We recently spent two weeks exploring Seattle, WA and it was not enough time, we left this beautiful city still ready to explore. I've always thought Seattle, being so far north, to be chilly and rainy. But that was not the case during our July stay. The weather was absolutely perfect ranging from 60s in the morning to upper 70s in the evenings with not a drop of rain the entire two weeks.
Since we flew into the SEA TAC airport and stayed in a hotel near the area we were without a car. One unfortunate thing about these times is that rental cars were extremely high priced - in the $250 per day range along with gas being over $4 a gallon. Se we relied on their very efficient public transportation system.
We were a 15-minute walk away from the nearest Link station and we used it daily. It was a simple and economical thing to take the Link to downtown Seattle and get off at any of the stops and do further exploring. There was also the King City Metro stop only 5 minutes away. With a purchase of the ORCA card, you can prefill it with your credit card and simply tap the card at the scanner for bus rides, Link rides, streetcars, and even ferry rides. And with the Transit GO app on your phone, you can put in your destination and the app will guide you to the various systems and stops to get you where you are going. We found it extremely simple and an invaluable tool.
If you like sports, there was the T-Mobile Park where the baseball team plays and Lumen Park where the football team calls home. Both side by side and an easy stop on the Link in the SoDo neighborhood.
If art and culture are interesting to you the Seattle Art Museum is another easy stop on the Link at the University St Station. Vacation time gets expensive so it might interest you to know that the museum offers free admission on First Thursdays and reduced admission for seniors on First Fridays.
We spent a day at the Woodland Park Zoo, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving animals and habitats. Again, the handy Transit GO app guided us exactly on the right path to easily get to the zoo via public transportation system. Over a million people visit the zoo yearly.
One of the must-see attractions of course is the Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair—the Century 21 Exposition whose theme was “The Age of Space”. From the top, you can see 360-degree indoor and outdoor panoramic views of downtown, Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, and the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges. A ticket will cost in the $30 range and you need to make a reservation for the time of your visit.
On the subject of museum and culture, there is also the Chihuly Garden and Glass to visit. Providing a look at the inspiration and influences that inform the career of artist Dale Chihuly, the Exhibition includes eight Galleries, the centerpiece Glasshouse, and a lush Garden. It is considered one of the top attractions in Seattle and we enjoyed it tremendously. There was even a demonstration of live glass blowing.
And the beautiful mountain scenery was a pleasure all by itself. There were mountain ranges and water landscapes in every direction. With the ferry system and water taxis it was easy to visit any of the nearby islands. One day we attended the Strawberry Fest on Vashon Island. Another day we traveled to Bainbridge Island and did the Bridge-to-Bridge walk.
All in all, we couldn't have had a better time visiting Seattle. We plan to go back one day and catch some of the things we missed. I also need to mention that the vibe in Seattle is very laid back and accepting. There were all kinds of people and cultures represented and it was a very friendly atmosphere. I highly recommend this as a vacation destination!
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