After spending 3 days cruising highway 101 and exploring Portland, we were Seattle bound! We arrived just in enough time to check-in to our awesome Air B&B condo in Belltown and realized we had hit the jackpot. Our condo building was right in the heart everything incredible - Pike Market, waterfront, the Space Needle, and countless restaurants - and made walking everywhere a breeze!
We decided that we were so excited to explore our new hood that we hit the pavement running. It was a beautiful night to stroll through Belltown and we hit Pike Place right at sunset - the waterfront sunset was beautiful. After adventuring in Portland that morning and driving, we crashed super early and it was a good thing... day 2 in Seattle was going to be a doozy!
I woke up the next morning so excited for the day. Our plan was to see so many amazing sites... but first breakfast! We walked across the street to Biscuit Bitch for breakfast (yes, we tried to say the name of the restaurant in old lady smoker voices and giggle as much as we could intermittently throughout the day. Try it- haha! Weirdos.), and the food was delicious. Warm biscuits and bacon, egg, and cheese gooeyness hit the spot, and as always... I chose to dine al fresco. My fave!
So, we don't consider ourselves lovers of overly cheesy/touristy things to do. We typically love asking locals where to eat, what to see, and try to pretend we've lived in said city for years. So you can imagine my initial thoughts when someone said we HAD to experience the Ride the Ducks tour. We both kind of shrugged it off until my best friend Sarah said the same thing, and at that point we realized if two ultra fun classy people recommended it as one of their favorite ways to Seattle, we took a chance.
I am so glad we did... I hadn't laughed that hard in months!
We used our ultra annoying quack whistles to holler at people on the streets, loved our tour guide's (Dane Gerzone - get it?!) cheesy jokes, great taste in groovy cruising music, and frequent hat/costume changes, and the info/sites (Sleepless in Seattle house on Lake Union!) were incredible.
He even made our new best friend, a 70-year-old man named Frank celebrating his birthday, dance down the aisle of our Duck bus/boat and shake his tail feather while everyone hooped and hollered. The guide said, "Come on, Frank, you'd better shake it really good... you'll never see these people again!" and let me just tell you... Frank knows how to shake it.
He even made our new best friend, a 70-year-old man named Frank celebrating his milestone birthday, dance down the aisle of our Duck bus/boat and shake his tail feather while everyone hooped and hollered. The guide said, "Come on, Frank, you'd better shake it really good... you're on vacation! You'll never see these people again!" and let me just tell you... Frank knows how to shake it.
After the Duck tour ended, we were in the perfect location to visit the iconic Space Needle and explore the EMP Museum. We really lucked out with weather -75 degrees and sunny everyday - so we could see for miles since it was so clear. Once up at the top of the Space Needle we could see Mt. Ranier and all of Seattle - it was incredible!
Another funny thing? We ran into Frank and his posse, and all he kept saying through giggles is, "I shook it so hard thinking I'd never see you guys again... and here you are!"
Good ol' Frank - what a character!
Another funny thing? We ran into Frank and his posse, and all he kept saying through giggles is, "I shook it so hard thinking I'd never see you guys again... and here you are!"
Good ol' Frank - what a character!
Next up, we walked next door to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. I can't even begin to tell you how mesmerized we were. The pictures speak for themselves.
Massive glass chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, towering sculptures, a glass atrium with a huge installment stretch across the ceiling, and glass structures outside in the garden that can somehow withstand any crazy weather.
After we bumbled aimlessly staring at the multi-million dollar installment and talking about how incredible each hand blown piece was we were starving! One thing I always ask for or research when we go on a trip is a great location to catch an incredible view of the sunset.
That evening we wanted someplace with sweeping views of the city, that was low key, and had killer food + cocktails, and Marination Ma Kai was the perfect choice! Located just across the Elliott Bay, it sits right on the water, serves delicious Hawaiian food and has the most incredible atmosphere. Citrus colored umbrellas, reclaimed wood picnic table, and string garden lights on enhance the view of the Seattle waterfront.
This restaurant came to fruition after it's epic food truck was voted #1 food truck in the U.S. by Good Morning America. They had such a loyal following that they were able to expand and it's still hard to find an open table to snag, and now we know why - their food is so good! We ordered the Kalua pork sliders, Hawaiian mac salad, signature house slaw, and were lured in by the smell of their handcut fries. Top it off with the delicious Polynesian tropical cocktails and I was in foodie heaven.
We topped off a fantastic first day in Seattle by drinking local pumpkin beer around the fire pit on the rooftop of our condo building. What a day! And a special big thanks to my blog friend and Life of Meg reader, Seattle Stevie, for giving me so many great recommendations in her beloved city - Stevie, you're the best!
More to come tomorrow... stay tuned, y'all!
Other epic adventures...
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