Trips for Mature Travelers

Seattle had been on our bucket list for a while, and given we were attending a wedding in Hawaii AND it fell in time for our second wedding anniversary, we decided to tack on a trip to Seattle. I’m so happy we did!

Seattle- A Four Day Itinerary

Day One- Arrival

We stayed at Hotel 1000, an LXR hotel, right downtown. This hotel was amazing. Check it out here. The bathroom actually has a shade that goes up so you can see the incredible waterfront views right from the bath tub!

We had put together a pretty detailed plan for this trip since we knew there were restaurants and attractions that required reservations pretty far ahead of time. If you have definite ‘must sees’, Seattle is not a place you can play by ear. Planning is key.

Even if you are staying somewhere centrally located, like we did, there is still a decent amount of walking in Seattle. Be prepared. If you’re a mature traveler, have the Uber app on your phone for easy pickups from wherever you might need a ride. It’s really efficient and they arrive so quickly!

Day Two- Cultural Attractions

Hop On, Hop Off Bus. I have mentioned that we always ride these buses in cities we visit. (See my recent post about our Colorado/Utah trip and our time in San Francisco!) You get the big picture regarding all the neighborhoods, landmarks and attractions, and how it all fits together. We often see something new we haven’t thought to explore.

One neighborhood we drove through was called Belltown, and looked so adorable with quaint shops and restaurants. We decided to eat breakfast here at a place called Biscuit B *&^% es” (you can guess). We just couldn’t resist the name. And any place that only serves biscuits sounded good! They were delicious.

Space Needle, an obvious stop on the bus. This is THE tourist attraction, so we had to do it. It was a wonderful view from the top, and I loved that there was a rooftop bar! Right at the bottom of the needle is the famous Chihuly Museum. If you haven’t heard of this incredible artist who specialized in blown glass, look it up! Unbelievable sculptures in the most beautiful shapes and colors. The museum is well-worth seeing.

Next, we hopped off the bus down by the waterfront and took a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. More terrific views of the city, and a ferris wheel is always fun.

Down by the waterfront piers there are lots of fun restaurants. Ivars is the most famous one, and you must try their clam chowder in a bread bowl- it was delicious, as promised. They encourage you to feed the seagulls your extra bread, which was an experience!

Day Three- Pike Place Market

This is the place I most wanted to go on this trip. I absolutely love Farmers Markets (see my post on this), so was really looking forward to seeing one of the largest and most popular Seattle markets. At the entrance, you’ll see the Pike Place Fish Market with the famous fish throwers. Check out this video!

Rachel’s Ginger Beer. This was another place I had to visit since I make my own ginger beer and heard it was amazing. I mentioned this store in my home-made drinks post because I cannot say enough about how good it is! For months after this visit, I had bottles shipped to my home. It was expensive, but I did it anyway.

That is how good it is, seriously.

Gum Wall. It’s super weird, but another place you should visit at the market for just the pure silliness of it.

It worked out beautifully, since Pike Place is down by Pier 54, where we booked a boat ride on the Argosy Cruise Line. We had such an entertaining tour guide, and a lovely scenic ride.

We had made a reservation at Elliot’s Oyster House literally right near the boat launch. This is (another) one of Seattles famous seafood restaurants, mostly known for oysters, of course. If you’ve seen my post on oysters (see it here), you know how much I love them, and this restaurant did not disappoint!

As we were leaving the restaurant, it started pouring rain. We really did not have much rain during our time here, despite the reputation. It was spritzing a bit in the day, but this was a crazy downpour, and it got cold very quickly. I was happy to have my rain jacket, and that we could call an Uber back to the hotel!

Day Four- A Road Trip out of Town

For our last day, I had booked a wine tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle Vineyards in Woodinville, so we had a beautiful scenic drive in the country-side. We rented a Tesla, just to say we drove one, which was a lot of fun.

On our way out of town we found this place, Snoqualmie Falls. There was a little cafe and simply gorgeous views of the falls and forest.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. I have mentioned that I love finding wineries wherever we travel, and this historic winery is Washington state’s oldest, in fact. So I made sure to book the tasting (with food pairings) well ahead of time.

We met a friend of my husband’s from high school and his delightful wife at the famous Dukes Restaurant on Alki Beach.

A wonderful way to end a fantastic trip to Seattle and the surrounding area.

Have you visited this city and have highlights to share? I’d love to hear about it! 😊