Day One

We kicked off our weekend in Seattle by catching an afternoon flight out of Phoenix. Of course we arrived early to the airport to enjoy the American Express Lounge (seriously worth doing if you can!) had a few cocktails and bites then snoozed our way into Seattle.

Once we arrived we immediately got our coats our of our luggage - and by coats I mean a denim jacket and long sleeve for Cody - and got on the train to take us downtown. If you are traveling to downtown Seattle from the airport I highly recommend taking the train. It costs dollars per person (an Uber, Lyft or Cab is $40+) and helps get you acquainted with surrounding areas or stops you likely will be exploring in your time there (think Pioneer Square, etc.)

For our time in Seattle we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn - Seattle Downtown. We loved our large room, kind staff, delicious restaurant & nice bartender who kept Happy Hour going. After dropping our bags off we headed to Pioneer Square for an Underground Tour, however, due to not enough people registering ended up having to reschedule for the next night. We decided to grab a bite and head back to the hotel for an early night.

In planning for our trip we decided to purchase the CityPASS tickets given that all of the experiences included were ones we were interested in doing! If you are visiting and you find that the options on CityPASS align with what you want to do, I couldn’t recommend purchasing this more! For adults the ticket is $99 - you get to skip lines, get in fast and end up saving around $60+ per person.

Day Two

We kicked off our morning with Cody’s favorite breakfast item - waffles! Sweet Iron Waffles is home to some delicious waffles & customizable flavors both sweet and savory. Plus, it’s a perfect place to take photos!

After finishing our waffles we made our way to Pier 55 to catch our Harbor Cruise taking some fun city shots on the way.

Unfortunately I miscalculated and we ended up having 2 hours to kill before it actually was time to board (oops) so we popped into Starbucks, warmed up and then made our way just a little further down to take in some pier views of the wheel and the Seattle waterfront.

Needing to warm up yet again - seriously it is CHILLY in January in Seattle - we walked just a bit further down to Miner’s Landing. Full of restaurants, an arcade area and indoor carousel we had fun walking around, riding the carousel and resting our feet!

A little after noon we boarded our boat for the Argosy Harbor Tour - an experience a part of our CityPASS. The tour lasted about an hour and took us all around the Harbor sharing cityscape views, nature views and great information on the history of Seattle past, present and future. We spent most of the tour inside (near the bar) but we did venture outside a few times for photos!

Next stop of the day was the Seattle Aquarium - also a part of CityPASS. We came for the otters, stayed for the otters but also enjoyed everything there was to offer. This is something definitely more family oriented but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

After getting our fill of precious otters we made our way over to Pike Public Market stopping at the Gum Wall. This was an incredibly busy part of the area with lots of people sticking up gum and taking photos. It was fun but be prepared to get gum on your shoes. For some reason it never crossed my mind this would happen and ended up peeling gum out of my shoes for a while. It’s totally worth the photos and seeing it - its so much bigger and more than I expected!

On our way to Pike Public Market we stopped in at Pike St. Press and it took everything in me to not purchase a few prints. We plan on ordering from their shop online but if you’re in Seattle I couldn’t recommend stopping in more. It’s so cute and their work is truly amazing!

Once we finally got up to the market we took photos in front of the iconic sign (only after taking pictures for about 5+ groups and couples - travel tip for bloggers: if you’re seen double fisting cameras like I was, there’s a great chance you’ll be asked to take photos of others! For me, I love doing it BUT just some friendly advice!)

At this point, Cody and I were starving so we headed to the “best chowder” in the market - Pike Place Chowder. We did wait in line for about 20 minutes (and the line was long!) but its his favorite. I tried a little taste of the cream sauce since I can’t actually eat the chowder being vegetarian and it was yummy! Overall, Cody rated it 7.5/10 - not the best ever but worth trying if you’re at the market. I personally snagged some Pad Thai from a local vendor that was also pretty good!

We took the rest of our time walking around the market and ended up purchasing some amazing local jams and sauces from Woodring Northwest as well as local garlic and rosemary dry pasta from Pappardelle’s! My biggest tip in the market is to give yourself more time to wander, explore and try things! There are incredible gems here but you have to give yourself the time to find them!

We ended our time in this area of town by stopping in the original Starbucks location. While we did not order anything we did pick up the location-exclusive Been There Mug. Tip: if you’re looking to take photos here, don’t bother at the outside window with the sign. Head inside and take the same photo on the inside part of the glass like I’ve done here! No line, no weird glare and better lighting usually.

After our long morning and afternoon out we took a cat nap at the hotel before heading to our evening Adult Underground Tour. Put on by Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour Company, we started the evening off with a drink and were guided by our wonderful guide all around the underground of Seattle learning about how the sex industry really is what boomed Seattle into what it is now. After the tour we grabbed another drink at the tour company’s bar, headed back to the Hotel and finished the nights with drinks there.

Day Three

By our last day my cold was a bit better but both of us were pretty tired. We slept in a bit later than usual and had breakfast at the hotel. Being Hilton Rewards Gold Members this was included in our stay and was full of yummy options.

We officially started our day by visiting the Space Needle - included in our CityPASS. I definitely wasn’t sure if this was going to be something super cool or super touristy but it actually was very cool and the views were breathtaking. Seeing so many different sides and parts of Seattle was amazing and spending time on the rotating glass floor was equally cool. Cody spent time in the VR experience included in your ticket that gives the sensations of bungie jumping from the top of the Space Needle! I opted out but loved watching him!

Our next stop was steps away at the Chihuly Garden and Glass. While I have seen much of these works in Indianapolis and Las Vegas, this particular set up was so stunning. These personally were some of Cody’s favorite aspects of our trip and the photos speak for themselves.

We finished our day and time in Seattle at the Museum of Pop Culture. For me, this was a personal favorite and was included in our CityPASS. From exhibits of legendary musicians guitars to specific sections on local Punk group Nirvana to the specialty Minecraft exhibit - there were incredibly amazing things to see and experience.

We ended our last night early given another 5am flight back to Arizona the following morning. Overall we loved our stay - both in and around Seattle - and plan on making a trip back once things warm up! Be sure to pin this post for any of your future travels to Seattle!