model with dim lighting, odd carpet dividers, and tiny overhead bins. The major perk of flying Alaska is the universal outlet at every seat because you can charge your electronic devices while the plane is in the air!
Hotel
My brother booked my room at The Sound Hotel Seattle Belltown, Tapestry Collection by Hilton which is in Downtown in the Belltown neighborhood and just a few blocks away from tourists attractions such as Pike Place and the Space Needle. The standard room with a king bed is huge and the modern design with multiple sitting areas and large walk-in shower made for a very comfortable stay. The location is great, so I would recommend this Hilton-brand hotel if you're interested in a nicer hotel that is close to the main attractions of the city.
Activities
Most of the day was spent running around to get things prepared for the book launch event. Due to this, I saw some of the Seattle, but didn't really explore the city like I did during my trip to Denver. However, my primary purpose was to be in Seattle for the event and it was truly a highlight.
Pike Place
I actually knew nothing about Pike Place other than the general fact that it's a market. As you know if you follow my blog, I typically look ahead at things to do while visiting a location. I didn't think I would have much time to see anything on this trip because of event preparation, but I got to Seattle so early that my brother said I had a couple of hours to explore once he and I finished catching up. I walked downhill to the water where I found Pike Place on a cold afternoon with people walking around, purchasing items from local artists and enjoying food, snacks, and samples. People were watching the "famous fish throwing" at Pike Place Market and I was so confused because I didn't know that was a thing. Like I said, I didn't research activities ahead of time so I really had no idea what to expect. It was probably the best thing I could've done though because I had zero expectations!
I stopped dead in my tracks when I came across The Purple Store as I got to Pike Place and the look of surprise on my face must have been obvious because a man passing by said, "It's the perfect store for you; you even have on a purple jacket". Purple is my favorite color so of course I had to check out a store with only purple items available for purchase. I probably would've found it online ahead of time, but the excitement and shock of discovering the store in real time is what makes having no expectations on a trip so much fun and I have my best friend from since childhood to thank for helping me realize that!
Black Liberation through Action and Resistance Book Launch & Talk
My brother's online bookstore is called Every Day Is Juneteenth and he curates the book selection. As an independent Black-owned bookstore, it can be a lot of work for a single person to run an event and also have a pop-up shopping experience going on all at once. That's where I filled in! Mr. Well-Travelled and I brought the materials to the University of Washington late in the afternoon to start getting everything set up for the event and staff from the Center for Anti-Racism and Community Health and the Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism and Equity in Nursing, the co-sponsors that made it possible to host the event on campus, joined us to get everything ready.
My main task was to set up the tables for the pop-up shop, making sure that Black Liberation Through Action and Resistance by Dr. Frederick V. Engram, Jr. was front and center and also emphasizes books from the $10 collection along with other books that were available for purchase along with making the sales. It was great to see people so deeply interested in observing book covers, looking though the books, and not even thinking about the cost of the books because they just wanted to purchase some literature that they considered valuable and worth their time and money. Ironically, I read a chapter of a different book that was partially written by Dr. Engram -- a book that he actually recommended to my brother to give to me when I was in graduate school. I had no idea that he recommended the book and didn't even realize that the section of the chapter that resonated most with me was written by him. So, I asked Dr. Engram to sign the chapter for me and it was one of the highlights of my trip!
Fun Fact: I was at the University of Washington at the same time the PAC-12 Championship Game was taking place. The students in the room and outside on Red Square were so excited when the Huskies won! It was a joy to see how happy they were. Little did I know that my Texas Longhorns would be slated to face them in the College Football Playoff with the announcment coming the morning after I got home.
Space Needle
Because my flight was scheduled for the top of the afternoon and I renewed my CLEAR membership (which I ultimately decided CLEAR Plus was worth it), I was able to do some early morning exploring before heading to the airport which was only 20 minutes away from the hotel. I woke up early, began getting ready for the day, packed my bags to quickly grab when it was time to go, and made arrangement with my childhood best friend to text me live updates and reactions to what was happening in the Big 12 Championship Game because I wasn't going to be able to watch Texas in a game that I was fully invested in keeping up with no matter what. My brother got to the hotel at 8:30 AM so we could walk about 13 minutes to the Space Needle, making a brief stop at a coffee shop along the way. We got to the Space Needle right when they opened at 9:00 AM, got tickets from the kiosks, and immediately went inside.
There was no line whatsoever, so we were able to be the only two people in the glass elevator with the attendant after I took my free professional photo (it's actually built into the ticket price). I got a clear, unobstructed view from the elevator and I was able to take some nice pictures and video. Once up top, we walked the circumference outside and my brother took some pictures of me before we went downstairs to the rotating interior where they had a sleigh for the eventual pictures with Santa that would be happening later, a restaurant, and glass floors to see everything below. After I got some more pictures and video, we went back to the ground level where I got a keychain from the gift shop for my keychain collection to wrap up our Space Needle visit.
Want to see some of the videos, see more pictures, or check out the keychains in my collection? Follow Kimi's Travel Thoughts on Instagram where I post exclusive content that you won't find on my website!
The Spheres
After we got back to the hotel, I thought I was going to grab my bags and head straight to the airport, but I saw The Spheres which are at the Amazon campus (it's not a defined campus but just a mass grouping of buildings in downtown). They are these really cool spheres that are filled with live topiary that people can walk around in sit, and just enjoy vegetation in an enclosed space that is not a greenhouse. It was only two blocks away from the hotel, so we quickly walked over there for some pictures before making our way back to the hotel where I finished getting my last couple of items packed to leave Seattle.
Food
I wasn't in Seattle long enough to do much food exploration, but I was there long enough to eat a few things!
Currant Bistro
This is the restaurant that was at the hotel. I decided to get a late second breakfast there because I was looking to just rest for a little bit and had already eaten breakfast before I left my apartment early that morning. I ordered a cup of oatmeal (served with butter and brown sugar) along with a cup of fresh, seasonal fruit and both were delicious. The fruit cup actually had perfectly ripe blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, and honeydew melon which was a nice surprise because I wasn't expecting that at all. I also got a cup of hot chamomile tea as my body was still settling into the cold temperatures of the Pacific Northwest.
Fish Box
I wanted salmon because I was in a region where salmon is readily available at a reasonable price, but I didn't get it until late at night because I didn't eat a real meal until after we got back to the hotel for the night. We ordered food from Fish Box and I got the fried salmon and chips which was just fried salmon bites and fries. The fries were quite tasty, but the salmon bites were just okay. The salmon bites were lightly breaded, but the breading lacked any hint of seasoning. I knew that meant the sauce it came with was a necessity and sure enough, that made eating those salmon bites a much more enjoyable experience. Fried salmon is really a thing that I've only known to be a common menu item in the PNW region, so I will need to make eating fried salmon a point of emphasis on my next trip!
Café Hagen
The best part about getting to the Space Needle first thing in the morning is that we were able to go through it so quickly my brother and I still had some additional time to walk around downtown so I could get something to eat. My brother took me to Café Hagen where I got a breakfast bun and I added bacon to it. I was looking for something that was going to be filling, but not too heavy because I didn't want to feel sick on the plane. That breakfast bun was perfection! Just the right size, delicious bread, and the arugula was such a nice touch to elevate the meal when compared to other breakfast sandwiches. I would definitely get that again!
Lady Yum - Denny Triangle
As a nice last-minute treat before departing Seattle, my brother and I stopped at Lady Yum on our way back to the hotel from The Spheres. This cute macaron shop only sells macarons and has a large display filled with so many flavors, including several seasonal flavors. My brother said this is the best place in Seattle for macarons and macarons are my favorite type of cookie, so I got a few that I wanted to try and knew I could quickly eat at the hotel before I needed to be on my way to the airport. I got The Polar Bear Claw which had a surprise caramel or toffee center, the Gooey Butter Cake, and a Vanilla Bean macaron. That vanilla bean macaron is in my top 3 favorite macarons! I first tried macarons in France from a small bakery and I will always remember the raspberry and vanilla bean macarons I got from there. That was my experience with the Lady Yum vanilla bean macaron. If I were to get a 10-count box of just their vanilla bean macarons, I would've been completely satisfied. This was a perfect way to conclude my day trip to Seattle (because I really was only there for about 24 hours).
Wrap-Up
So that was how my first time visiting Seattle went! With this being a new location for me, I was able to get a keychain to add to my collection and make some new memories. I had plans to visit Seattle this summer, and that is not off the table. Actually, because I was so limited in what I could see and do during this short trip, my interest in traveling to Seattle during the summer has grown stronger. Don't be surprised if I have blog post about another trip to Seattle about seven or eight months from now. In the meantime, I'm going to explore the book collection on Every Day Is Juneteenth to find some reading material to have on the plane for my future return to Seattle!
Feel free to leave comments below, tweet (@KimiThoughts), or leave a post/message on Facebook (@KimisTravelThoughts) to share your memories from trips you've taken to Seattle or anywhere else in Washington or the Pacific Northwest!