Inevitably, life happens.  I had the best intentions of writing a well-developed and thoughtful Seattle post while we were there.  It didn’t happen.  Then, I returned to reality, and it didn’t happen.  Better late than never, right?

After our time in the Cascades, we trekked back into Seattle.  We took the slow road, and stopped for a hike.  (Note to self:  A one-mile uphill hike to a waterfall with a preschooler is not the best of ideas.)  While we never made it to the waterfall, we saw a beautiful river and what Bambino called “fairy tale trees”.

All of our adventuring had worked up an appetite.  We stopped in Issaquah for a fantastic lunch at the Levitate Gastropub.  Local beer, farm-sourced food and futbol on the television?  Yes, please.  Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Costco’s hometown, eat there.

Our next stop was Seattle.  Rather than live the hotel life, we found an apartment rental in Belltown.  (A word of wisdom to those considering Air BnB in Seattle, our apartment building was cracking down on these casual rentals.  Thankfully, we had contracted with an approved rental management company, so all was well.)

The building was perfect for us.  Our neighborhood felt local and lived in, but we were three blocks from the Space Needle area.  Our roof deck was amazing:  from the views to the comfortable lounge areas to the bank of gas grills.  We could watch the Port of Seattle and airplane traffic from our breakfast nook, which enthralled Bambino.  And, the building was rock-and-roll themed.  He gave it five stars.

Normally, we are not museum people.  I have imposed a strict one museum per location rule in the past, arguing that you do not learn about a place by staring at exhibits (no matter how well executed).  But, rules are meant to be broken.  (Especially when rainy weather and an active Bambino are involved.)

We went to the top of the Space Needle.  We wandered the EMP Museum and rocked out.  Bambino fell in love with sea otters at the Seattle Aquarium.  We explored the Pike Place Market.  We rode the classic tourist rides.  It was fun.

  

The EMP was a rambunctious, pop culture obsessed paradise.  While music is a focal point, the museum also celebrates animation, video gaming, Seahawks football, and science fiction.  Both of my boys had a blast, and I could have spent hours in the Chuck Jones exhibit.

We also visited the Seattle Aquarium, but failed to take a single picture.  We watched an octopus have an afternoon snack.  Bambino adored the playful sea otters.  We marveled at the underwater dome that allowed us to peek into the Sound.

On our last day, we decided to take a ramble.  We headed to Whidbey Island, which is near Seattle, but a world away.

We explored old military installations, historic downtowns, and ate delicious local food.

On our way home, we took a detour to Deception Point.  We hiked among the tall trees and along the rocky shore one last time.  Bambino climbed fallen logs and chucked stones.  It was a slow and sweet day.

We wrapped up the evening with authentic Neapolitan pizza.  The next day, we headed home.

I didn’t expect to love the Pacific Northwest as much as I did.  We will be back.  We have a lot more to see and learn.

Until next time.