Summer Vacation - Seattle!

Felix and I recently spent a wonderful long weekend in sunny Seattle – that’s right, sunny! I planned our trip for August hoping for good weather, and it paid off.

Landed in Seattle.

Day 1

Our flight there was on time and uneventful. Felix fell asleep right after takeoff, and woke in time to have a snack before we landed. We were the only ones on our “shared shuttle” so we got door-to-door service from the airport to our friend’s house.

The house was so cute, located in North Seattle, totally kid-proofed and full of fun toys. The yard was lush and also full of toys, with a nice patio. They also have cable TV so I indulged in some Sex and the City and Frasier reruns. Oh, and our friends were out of town, so we had the place to ourselves! It was so, so much better than the nicest hotel or B&B would have been.

Other people's toys are the best!

We dropped off our luggage and hurried to catch an express bus downtown. We visited Pike Place Market, had lunch and went to the aquarium. Felix fell asleep and woke up with that “overdone” look on his face. So we took a break while I charged my iPhone in a quiet spot at the aquarium and he played with his souvenir slinky till he was a little more relaxed and acting like himself. Then we did a one-hour harbor boat tour before catching another bus back to the house. I made the mistake of stopping for milk and wine and taking a different bus back, which meant me pushing Felix and the heavy beverages uphill about 1/3 mile. I didn’t take that route again!

He loved crawling around the boat and looking out the windows.

Day 2

On Friday, I didn’t plan anything more than going to the zoo. It took two bus rides to get there and I wanted plenty of break time if needed, since I had to hold Felix on the buses and it was very challenging at times. He had a mini-meltdown on the first bus, so I got off at Pike Place Market and had some amazing bakery goodies from Three Girls Bakery while he napped. We eventually made it to the zoo and had a great time. There were so many more animals than what we usually see. When it was time for lunch, I opted for a grilled salmon sandwich over pad thai, thanks to the advice of a fellow SMC.

Very interested in the gorillas!

On the way back to the house, we got off near the university to check out all the random shops and have some frozen yogurt. Gotta love reliable, frequent public transportation.

Day 3

Saturday we headed to the Seattle Center and spent the whole day there. On the bus, I had to move his stroller to accommodate a woman in a wheelchair (and her companion) and we chatted for a bit. The Seattle Center is a really nice walkable campus with the Pacific Science Center, Space Needle, EMP Museum, International Fountain and other fun things. Felix loved the water table and tot area at PCS, and we did a “Preschool Trip to the Moon” class in the planetarium. The EMP was perfect for nap time, since they have a really sweet horror movie exhibit and Women Who Rock exhibit with stage outfits for famous female performers. 

Playing a piano with special sound effects at PCS.

The giant water table was so much fun.

Horror movie weapons on display; tap the screen to watch the scene.
Pictured here is the axe from The Shining and the face grabber from Alien.

A the top of the Space Needle. He later did downward dog on the South marker.

We met some friends for lunch and it was really nice to have some grown-up conversation. On the way home, imagine our surprise to find the same woman and her companion waiting at the bus stop with us! We thought it was quite the coincidence and talked more – turns out she’s a well-known choreographer visiting from Scotland. Just goes to show you really can't judge a book by its cover!

Day 4

On Sunday we woke up early to put the house back together and walk to a nearby Starbucks for breakfast. The airport shuttle was picking us up at 9:30, but I always like my last day of vacation to still feel a little like vacation. The Starbucks didn’t have any high chairs, so Felix got muffin crumbs and milk all over a leather couch. (Seriously, who doesn’t have high chairs?) But we had a good time, and the walk was nice.

Our flight home was as uneventful as the flight there. Both ways, we had to walk out on to the tarmac to board our plane, so Felix got to see lots of giant trucks and airplanes up close, which was really cool. 

Before the trip, I picked up a CityPASS which gave me deeply discounted admission to all the major Seattle attractions. It was nice to pay for that ahead of time and not have to worry about whether I should pay to get in to every neat place I found. They have CityPASS for quite a few major cities and I would highly recommend getting one for anyone who’s going to travel for fun.