Seattle: Kid-Free!

To celebrate our anniversary, Nick and I were able to take a long weekend trip to Seattle while Grandma Jackie stayed at home with Emmeline. Although the weather wasn't quite up to summer-Seattle standards, it didn't ruin our fun!



Flying in on Friday night, we were treated to a beautiful sunset just as we passed Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier on descent. Coupled with an upgrade to business class, we couldn't have asked for a better start to the trip!

The next day we woke early to beautiful clear skies; perfect for hopping on the road to Mount Rainier. It was a perfect day, and we feel really lucky that we had such clear skies. We were able to see Mount Rainier on our entire 5.5 mile hike, which we hear is rare, as the top is often covered in clouds. It's pretty awesome to see Rainier rise above everything else as you drive into the park. It's not often you see such an impressive mountain standing alone, not surrounded by other mountains or peaks.

The wildflowers were in bloom, which meant lots of photo stops to find just the right photo. After a long hike up, we had a pretty stellar picnic lunch spot. These mountains surrounding Rainier were some of my favorites, and the views the second half of the hike were filled with mountain panoramas on one side and Mount Rainier on the other.

The rest of our two and half days were spent in downtown Seattle, enjoying all the sights. Of course, we checked out the Space Needle and Pikes Place Market. The market reminded me a lot of European markets, and those flowers were to die for!

The gum wall was...interesting? I'm not sure why people started this; it's somehow disgusting and intriguing at the same time. Gasworks Park and the troll under the bridge were also highlights on our "must see" list.
 
Really, though, our "must see" list was quite short, and we spent a lot of time checking out the various neighborhoods of Seattle, each with their own feel and vibe. It was so relaxing and perfect just to walk with no destination in mind. This also meant we ate a lot of food, like tacos from Tacos Chukis, homemade Italian from Il Corvo that rivals pasta in Italy, and a fantastic anniversary dinner at Toulouse Petit.

While we enjoyed Seattle, I think we got a pretty good taste of it that we don't feel a strong need to come back again anytime soon. It was lovely (even though it also had the largest homeless population I've ever seen!), but there's not really anything pulling me strongly back in the near future. However, we definitely want to come back to Washington State again soon. It really is a beautiful place, and there are many more hikes and mountains (and kayaking with killer whales) we want to check out!