Seattle & Portland

The PNW is a great place to visit if you are into food, art and sweater weather. What finally got me out to Seattle was the Dave Matthews Band festival at the Gorge which happens every Labor Day Weekend. The Gorge is his favorite place to play and it’s not hard to see why.

Located in George, Washington (3 hours away from Seattle)

The Gorge’s backdrop will make your jaw drop as you stare out into the valley of mountains behind the stage and watch the sun go down. There is not a bad seat in the house as the seating descends down towards the stage at the bottom. We only went for the last day of the festival and met up with our friends who were camping there for the weekend – die hard DMB fans. All I have to say about that night was … it was a trip!

Once we got back to Seattle – and reality – it was time to explore the town of Seahawks. That following weekend was the NFL GameDay Kickoff between the Seahawks (last year’s Super Bowl champions) and the Packers (my team). Needless to say, we had to stay the week so we could be in town for the game. So what do you do in Seattle for 5 days?

Stay:

The Edgewater Hotel. Hands down, this is one of my favorite places to stay. They had complimentary bikes to rent which worked out great for exploring the town. And if you didn’t want to bike, they offered complimentary shuttle service from the hotel to anywhere in the city. And if you were out on the town, you could call the hotel and the shuttle will come pick you up! On top of that, its gorgeous inside and is on a pier so you are right on the water. We had a fireplace in our room and there are a few throughout the hotel as well.
- Definitely eat at Six Seven Restaurant downstairs. They have an amazing happy hour. Again, the view is fantastic.

Obviously, go to Pike Place. One of the oldest public markets is the U.S.

Eat at Piroshky Piroshky Bakery! It’s a Russian bakery, serving the most delicious pastries – some are light for a snack and some are heavy for a meal. We got 4 or 5 pastries and ate that for breakfast. I am literally salivating just thinking about it.
I washed that down with a PSL from the OG Starbucks which is on the corner, across the street from the market. See picture above.
Buy fresh flowers for your hotel room. Pike Place is known for their beautiful flower market which is very inexpensive.

Visit the Gum Wall. Personally, I was grossed out but it’s still a sight to see.

Take a ferry to Bainbridge Island and explore! We rode the hotel bikes to the dock and brought the bikes onto the ferry. The bikes were perfect as the island had a bike trail that weaved through the bays and neighborhoods. Really beautiful homes!

Eat at Harbour Public House! They have fish n chips to-die-for. This was our view from our table on the outside patio.

Go to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit. It’s right next to the Space Needle which you should also go up to at night. Really amazing artwork that you must see to believe. My favorite parts were the black rooms with bright, colorful glass sculptures and the outdoor glass garden.

Go to Safeco field! This is my favorite baseball stadium. First of all, it’s really nice inside. I’m talkin outdoor fireplaces, DJs and good local beer. Also, on the ground level, the opposing team’s bullpen is set up so that anyone can post and watch their warm up right before the game starts. Eat at Hit it Here. And another reason why I love this stadium – they have credit union ATMs. If you have a credit union, you know how exciting this news is.