Seattle VLOG

Last weekend, February 12-15th, my boyfriend and I were in Seattle, WA. We arrived late evening February 12th and departed the morning of February 15th. This meant we had all of Saturday and Sunday to adventure!

I had booked our flight tickets in December as a Christmas gift for Evan. I figured we would travel during this time in February as it was a three-day weekend for me and it would allow us an opportunity to get away and celebrate Valentines/our three year dating anniversary. Realistically, it has been roughly a year since Evan and I traveled with just each other, so it was nice to have a little romantic get-away (got to keep the magic alive, am I right?).

So, how was Seattle? I would say it definitely did not disappoint, but there were some unexpected hurdles. We were, of course, anticipating some rain, as this weather pattern is most common in the Pacific North West region during Winter time. What we got, instead, was a blizzard warning and TONS of snow! This meant shifting plans just a bit. We needed to get a four wheel/all wheel vehicle instead of the former two wheel car we booked. We also did not get to all the things listed on the itinerary, had a hard time seeing past downtown at the top of the Space Needle, and had to fend for ourselves Saturday night because the whole city basically shut down (literally no restaurants or fast food places were open). Nonetheless, we trooped through! On Saturday, we decided to keep the car parked in the hotel garage and just walk everywhere downtown in the snow (more of a precaution of other drivers who were not accustomed to operating an automobile in the snow); and we hit 30,000 steps! We got to see everything from Pike Place Market and the Space Needle to witnessing individuals snowboard and ski down the city streets. Probably the most challenging aspect to Saturday evening was, again, finding food, especially in the evening hours. Fortunately we had a stove in our hotel room (thank you Hilton) and Target was open so we could grab supplies for tacos. On Sunday, we hopped in the car and drove a bit past downtown across the water to places like Ballard Avenue and University District. Then we ended our evening celebrating Valentines at Elliotts Oyster House, where I ordered the crab cakes (highly suggest) and Evan ordered a burger. 

For reference, I will list the various locations we visited in Seattle from start to finish so this can give y’all some inspiration for planning out your next trip to the PNW!

Day One: 

1. Pike Place Market – Outdoor dining hub complete with seafood, Beechers Mac and Cheese, flowers, gift shops, and more! Pike Place Market is also home to the Original Starbucks established in 1971 (which was unfortunately closed when we visited due to snow). 
2. The Gum Wall – This is located just outside Pike Place Market. It features brick walls covered in used chewing gum (cool but also kinda gross).   
3.  Waterfront Park and The Great Wheel – Waterfront Park is located on the central waterfront of Downtown Seattle. It features attractions like the Great Wheel. Unfortunately, the snow prevented us from taking a ride on the tallest West Coast ferris wheel. 
4. Olympic Sculpture Park – This park is ran by the Seattle Art Museum. This public park has many modern sculptures (hence the name), an indoor pavilion, and a cute pebble/rocky beach. 
5. Seattle Center – This is an arts, entertainment, education, and tourism center. Some main attractions include the Climate Pledge Arena and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. 
6. Space Needle – An iconic landmark that stretches 605 ft tall. It has an observation deck and rotating restaurant with 360 degree views. This building largely resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.  

Day Two: 

1. Discovery Park – This park is a grand 534 acres and rests on the shores of Puget Sound. As the city’s largest park, there are over 11 miles of walking trails. In fact, we were hoping to visit the lighthouse when we were there, but we didn’t think to pack the snow shoes! 
2. Ballard Avenue Historic District – This historic district is located in downtown Ballard of Seattle. It’s a quaint place to grab a coffee or meander into some cute boutique shops. On Sundays, you can even catch the local farmers market!  
3.  Fremont Troll – Talk about a large sculpture. The troll rests under the Fremont Bridge, and it is really quite a site to see. 
4. University of Washington – Calling all Huskies fans! The University of Washington was established in 1861 and is one of the oldest public research universities on the West Coast. 
5. Gas Works Park – This public park is located on the site of the original Seattle Gas Light Company Plant, at the north shore of Lake Union. During the winter it provides some pretty rad sledding hills, and on a clear day it is the perfect place to catch a sunset (just wasn’t in the cards for us this trip). 

To conclude, even though numerous food places we planned to go to were closed and we just couldn’t see or get to everything on our list due to white out conditions, we truly had such a wonderful time! Seattle was a beautiful winter wonderland, and it was nice to visit all these sites without the large crowds. Next time we visit Seattle, we hope to go during the summer, the nicest time of the year. This way we can hit the beaches, go back up the Space Needle for a more clear view, walk to the light house at Discovery Park, and eat out at some of the restaurants we just weren’t able to hit this time around. We also hope to explore a bit outside of Seattle by visiting the National Parks that surround this emerald city!  

Thanks for reading my blog, and make sure to subscribe. If you want to look more closely at the itinerary I created, I included it below.