Three Days In Seattle, What Can You Do?
- The Best Life Awaits
- Apr 17
- 23 min read
So it's February.
Ski week vacation for our kids.
But our oldest works Fridays and Sundays.
(She has quite a way to make it to our triad: Stable. Capable. Free!)
That leaves us four days, what do you do? Well if you live in San Jose, Seattle is a quick hour and a half flight. So what the heck, let's check it and our daughter can spend time exploring the University of Washington. Because she is a Junior and that time is coming quickly! It's exciting and scary. At least for us parents.
The weather was reporting rain and snow all week in Seattle. Coming from a place that only gets 15 ~ 20 inches of rain a year, we were looking forward for some different weather. So we packed our rain coats and waterproof shoes and were ready. Of course in hindsight we forgot to pack our hats (important when your bald), gloves, and other warmer clothes...we haven't traveled to a cold place in a while. Meanwhile in San Jose it was sunny and nice but the forecast was for rain. So we would be getting wet no matter what we did.
Always Something When You Travel
Okay quick travel insanity break. Our daughter had to work until 5PM and our flight was at 7PM! Now as a dad this had me worried. Only two hours to get from work to airport, park, checkin, and make it to flight! It looked like it was going to be a close call. So I came up with a brilliant plan! First I'll drop my wife and youngest daughter at the airport so they can check the bags and get our carry-on's through security. In the meantime I would drive to our other daughters work, wait for her to finish, then rush to airport, park in short-term, and rush to the terminal.
Everything was going as planned, I dropped wife and daughter at airport and headed to daughters work. Waited for about 15 minutes and was getting nervous. I got out and went inside. Looking for my daughter. She should be done. Where is she? My wife and other daughter get bags checked, through security and were waiting for us at the gate. Shortly after my daughter finished work and we got in car and headed back to the airport in a hurry. Now this is gonna be tight I was thinking. Well it took about 10 minutes to get to airport and 10 minutes to park and take shuttle. There was literally no one in front of us for security. We were at the gate in like 5 minutes.
Turns out I forgot how to travel from San Jose. It's small and easy to navigate. The time to park, shuttle, and get to your gate is pretty quick. We normally fly out of San Francisco which is 45 minutes away. So all this work and coordination and it turns out we could have all just went together and easily made it on time. It was a bit of a dad moment but better safe then sorry right? Not if your a 14 year old sitting at an empty terminal for 1.5 hours! Sorry honey. But hey, there always has to be at least one hiccup per trip right? Even if it's self-inflicted!
Getting settled in
Back to reality. The plane trip was quick and smooth, Uber to hotel, checked in and settled in no time. It was getting late by our standards so we didn't venture out. We did check out the awesome lobby and lounge though! Our hotel the Edgewater was nice. Literally on the edge of the water (check out the picture) Apparently it's quite famous and musicians loved to stay there cause it private (surrounded by water on three sides) Some famous bands that stayed there: Frank Zappa, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Kirt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, The Supremes. Pretty impressive list. I would've loved to see all them (I did get to see Frank Zappa).
Location, location, location
It's important to find a place to stay that matches your expectations of the trip. What do you like to do when you go to a new place, a new city in particular? Be honest with what you really like to do, what your spouse and/or kids like to do? If you have younger children then going to places like the science museum, aquarium, kids museums are going to be high on the list. Try to get a place close to these attractions, Seattle Center or where we stayed would be great. Love to shop, hang out in cafes, try down-town. Love to walk, take public transit and explore? Find a place near a bus or train station. We love the water, ferries, and walking so we found a place that works for us. Our kids? Anything that doesn't involve parents is great for them! So as long as it's close to "where the action is" they are fun.
The hotel turned out to be a great fit for us. There is a bike trail right out front, the Elliott Bay Connections, that runs along the harbor. The hotel offers free bikes but we didn't have hats or gloves and it was pretty cold. For the record, every Seattleite we saw was wearing gloves. So it wasn't just us Californias afraid to brave the bikes in the cold! The trail was nice, on the water in some spots. There is major construction going on so much of the shoreline portion is not ready for pedestrians yet. It looks amazing already and should be a great addition to the city once complete.
Day 01: Pikes Place, monorail, and lots of walking
The first day we headed North on the bike trail hot coffees in hand. We checked out the Olympic sculpture Park, had a brief romp at a small beach, and headed up to the West Thomas Street Pedestrian Bridge where we checked out the trains a bit before heading back towards the hotel. For the record, I have a thing for bridges, ferries, trains, and other large civil engineering projects. Pedestrian walkways are certainly a draw for me. When I see one I want to walk (or bike) across it. It was clear and cold on our first day but no rain and snow like the weather forecast said.
After heading back south passed our hotel, we just kept going. The bike path turns into a big sidewalk and that takes you along the harbor past all the peers. From here, you can get to Pike Place Market, Seattle Center, downtown, the aquarium, and the piers. All within walking distance of our hotel. If your looking for a place to stay that is close to everything but not right in downtown, check this place out (and no we are not affiliated or get any money for promoting them) Naturally on our first full day, we decided to walk to Pike Place public market. Bike place was founded in 1907. It's famous as one of the oldest continuously operating public farmers market in the United States. It is sometimes often called "the soul of Seattle". The original Starbucks is located here and get's crowded. So technically the original Starbucks opened in 1971 at 2000 Western Ave but later moved to 1912 Pikes Place in 1976. So this is the first Starbucks, but at it's second location.
Naturally, when you go to the market, what do you do? Of course you eat a little bit of everything you see, which is exactly what we did. First we had to try the mac & cheese with the cheese, made on site and Oguro cheese to top it off. Forget about going to the first Starbucks way too crowded. Not gonna wait online to get a coffee. Sorry I'll take my pictures instead. Dad what do we see five dollars for a cinnamon roll and a coffee gotta try that. Seriously, how can you pass by cultured ice cream? What's a few thousand calories when you're outdoors walking? So we spent some time exploring the market which is deceiving me large. It's not just the main market. There are shops and places all around. We spent a few hours just exploring. If we tried sampling a little bit of every place we saw, we'd be there for weeks.
Right next to the market, or more accurately right below it on Post Alley is...interesting. We've seen it before many years ago and I'm pretty sure it has grown. It's a famous landmark for sure and worth seeing since you are already there. But a word of advice: see it after eating and sampling the various foods from the market. Unless of course you're on a diet and want a reason to lose your appetite. Of course, I'm talking about Seattles famous Gum Wall. It could be a good strategy to visit the gum wall first, then maybe you won't eat so much? Something to think about I guess. Here is a quick video if you are willing to brave it! Hit the like button if you think this is the wildest tourist attraction you've ever seen!
Hidden garden for the plant lovers
The market was fun and we spent some good time there. My wife, the plant lover and gardener, found a rooftop garden in a far corner of the market. They had a lot of horse troughs just like the ones we have at home. The view was great. Overlooking the aquarium and Elliot Bay with a great view of the ferris wheel. After the market we did a lot of walking. Okay, we already did a lot of walking on the bike trail and around the market, but we had the first day excitement and wanted to just take in the city. We did some shopping for some much needed gloves and hats, took pictures of miscellaneous graffiti, and occasionally met up with our kids.
Quick Monorail Ride
The mall was a much needed break for us to rest and use the bathroom. And it just so happens to be the end-point for the famous Seattle Monorail. We needed to rest a bit so we decided to hop on the monorail. I've been on it before way back in the 1 990's so my expectations were already set. My wife, however, has not. If you know anything about the monorail then you probably know that it was built for the 1962 worlds fair. You probably also know that the entire length is just 0.9 miles (1.4 km) and the entire trip lasts less than 3 minutes. It's still fun and worth the $4 one way (if you're a tourist that is). Needless to say my wife was confused that I was getting off at the first stop. Until she realized it was the only stop! Not much of a rest but a nice break. And of course we have a video.
We didn't do too much of note the rest of the day beside walking. We checked out Seattle Center and decided at least one day we should see some of the attractions. We checked out Belltown, the neighborhood our hotel was in and various buildings around the city. We ended up near the Yard House and made it just in time to get happy hour specials! Kids split off on their own again so we could take our time eating. The Yard House by us usually crowded and you have to wait to get in. We had a good dinner and eventually made back to the hotel and crashed out. All in all I believe we walked about 12 miles on our first full day. You can see most of the walking we did in our Apple Watch map. Not all the walking we did, but you can see the Monorail ride in green!
Should we have gotten a car?
We decided the first day we weren't going to rent a car, just walk around the city and enjoy. For our next day the kids were heading off to meet a friend at the University of Washington so we decided to take the ferry and wander off on our own. That meant the following day would be our City Pass day to explore museums and attractions. So we decided not to bother with a rental car at all. We could Uber or take public transit if needed. We like to stay nimble when we travel so we let our vacation unravel where it likes sometimes. Planning everything sitting at home on your computer may look great on paper but sometimes you just have to let it flow. Our flight and hotel was a package deal with Costco. We went back and forth on the car rental but ultimately decided to wait and see. I'm glad we did because we didn't need it. We saved money. We had more fun experiencing the city rather than just seeing it.
Keep that in mind when you book travel; renting a car may be a necessity in many situations, especially on vacation. But if your traveling to a city, even a smaller one, you may not need a car. If we got the car with the travel package it would have completely changed our trip. We would have planned things to do outside the city, further away. That would've meant time driving, traffic, wrong turns, half the family excited about the destination, half not. Instead we delayed planning until we settled in. We had a great time getting exercise, meeting people, fumbling our way around, and finding things we would have just driven by. We came for Seattle so let's see it properly.
Day 02: There are trolls up in them thar hills!
So the girls happily ran off to meet their college friend and experience a little bit of dorm life. They were dressed, prepped, and out the door before Vung and I were even fully dressed. No small feat for teenage girls on vacation. But the thought of spending all day with no parents and college kids was too irresistible to hang around the likes of us. So off they went. We got our stuff together, including our new hats and gloves, and headed out towards the ferries.
What is there to do on Bainbridge Island? A great question to answer as you are already on your way there. Well there is quite a bit to do on Bainbridge. They have a nice down town with plenty of places to eat, drink, relax. There are lots of places to go hiking. Check out the Parks & Trails Finder for places you might want to visit. Bainbridge has a bus system that can get around most of the island and a day pass is only $5. If you have an Orca card you can a regional pass for $8 and use it for Seattle transit as well. But we found something else that sounded too fun to pass up. Going troll hunting at a troll park.
It was a beautiful, clear and cool day. It was a perfect day to take a ferry ride. Visibility was great and we had amazing views of the Seattle skyline Puget sound, and the surrounding hills. It was cool so we were thankful that we had hats. On the ferry, it can be quite breezy, but we braved it and got some amazing video and we're thoroughly enjoying ourselves on the boat ride. We found a quiet calm place in the back of the boat and we're able to actually do some blogging. It was an amazing and quick 30 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Islands.
When we arrived at the island, we weren't really sure what to do or where to go just yet. We knew we were gonna find the trolls, but how do we get there? How far are they? Should we stop before we go? As we were debating all of this, the bus just drove away from the ferry terminal. That's when we realized we checked and found we can get a bus pass for $3 until 3 PM or $5 all day. But we realized downtown Bainbridge was only about a quarter of a mile away. Of course we wanted to stop check it out. Get some coffee and maybe something to eat before hunting for trolls.
So we found a quaint little café got some coffee, some eggs, relaxed, and just enjoyed the town and the weather. The town is quite small, but lively for its size. It was a weekday so no weekend crowds. That was just perfect for us. Our breakfast was quite good and relaxing, and it gave us a few minutes to figure out which way we had to go to find the trolls. So we wrapped it up and headed out.
The troll Park, also known as Sekai Park, is about a mile up the road from the town. There is a small hill with a very moderate climb. It's easy and anyone can do it. So we decided there's no need to bother getting a bus pass, we can do the short walk. Honestly, on the way up, we didn't see any buses that I could remember. Of course, on the way down the hill we saw lots of buses, which is usually how it works with Murphy's Law. Or maybe we just didn't notice the buses on the way up the hill? Anyway, it was a nice clear day and a short walk; just what we needed.
It didn't take us long to get to the park and find our first troll. Of course we thought it was a troll park. Meaning there were lots of trolls that we would "hunt for". But in fact, there is just one troll: Pia. Now don't get me wrong. Pia is quite cool and definitely worth the trip. But if you're expecting the hunt for a bunch of trolls year might be disappointed. But we got some good video of Pia. Enjoyed the park a bit and then we headed back to town. There is a small trail that leads to a pond in the park but we didn't take it. If you have a pup with you, they are also welcome at the park!
We didn't want to do any serious hiking as we just weren't really prepared for it. Not to mention we've been walking about 10 miles a day so we figured that's probably good enough. But we did wanna walk along the Waterfront Trail, which was on the way back to the ferry anyway. So keep in mind much of this Waterfront Trail is not really a trail, but it is on the waterfront. It is beautiful and worth following. So rather than just walk the direct path to or from town we highly recommend taking the Waterfront Trail. We did some filming and exploring and it was a lot of fun. But this was just a short stent for us at Bainbridge so we were looking forward to getting back on the ferry. Possibly even searching for some of the other trolls we learned about.
I will say that on the way back we did settle into our sunny and warm seats on the ferry. The cold air and walking around Bainbridge felt great. But the moment we sat on the warm ferry, in the sun, we were ready to relax and just sit a bit. But after some time the sun reflecting off the water looks so nice I wanted to film it. When we got closer to Seattle the sun was reflecting off the buildings back onto the bay and it looked really cool! Check out the quick short of it. It's also when we realized that the weather heading in our direction wasn't so sunny and bright.
Like it was planned all along, the moment we arrived back in Seattle it started to rain. At first we thought maybe we should just head back to the hotel and relax. But really, what fun is that? So like everything we do these days, we pulled out our phone and found the way to our next troll. It was about a 30 minute bus ride to Lincoln Park where our next troll was located. Check out the video at the end of this blog for our full Troll Hunting escapade.
So we made the short walk to the bus stop and got on the bus, in our case, it was the C bus. Not like any normal, good tourist we had virtually no cash. Because really how often do you use cash anymore? Of course in America you need exact change. Now I assumed that was a relic from the 80s or even the 90s but no apparently in America it's still alive and well. Needless to say we had a couple of 20s and two singles. After several minutes of trying to figure out how to pay for the bus, the driver basically got frustrated with us and just said 'give me the two dollars and sit down'. My wife of course wanted to pay full share (FYI it's $3 per rider). I just wanted to get out of there and let the guy drive the bus. The passengers visibly fealt the same way based on the looks and snears we were getting. So we gave him the two dollars and sat down. Now we are not in anyway advocating annoying your bus driver to get out of paying full share, but that is essentially what we did.
And again, being tourist and not really knowing the way around, we saw a bus stop name that looked very similar to where we were going...So we got off and after the bus left, looked around and realized that we got off the bus a bit too early. About 5 or 6 stops too early. Realizing it was gonna be too long of a walk and it was still raining, we went back to the bus station and waited for the next bus. After about 10 minutes, we hopped back on. Fortunately, our two dollar tickets were still good and we got back on
and went the last few stops. In spite of our mishaps we made it to Lincoln Park. It was still raining a bit, but in the distance, we could see the sunset and it was quite Beautiful.
I think the total walk from the bus to the next troll was about 1 mile. It wasn't far but of course we weren't 100% sure which way it actually was and it was still raining. But it was fun and we were excited to be on our little adventure. We walked down a dirt trail, which meant we did actually get some hiking in today and we made it down to the coastline where the troll was. Now we assumed trolls, probably big ugly boys, but in fact they
were both girl trolls. So excuse us if you watched the video and you hear us miss rendering the trolls at least the first two. But the walk was nice and easy enough all downhill of course. And the rain stopped as soon as we got to the coast and out of the woods.
Well, the rest of the evening was quite uneventful. We made it to the troll Wright at dusk just before it got too dark to film. We found a different way back up to the bus stop without incident and without getting soaking wet. This time we knew exactly where to get off the bus and we still had our tickets which last all day so we were good. The girls already made it back to the hotel and we're relaxing so we let them know that we would probably find a place to eat before heading back. We didn't get off the same bus stop we got on. We went a bit further closer to the hotel and found a nice, but loud, place to eat.
Where to eat in Seattle?
So since we are on the topic of eating we figured we should probably point out some places to eat. Now we stayed in Bell town, which is not downtown but fairly close to Seattle Center and definitely close to a lot of things. But what we noticed overall was that 2nd Ave in this area had a lot of places to eat. So when we were not sure where to eat we just headed to 2nd Ave and looked around. We were a bit tired and it was a cold day. So Vung wanted something nice and hot for dinner and we came across a Thai restaurant, perfect!
It looked small and I'm assuming from the street, and did not seem that loud. But once we got inside, it was definitely loud. A great place for young people who like loud places, but the food was hot and pretty good. We ended up at Bangrak Market, a small Thai restaurant. We let the girls know where we were and eventually, they joined us. Check out this quick video of our dishes. Like I said, it was loud. This isn't a promotion. The food was pretty good, not the best Thai food I've had. It was definitely loud and fun. Not necessarily after a long day of hunting trolls in the cold, but the food was hot and we were hungry!
At the end of the day, we all got back together, had a nice dinner, and talked about our adventures of the day. Of course it was too loud to talk much in the restaurant so we went back at the hotel lounge to relax before calling it a night. The lounge and reception area of our hotel is very nice, right on the water, with comfortable seats. So it's a great place to unwind and have a proper conversation.
Day 03: The real tourist day!
Okay, today was supposed to be rainy so decided to buy a City Pass and check out
some of the attractions. Our plan was to visit three different attractions that come as a package in the City Pass we purchased. For us three attractions is plenty. One day doing touristy stuff is enough. We decided all of us would go to the Space Needle together. After that we split up: Vung and Sierra would go to the Pop Culture Museum, Dan and Isabel would do a boat tour. After which we would all meet up again at the Science Center.
Space Needle Tourist trap?
Okay I'll admit it. I've been to Seattle several times and never visited the Space Needle. I always thought it was just a tourist trap and probably overpriced. After visiting it, we all agree it is definitely worth the visit! Yes it was a fad back in the day. But they have made quite a few improvements over the decades and it was a lot of fun! Let's break down some of the things you (and your kids) will love.
The entire top of building slowly rotates. This honestly creates a bit of a creepy feel while you are up there.
The floor is glass! Yes, it's safe, you know it's safe but damn it is a bit creepy! You can (and should) lay down and look straight down to the ground 500ft (152 meters) below while it slowly rotates.
There is an outside observation area with 360º views of the city and surrounding areas.
The outside observation area is all glass so you can lean back (or forward) onto the slanted glass. This is also very creepy. Yes it's safe. But no matter how many times you tell yourself that, it's still difficult to force yourself against it.
I have to reiterate that I was thoroughly impressed with the Space Needle. It was a lot of fun and we spent a good hour and half exploring. The kids enjoyed it, didn't get bored, didn't complain, and even got a bit freaked out trying to lean on the glass. It's worth it and if you come to Seattle I would highly recommend doing it. Check out the City Pass for Seattle and see if you want to try multiple attractions. There is a lot to do, all within a pretty short distance of each other.
How about a boat tour?
We're assuming you have been graciously reading our blog on Seattle from the beginning. Before continuing, we would just like to extend a very warm thank you for making it this far! We know not a lot of people read anymore. As you have already read, Vung and I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island while the kids went off to college. So Isabel missed the ferry ride and opted for the boat tour that came with our City Pass. Since it wasn't raining we decided it would be worth it. The boat tour highlights many of the same places as a the ferry but much more informative. Especially considering the ferry is not informative at all.
Is it worth it? That depends on what type of person you are. If you want to learn about the city, the skyline, and various places around the water front, then it's worth it. We explored the shipping docs and learned some history about them as well as various tidbits of information about the city. It was fun and worth it at least once. But I am just as content to take the ferries. There is something special to me about riding in a large 'civil engineering-ish' boat. It feels more natural and practical. But then again, when I see a pedestrian overpass I have a burning need to cross it! So I'm a little biased that way. But if you want a guided tour or just don't have time to wait for ferries then a boat tour might be your best bet.
Science center a great indoor exploration
If you have kids you've probably been to a science center before. They are always a lot of fun. but you don't need kids to enjoy the science center. There are lots of interactive exhibits and experiments to enjoy. As soon as we entered there was a great room full of stuff to pull on, drag, turn, twist, and interact with! We spent a good 30 to 40 minutes in the first room alone.
Attached to the first room in the corner was the butterfly atrium. Of course we are going there. Our daughters were obsessed with butterflies when they were younger. That obsession doesn't go away easily, even if they are teenagers now. I'm not sure how long my daughter stayed in there but she entered before me and left after me. I was checking it out at least 30 minutes. You can easily spend the entire day here. Vung and Sierra spent half the day at the Pop Culture Museum and the other half here at the science center.
Throughout the day the science center offers laser light shows. We opted for the last one of the day. It was a long day with a lot of walking around and museum-ing (probably not a word but you know what I mean). So we entered the planetarium dome (I don't think it's actually a planetarium, but it is an enclosed dome with a smooth ceiling so...). There was a nice slanted floor leading to the middle of the room so a bunch of us laid down on the floor to stare at the ceiling. Now when you've had a busy day, it's cold out, and then you lay down in a dark room with music on...you might have to struggle to stay awake. The laser light show was entertaining and I didn't hear any snoring so I would say the show was a success. I haven't been to a laser light show in years, probably decades. So it was a nice finish to a busy day.
Check out the City Pass if you plan to visit some of these places. You can definitely save some money. It also relieves some stress of worrying about tickets, etc. You can book them all online from your phone and split them up as needed if you have different likes and dislikes in your family to satisfy.
Day 04: The return home
Our final half day in Seattle. So far we had a great trip. We practically walked a half marathon every day. Spent a full day walking and exploring markets, stores, and various outdoor attractions. Spent a full day on ferries and buses hunting trolls. Spent a full day exploring some of Seattles best tourist attractions. Now we had a few hours before we had to leave for the airport, what to do? Find a nice cafe and enjoy some of that famous Seattle java? Soak up some last minute views of the harbor and city skyline?
Not for us! We still had one more troll to hunt down and we weren't going to be satisfied until we did. So we headed to the bus station, this time with exact change! We took the 28 bus to Fremont and the bus stop was right at the final troll. There is a nice community garden and park surrounding the bridge and troll area. Just pay attention. We went wandering around a bit and ended up walking about half a mile looking for the bus stop. Which of course was only about 100 feet from the troll!
This final troll is not like the other two. Pia and Bruun Idun are made of recycled wood, pallets, and other recycled items. Both were created by the same Danish artist Thomas Dambo. This last troll is much bigger and made of cement and rebar. The artists actually encourage climbing on this guy. He stands out under the bridge, crushing an old VW bug! His one eye that is showing is made of an old VW hubcap. Originally the VW had a time capsule hidden inside of it. Unfortunately if was stolen.
During the time of it's construction there were a lot of California expats moving to Seattle. The story is the same as it always is. California is expensive and it eventually wears on some people. Portland, Seattle, Austin, and Denver are all popular ex-Cali destinations. The original VW had a CA license plate. This was the artists gentle way of symbolically crushing the California migration into Seattle. A migration that usually brings higher housing prices and living costs. I like it and wish the car still had the CA plates. But, of course, that was stolen long ago.
So we found all our trolls just in time. After doing some filming, exploring the surrounding park, and getting a little bit lost, we headed back to our hotel. The kids went off to enjoy the Seattle cafe experience while we were gone. Everyone made it back tot he hotel in time to meet up. We picked up our bags, got our Uber back to the airport and made it home with no problems...right?
Of course not! It doesn't matter if their 6 or 16, something always gets lost or forgotten. We were just about to go through security when Isabel realized she didn't have her phone! The problems always happen during the time sensitive activities. No one loses their phone when you have a few days to find it. It's always right before your flight to get home. We tracked it and realized she left it in the Uber. Fortunately we were able to contact the driver and for $20 he eventually returned the phone. Who has to wait around for the driver hoping they don't miss the flight? Is it mom? Nope. The one who lost the phone? Nope. It's dad. Always dad. That's okay, it was dad that made half the family wait at SJ airport for hours as part of his 'tight schedule' anxiety. So maybe a little payback? Karma?
In the end it all worked out. It usually does. So don't overthink it. Don't stress out too much. Try to live in the moment and see where things take you!
Checkout our full Troll Hunting video from our Seattle trip.
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