Vacation. Ah, the week each year that you get to relax and enjoy and (hopefully) unplug from the everyday. This may have been our favorite vacation yet. Which I guess isn’t saying too much since we’ve only known each other for a little under 3 years. But still. It was amazing.
We’ve been pretty silent around here lately because Mike and I got back from our 5-day vacation frolicking around Seattle and Bainbridge Island. We arrived home earlier this week and I’m still peeling my eyes open from jet lag. How do you conquer this, travel buffs? We flew into Seattle and then took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island, which is where my Aunt Gwen lives. We don’t get to see her often, so we had the best time getting to spend so much time with her and exploring around. Here’s a photo of us when we met up with each other for the first time – on the Seattle side!
Honestly, we took 695 photos. But, instead of sharing all of them with you I’ve paired them down to 50. We spent part of our time in the city of Seattle and part of our time in the Bainbridge Island area. Today, I’ll be sharing about our time in Seattle.
A Day On Our Own in Seattle
On one of the days, we took the ferry over to Seattle to explore. The ferry ride is about 35 minutes each way and costs $8 per person, only from Seattle to Bainbridge; not the other way. The main ferry holds about 250 cars and at least double that number of people. My aunt used to take the ferry every day to work (can you imagine the planning involved?) They run about every half hour. There’s even a cafeteria on the ferry! My 5-minute car ride to my office is looking mighty fine after experiencing that.
Pike Place Market
When we arrived on land, we walked to Pike Place Market. It’s famously known for the original Starbucks and the market itself. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
From artisans to flying fish to the most gorgeous flowers – Pike Place is the place to see and to people watch. Y’all, you know we had to at least walk in the three-story Target that was visible from the front of the market!
We found the most beautiful flowers for my Aunt Gwen – and they ended up touring the rest of the day with us. 🙂
Next, we walked to grab a bite to eat at The Pink Door – a recommendation from a friend. We followed our directions, but couldn’t seem to find the sign. And then looked up. I give you, the literal pink door.
And look at these sweet these flower boxes!
We happened to arrive at 10:50 AM – 10 minutes before The Pink Door opened for lunch. We were second in a line that kept growing! We ended up getting sat on the patio overlooking the water. Gorgeous!
And here’s a little peek inside. Lots of inspiration brewing from this place!
While the view and ambiance of The Pink Door enchanted me, it was the food that was the icing on the cake! I would definitely recommend visiting The Pink Door the next time you’re in Seattle.
The Space Needle
From lunch, we walked over to the Space Needle – which proved to be a longer, harder walk than we thought. Did you know Seattle was at such an incline?
The Space Needle had a long wait, so we decided to walk around a bit more before we ended back there. We took a monorail from The Seattle Center directly back to the Needle.
Aunt Gwen’s flowers on the monorail!
Even with our designated time, it took us about 25 minutes to finally go up in the elevator. Worth it! From what I understand, the weather we had was very unusual – especially for June. It’s usually much cooler and much cloudier, plus a high chance of rain.
My knees buckled when we first saw the view (from the beauty and from being 605 feet in the air). It’s going through a renovation and they recently opened the new and improved observation deck – glass walls instead of wire. They still have a bit of renovation to do including the popular restaurant, which they are designing to have clear floors and furniture. I’m not sure if I’ll make it to that reservation!
After we took the elevator down, we took an Uber back to the ferry and rested very well that evening! Such a great day.
Wonderful Town
We knew we were going to take this trip no matter what, but the timing of it was fully based on Wonderful Town. What’s that, you ask? Our dear friend and neighbor is a soprano and was starring in the Seattle Symphony’s performance of Wonderful Town at Benaroya Hall. And we had the opportunity to see her sing! My gracious aunt gifted us tickets for my birthday – so amazing!
What an honor it was to see our next door neighbor sing nearly 2,500 miles away, experiencing it with my aunt and Mike. An evening we surely won’t forget!
Part 2: Bainbridge Island
I’m looking forward to sharing the next part of our trip with you soon. We are so thankful for an amazing vacation with my aunt and her incredible hospitality! I’ve learned so much from her this week. Thank you, Auntie Gwen!
Have you been to Seattle? What are some of your favorite spots or memories?
It looks like you both had a wonderful time & perfect weather. Pike Place is on our “to see” list. I can imagine what a blast you had there…and a three story Target…you were definitely in your element! Vacations are such an adventure & it seems you had a lot to explore. What a perfect tour guide you had as well! Your Aunt Gwen is a hoot & so fun to be around. 🙂 Happy for you both to have experienced this trip.
Thanks Aunt Lynne! 🙂 Yes, it was wonderful to be able to spend time with her out there!