I just went back and found THIS post not even two short years ago about being "one week in" in San Francisco. Oh how have things have changed (at least some things). We are still going, going, going. (that may never change), but the city and our surroundings are certainly very different this move.
We arrived Sunday afternoon after almost exactly 24 hours after leaving San Francisco. We unpacked our U-haul and a few of the necessary boxes, but except for those necessities, our apartment is still full of boxes one week later. With Adam's sister, Katherine, and her son helping us move, we didn't want to waste anytime with them unpacking. Instead, we decided to hit the town and have fun exploring it together with them for the first time.
Monday morning, Landon and I ran a few errands like registering him in Kindergarten (I can't believe it!) while Katherine and Taylor checked out the original Starbucks. We met up with them in the afternoon and found out about the City Pass, which allows you entrance into a number of Seattle based places at a huge discount. I'd recommend this pass to anyone visiting Seattle with kids as it was a perfect way to see many of the most kid friendly sights around.
We started off our tour with a bay cruise Monday evening from the Seattle Waterfront. Like Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, the pier is the most touristy part of the city, but it's also fun with a variety of activities and places to eat. Like the homemade ice cream we discovered while waiting for our cruise to begin.
It was a beautiful day, but once on the water, the wind made it a bit too chilly to stay out on the deck the entire 90 minutes. We sailed down the waterfront of the city, toward Bainbridge Island before heading over to the Seattle Port. My favorite part was getting so close to the port and seeing the containers being loaded onto the vessels. As a customs broker, it was a cool moment, but most people probably were not nearly as impressed.
The views of the city were wonderful too and we couldn't have picked a brighter or sunnier day to be out on the water. Seattle is best viewed from the water and getting out on a boat is a must. It was a great way to kick off our introduction.
Tuesday, we headed to Vancouver for a few days which I highlighted in my last post. It was almost hard coming back to Seattle Thursday night after such an amazing time in Vancouver, but we had plenty more to discover. We planned on spending the weekend camping in Olympic National Park only to discover moments before leaving Friday that the weather was just not suitable for our group. Instead, we took the boys to see Finding Dori Friday night and we WALKED to the movie theater. That's right, the best part of where we live in Redmond is how walkable of an area it is. We live within walking distance of some of our favorite places like Trader Joes and an REI!!! Even better, there are many restaurants and stores we can discover on foot. There's even a Saturday morning Farmer's Market that I can't wait to explore.
Saturday morning, we made our way to the Aquarium which was perfect after our Friday evening movie (where I literally cried of laughter during the tide pool scene as I have often thought about all the times we've been those people shoving our hands in the touch pools and probably scaring all of the animals). Ironically enough, there we were again Saturday morning being those people, elbow-deep in the touch pools. The girl working assured me most of the animals had no brains so it was completely fine. I guess that made me feel a little better. The Giant Pacific Octopus was by far the coolest part because we got to watch them feed it and she was very active. She was climbing all over the place so the boys got a great look of her underside and all of her tentacles and suckers. Pretty rare in our aquarium experiences.
After the aquarium we re-discovered our old homemade waterfront ice cream (it may have happened more than a few times) and then made our way over the Science Center. Our City Pass included general admission and an IMAX movie. They just so happened to be showing an IMAX on the National Parks so we had to see that. It was wonderful! I got a little choked up seeing just how beautiful this country is. The more of it we discover, the more amazed I am. It is truly spectacular. Then we explored the Science Museum which the boys really enjoyed.
It was a great science center and I see a membership in our near future. Landon was totally engrossed in every aspect from the dinosaurs, space, bugs, and health exhibit. It's a perfect place for little boys to run around, explore, and learn.
They even had things that the adults could enjoy. Like the butterfly atrium full of hundreds of butterflies flying all around you. My favorite item was the sandbox map of the Puget Sound. It's such an interesting landscape and to see it on the small scale all mapped out really helped me to visualize the waterways so much better. I can't wait to explore more of these waterways, especially by kayak.
They are famous for their seafeast and offer four different types in a variety from "ridiculous" to "out of control". We took the go big or go home approach and ordered the out of control Alaskan Seafeast. It was the first time either of us had experienced Alaskan King Crabs and oh my god! I had no idea what I was missing all these years. I thought we went out big for my birthday dinner at The Crustacean in San Francisco just a week before, but this place beat out the Crustacean and their measly little Dungeness Crab easily. Lets just say, I will never be the same.
Seriously, it was amazing! If you ever go to Seattle, go the Crab Pot and order the Alaskan Feast. It will not disappoint. But most importantly, invite me! I cannot wait to go back!
Sunday was not only Father's Day, but our 7th wedding anniversary! Adam got the trump card for the day so we let him pick the activity. No surprise, we all loaded into the car and made the 2 hour drive up to Mount Rainier. He loves that mountain and this was our first chance to visit it. We made our way into the park and found our way to the visitors center to get the boys started on the junior ranger program. Then we stopped off at Reflection Lake for a few pictures.
Afterwards, we did a short hike to Bench and Snow Lake that we could manage with the large amounts of snow still in the area. The hike went through more snow than we were prepared for, but ended at a small lake with a beautiful peak called Unicorn Peak in the background. A common phenomenon in the area was occurring as we hiked called a sundog. A ring was highly visible the entire time as well as a number of little rainbows. It was so pretty and neat to see. Katherine caught it best in her pictures. Most importantly, the boys had such a good time getting out and hiking. It's amazing how they can bicker and fight over toys at the house then work together out on the trail. This is where they belong.
Afterwards, we did a short hike to Bench and Snow Lake that we could manage with the large amounts of snow still in the area. The hike went through more snow than we were prepared for, but ended at a small lake with a beautiful peak called Unicorn Peak in the background. A common phenomenon in the area was occurring as we hiked called a sundog. A ring was highly visible the entire time as well as a number of little rainbows. It was so pretty and neat to see. Katherine caught it best in her pictures. Most importantly, the boys had such a good time getting out and hiking. It's amazing how they can bicker and fight over toys at the house then work together out on the trail. This is where they belong.
Monday, we were back in the city as tourists (some of us fitting the bill more than others) exploring a few more places. We started off at the Space Needle, the iconic Seattle structure.
We were lucky enough to have another clear day and could see Mount Rainier just to the right of the city. It's was awesome to be exploring the mountain one day and admiring it from a distance the next. Pictures have a hard time capturing it, but you can see it rising off the distance .
Markets and Waterfronts are not Adam's favorite places, but I love exploring them. Lucky for me, my little guy does too and I know we will be visiting place often. It doesn't hurt that they have the most beautiful fresh flowers for so cheap and my new favorite food, Alaskan King Crab.
And while the market has just about everything, they definitely specialize in fresh seafood. The salmon were huge and the smoked salmon that we got to sample was really amazing!
As much as we wanted to buy everything, we settled on some ice cream then made our way back to the house. Tuesday we made our way to one final place, the zoo. Landon was really excited as we haven't been to a zoo in so long he doesn't even remember it.
Another favorite was the bird encounter where we fed parrots and cockatiels. For a short time, I had a cockatiel and it made me want to get another one as they ate seeds off our hands. The boys really enjoyed it too.
In a way, Seattle still feels like a vacation and not quite yet home. We haven't had time to settle into our new place the way we like to just yet, but once Adam and I return from our trip we will still have four weeks without Landon to make it feel homey. Once Landon returns and we start back working, getting on a schedule, and getting a flow, I know the realness will set in.
In my first impressions of Seattle, I can honestly say that it is a beautiful, beautiful part of the world and I see a long term future for us here. I know with every new experience and place we go, I will love it more and more. Redmond seems to be a perfect place for us and I cannot wait for Summer nights exploring our little hometown. I haven't sat down yet to make a bucket list, but I can already see it will surpass my California list by a mile. With so much to do nearby and so many amazing places just a car ride away, it's very exciting! If our first week is any indication, this will be a great place for all of us. There's no two people we could have had more fun with exploring all the fun sights here. We've already done so much, seen so much, been so many places, and shared so much. And this is only the beginning.