April 2, 2014

This is the first part of 2-part documentary of the epic Seattle Lovers Getaway. We had to break it up because there is so much to say, and we didn’t want to over-inundate you with all the gory details! So with that we begin: PART 1

The big 11 year anniversary was rolling around the bend…wait wha??!?! 11 YEARS!!!? That’s right. Jilly and I celebrate our official anniversary of dating on February 28th every year. So 11 years ago, it became official and we haven’t looked back (too much).

In the past, we would celebrate this momentous occasion with a ski trip, since that was our tradition (and it was also when we officially started dating; on a ski trip). But the last few years, neither of us have really been into skiing/boarding because of my leg and her crappy skis and the overall expense. But we were also both super travel-hungry and aching for an excuse to go…anywhere!

The Northwest has always been appealing to us; I mean our first trip to the NW was to Portland where we got married 3 days later in a donut shop! Plus we have always wanted to check out Seattle since boating is a big part of our lives, and it is a huge mecca for that. Jilly was editing some photos for her parent’s from their trip to Seattle and Alaska, so she had an itch. After living in their world of fantasy-vacation, she said lets go to SEATTLE! So that night, we booked our hotel and flight – Seattle here we come!

For Jill and I, there is nothing quite like going to a new city for the first time. There is something magical about being in a new place, with new sights, smells and no real agenda. The sky is the limit and full of adventures to be had. We find that it’s more fun to let things happen rather than plan away each day, because those random experiences are usually the most memorable.

For this trip, we decided to go fast and light; small backpack for each of us. I mean its only 3 days, how much stuff do we REALLY need? Plus we figure we are in America, so worse case we can probably buy whatever we forgot 🙂 We also made the choice to explore the city on foot (no car) saving on cost and hassle. This is what the urban adventure is all about – being urban.

Day 1: February 27
We left home around 5:00AM and headed to the airport. It was a pleasant morning, beautiful sunrise and a very easy drive. Our flight left on-time and we landed at the Sea/Tac airport fairly early in the day (around 11AM). We wasted no time getting down to business; The business of exploring Seattle the urban way. Our first fun challenge was to sort out how we were going to get downtown. Sure, we could take a cab, car service or bus, but where is the fun in that? Plus we were in no hurry to get anyplace quickly, I mean we couldn’t check in until 4pm. So we walked over to the train (which is essentially part of the airport) and luckily there was one waiting for us. It was really perfect because we rode the line all the way to the other end, which happened to land right downtown where we wanted to be. We took in spectacular sights through the outskirts of the city and it was really cheap! (yay!)

Once we found our way out of the underground station we landed smack in the middle of downtown. It was a pleasant day, a little cloudy but not too chilly (about 55 degrees). We threw our packs on and trekked the 5 blocks with the rest of the crowd downhill towards the water. Turns out we were right by Pikes Public Market, known for fresh fish and fish throwing; but really this is a market for everything and everyone – all walks of life.

Our first order of business was to get some grub. We got lost in the gigantic (and crazy crowded) five-story market for about an hour before happening upon “Lowells“; where we enjoyed the freshest Alaskan Cod tacos and sandwiches ever known to man and some tasty Pike’s beer. We ate with great haste because it was so freaking good and we were starving. OH and we had the best view of the Puget Sound on the 3rd story of the market; no no no…better than best…what’s better than that? Incredible, Unbelievable, Out of this world view. 270 degrees of city skyline, mountains, water, boats, nature, you name it.

As we wolfed down our food, we looked out onto the water and noticed the Aquarium and Argosy Boat Tour signs (these were two things we had planned to do, but on our last day). But the beauty of having no specific plans is that you can be spontaneous. So I broke out my smartphone (which probably makes life a little too easy) and within 30 seconds was on the phone w/ the tour company booking their next available tour, which happened to be 30 minutes from now – Perfect!

We walked down to the pier until they were ready for us to board the boat. The kitschy tourist stuff was really fun to see since we were the quintessential tourists (cameras out, maps out, tick-list out). It was also a fun distraction until we boarded the boat with the 25 other tourists to take in the city by sea.

The tour was a perfect way to start our trip in Seattle. It was hard to believe that we just got here. We spent an hour on the water cruising up, around and down Elliott Bay while the tour guide gave us great stories and historical backgrounds of the city; full of bad jokes that only a boat tour guide could pull off. We took tons of photos from everywhere, got some great shots of a huge military navy vessel, really adorable seals on a buoy and the fantastical city, itself. By the time the tour re-docked, we were chilled to the core.

It was after 4pm, so we decided to head to our hotel to drop off our stuff…we were feeling the ache in our old bones by now. Since we were at the lowest elevation of the city (i.e. – waterfront), we had to head up. It’s shocking how hilly Seattle is by the way. We had to trek up what felt like a mountain covered in cement. The steepest part actually had bench seats so people could rest because the incline was so extreme (*there was a large man doing exactly that in front of us!). But good thing it was a short 15 minute jaunt up to our hotel and we are conditioned climbers!

We stayed at the Pan Pacific Seattle Hotel, which was about 5 blocks from everything you could want/need as a tourist. It was also a really swank, modern place. We requested a view of the water when we booked our room and we actually got it!! After popping off our shoes and packs we both crashed on the bed…and I mean CRASHED. We had no idea that we were so exhausted, but I guess we had been going almost nonstop since 4am, so 5pm (6pm to us) felt LATE. But we knew we couldn’t pass out yet, since its our vacation and we want to take in as much as we can.

So we chilled out for a bit and thought about where we were gonna get some grub for dinner…because we love our grub. I mean vacation could be defined as eating in new places. Eating…is something that we love but eating out for every meal is not something we enjoy – it usually makes us feel like crap, because we have such a healthy regime our bodies can’t handle the strain of unhealthy food for too long. Since we were so tired and there just happened to be a huge Whole Foods right beneath us, we decided that was PERFECT for our first night.

I had a BBQ sandwich and Jilly got Udon noodles and Sushi, and we shared some tofu tempura and iced tea, while sitting at the bar facing the street and people watching…a pretty perfect way to settle in. After dinner, we headed back up the escalator to our hotel, and sat in front of the lobby fireplace on some cozy couches, while Jilly finished her dessert. It was so relaxing and warm, and convenient! Relaxing in our cozy and swank room was icing on the cake for our first day in Seattle.

TO BE CONTINUED…