Oh we loved Seattle! Such a great city and so much to do and see. In and around. Great people, cool atmosphere, relaxed and a bit arty. Very nice!
We took the train from Vancouver and that already was quite an experience. In a country where everything is so modern taking the train puts you right back in the 60’s. The uniforms must not have changed for decades, the train is slow yet brings you through some beautiful places and for a lot of time you sit right next to the water. Amazing! And it is cheap… the ride from Vancouver to Seattle takes 4 1/2h. (By car it would be around 2 1/2h ….)
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We arrived and went straight to China Town for some Dim Sum. Close to the train station and we found a highly recommended spot. After that we were looking for a cafe to watch some football and stop for a coffee & tea. We landed close to Pioneer Square and watched the end of the game with another French Family. Our AirBnB was available as of 3pm and we still had a little time and walked around a little and found a cool kids spot right on Occidental Square. A toddler play area, foosball tables and some other outdoor family games. In the end we forgot time, chatted with some people and had a lot of fun. I often think that when you start a city in good spirits it can only be a great city :)
The next day (2nd day) we went to -Pike Street Market. So soooo busy. With four kids and most still very small & a baby it was a little overwhelming, We checked a few things, had some freshly made mini donuts and then took off… especially Leonor is not a fan of masses. Even on playgrounds she would not play when there are too many kids. We had lunch and then headed to the Seattle Great Wheel. Nice views of the city… Before we took the bus back to our apartment we stopped at Occidental Square again… little foosball session…
Day 3: We started with Seattle Center. Saw the Space Needle from close, Checked out the EMP museum – there is a cool playground too. Busy but fun! Then we walked up to Capitol Hill. Lunch stop at Portage Bay which is famous for their brunch. I had some super yummy vegan banana pancakes and could load my plate with all kinds of yummy berries from their fruit buffet! Must! Walked around Capital Hill. On broadway you can find dance steps along the sidewalk. Tango, rumba, foxtrott… very funny! We found a great play ground and had a very yummy ice cream at Molly Moon… normally not my favourite but their salted caramel is delicious!!!
Day 4: We took the bus to Ballard, a district of Seattle. Farmers Market and Food Festival was on. And the Football final. We did all and had a blast. Very cool and young area. Excellent farmers market. (I wanted to move immediately… those veggies and fresh flowers… aaaaahhhh). The coolest bit was probably a place called FULL TILT. You get excellent ice cream (yes exactly we love ice cream but we are picky… so we are searching for the best places to make it worth it) aaaaand the place is full of pinball machines. Man… that was a long time ago I played pinball. For the kids the first time and veryyyy funny!
Day 5: We headed to the library. Probably not something you usually have on your list but I read that the place was all cool and a designer building etc… we had to go. It is right in the center too… and yay. So cool! And the kids area was lovely. All our kids love books and actually did not want to leave… There is a cute little shop and cafe too. Make sure to go all the way to the top – for the view – and find the red corridor. Then we did a few shops, had burgers at Great State Burger (all organic and locally sourced simple and yummy burgers) and walked to Lake Union…
Day 6: In the morning we met Jane and Amy from Flora + Henri for a coffee at the Waterfall Park and then took the ferry to Bainbridge. A great ferry ride and a lovely little island. A few little shops, cafes, MORA ice cream… a lovely day.
And then it was time to leave. We spend the morning in Wallingford (district of Seattle), had another & last salted caramel at Molly Moons (this is their original location) and then took the plane to San Diego. Our next chapter of this trip…
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