Way Cool Washington – Part II – Leavenworth and Seattle
By Guest Blogger, Emily McKenzie
Part I of this blog was published on September 13, 2019.
This trip was so much fun, that one post could not capture all that we did. After some outdoor fun at Mt. Ranier National Park, we had one more day to explore Leavenworth before heading to Seattle for some city fun!
Day Five – Leavenworth, WA
We all woke up a little sore, but feeling refreshed after some good ole’ fashioned rest. Time for Day 2 in Leavenworth and time for a break from hiking. We had scheduled a group whitewater rafting trip down the Wenatchee River. We woke up early, drove to the meet-up point and had a short safety instruction before we collected our gear and headed to the river where we would start the trip. Because we had a smaller group (7 adults) plus our river guide, we were able to all fit in one raft together, which was super nice!
For a few of us, it was our first time whitewater rafting, mine included, but I was stoked to get out on the rapids for some fun! Unfortunately, the normally Class III river was nearing the end of it’s season and most of the rapids were Class II while we were out. A tad disappointing, plus we didn’t particularly care for our guide, but it was fun none the less and a good intro to whitewater rafting.
After stopping for a few snacks, we headed back to the cabin for showers, lunch, naps, hot tub time and just a bit of down time, as we hadn’t had much of that on this trip. But, as they say, no rest for the weary, as we headed back out for pre-dinner drinks at one of the local breweries in town – Blewett Brewing. While we didn’t eat here, the food looked AMAZING but the beer was just so-so and we wouldn’t recommend. However, our just OK experience at the brewery was far outweighed by the amazing dinner we had at one of the top rated restaurants in Leavenworth – Watershed Cafe. We were able to sit outside on the patio with the picturesque mountains in the background. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day!
Day Six – Travel Day
Looking back, Leavenworth was my very favorite place we visited on this trip, so it was a sad day when we had to pack up and leave our perfect little cabin in the woods 🙁 But on to the big city for all of us – Plus our final 3 friends would join us here, so we could take on the city as a group of 11!
On the drive from Leavenworth to Seattle, we made a quick pit-stop at Snoqualmie Falls to stretch our legs take in some more scenic views. The view from the top was great, but nothing special when Niagara Falls is so close to us at home! We decided to hike down the trails a bit, and try to catch a glimpse of the waterfall from another viewpoint. However, we immediately regretted it; we had flashbacks to our hike a few days prior LOL! So, it was back in the car and on to Seattle!
By the time all 11 of us arrived safely and settled in to the AirBnB we had rented, it was time for dinner! (Also, we would not recommend the large house we rented from AirBNB, but there are lots of other great looking options in the city for smaller groups) We ate at Uneedaburger, based on a recommendation from a friend and it did NOT disappoint! It’s an order from the counter, sit at a picnic table and dine al fresco type of place!! I loved my turkey burger and sweet potato fries, but all 11 of us loved every bite. Then, we spent the evening at a local bar – Schilling Cider House – and played some board games to close out the night!
Day Seven – Seattle
Some of us woke up early for the first full day in the city, but let me tell you – It takes a long time to get 11 adults up and moving!! There were no solid plans for the day, so we were all on our own for activities. It was a cold, rainy day – so museums it was! After an OK, but nothing special brunch at a cafe within walking distance from our house, called Ha!, Andoni and I were off!
We decided to do our own thing and headed to the Museum of Pop Culture (Otherwise known as MoPOP). If you’re into TV, Sci-Fi, Comics or anything else ‘pop culture’ you’ll love this museum! We thoroughly enjoyed almost every exhibit the museum had to offer, including exhibits on Prince, Video Games, Sci-Fi Television, Horror Movies, FantasyLand, a Guitar Gallery and more!For future reference, we spent about 2.5 hours here, but could easily have spent 3-4 hours.
From here we met up with the rest of our group at the Chihuly Garden and Glass (not to be confused with the Glass Museum in Tacoma, WA), thankfully it was right around the corner from the museum, as it was down pouring. However, if these are both on your to-do list, I would recommend visiting both in the same day, as they’re almost next door to each other. Highly, highly recommend, especially if you’re familiar with Chihuly and love his work. The museum was a little smaller than I would have liked, but featured some amazing glass pieces and installations! There is an outdoor garden with more pieces as well, which would be amazing on a nice day!
Next up, we all headed home to get ready for a fun night out! We had dinner reservations at a local restaurant located in Pike Place Market – The Pink Door. Again, highly recommend this next time you find yourself in the Seattle area, but advanced reservations are recommended! The restaurant is truly just an unmarked pink door in an alley, but behind the door you’re transported to a whole new world and immersive dining experience.
Boasting authentic Italian flavors, everything from the dipping olive oil, charcuterie boards, wine, entrees and desserts was nothing short of amazing. In addition, it’s a burlesque restaurant featuring arial artists, musicians and more, as in-house entertainment every night. Our group was seated right next to the stage for the jazz band that was playing that evening – an added bonus to having a large group! Aside from the amazing hikes and scenery we had previously experienced, this night is one of my favorite memories from this trip. The overall experience that this restaurant offers is outstanding!!
Day Eight – Seattle
Day eight and we were nearing the end of our trip, but the fun continued!! We were all up early today for our Savor Seattle Food Tour at Pike Place Market, something I was super excited for and it did not disappoint! Our tour guide, a Seattle native, was amazing and along with the food samples we enjoyed, she shared so much cool history about the market with us! We wound our way through Pike Place, sampling food from various vendors as we went along. In total the tour was about 2.5 hours long and gave us all a good idea of how the market was laid out. There were several stops along the way, but a few of my favorites included cheese, crackers and Mac & cheese from Beecher’s Cheese, dried cherries and candies from Chukar Cherries, seafood chowder from Pike Place Chowder and authentic Greek yogurt from Ellenos Greek Yogurt.
After filling our bellies, we were able to explore a bit on our own, which was not hard to do, as Pike Place spans 9 acres. We stopped at a few booths to purchase treats and goodies to take home, wandered up and down endless aisles of fresh fruits, veggies & gorgeous flower arrangements and even stopped for a hand-blown glass ornament, something Seattle is well known for.
After a few hours exploring the market, three of us headed to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery up in the beautiful Capitol Hill neighborhood. This is not to be confused with the ‘Original’ Starbucks, you can find that in Pike Place Market, but this is a MUCH larger version of Starbucks with an expansive gift shop, roasting tours, coffee flights, reserve roasts of coffee, cocktails, food and more! We were short on time and didn’t get to experience all that we wanted to, but it’s definitely worth checking out! We enjoyed specialty drinks, only available at Starbucks Reserve locations and a quick bite to eat before rushing home to get ready for our next activity.
For the rest of the evening we had a group kayak tour of Puget Sound planned…The weather wasn’t the most ideal but once we got all geared up, had a short training on our kayaks, we got in the water and headed out into the Puget Sound. It wasn’t the most exhilarating kayaking tour I’ve ever been on but the weather did clear up, the clouds broke and the sun was shining down. So, if nothing else, we all enjoyed some time on the water together.
Have I mentioned how hard it is to find a dinner location for 11 people when you don’t have a reservation?? Well, if you’ve never tried it before, I highly recommend just making reservations for all dinners out. We were all craving sushi after kayaking and FINALLY, after calling 6 sushi restaurants we found one that had room for us – Yume Sushi. And WOW, WOW, WOW it was one of the best sushi restaurants ever!! My favorite dish we tried was the most unique dish I’ve ever had at a sushi restaurant – The Monkey Brain appetizer – look It up on their menu! And in case we weren’t full enough, some of us made one last stop and grabbed some ice cream on the way home from Molly Moon’s Ice Cream. I mean, why not?! Vacation was almost over! If you’re in the Seattle area, this is a must stop, especially if you’re an ice cream lover like me.
Starbucks Reserve Drink 
Starbucks Reserve Roastery 
Day Nine – Seattle
And just like that it was the final day of vacation and the 4th of July, too! I started my day off earlier than everyone else and met an old co-worker for breakfast at a cute little cafe, Stone Way Cafe, in the neighborhood where we were staying! Of course, by the time I got back to the house, everyone else was awake and ready for some food, so we actually headed back to the same cafe for brunch – that’s how good it was!
After food, a few of us wandered to Gasworks Park, which was already hopping for the holiday, but it’s a must do if you want a great view of the city. The park sits above Seattle’s Lake Union and offers an amazing view of the city. The ambiance would be much better on a less packed day, but the views were amazing nonetheless.
We all met up later in the afternoon for a leisurely walk through the Seattle Japanese Gardens, part of the larger Washington Park Arboretum. Due to the holiday and the end of vacation, this was by far the most relaxed day we had. A few friends had to fly out in the afternoon and the rest of us chose to relax back at the house for the remainder of the day. After a snack and drink run, we settled in to the amazing rooftop patio at our AirBnb for some relaxation and then some late-night fireworks.
We were up bright and early the next day to head to the airport and head home, but thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Pacific Northwest and can’t wait to come back for another visit!
Leavenworth Restaurant: Watershed Cafe – https://www.watershedpnw.com/
Seattle Accommodations: AirBnB https://www.airbnb.com/
Seattle Food Tour: Savor Seattle, Signature Tour: Pike Place Market https://www.savorseattletours.com/
Seattle Kayaking: Ballard Kayakhttps://www.ballardkayak.com/
Seattle Museum: Museum of Pop Culture – https://www.mopop.org/
Seattle Garden: Seattle Japanese Garden https://www.seattlejapanesegarden.org/
Seattle Restaurant: Uneedaburger – http://uneedaburger.com/
Seattle Bar: Schilling Cider House https://www.schillingciderhouse.com/seattle
Seattle Restaurant: The Pink Door – https://www.thepinkdoor.net/
Seattle Restaurant: Yume Sushi https://www.yelp.com/biz/yume-sushi-seattle
Seattle Restaurant: Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream https://www.mollymoon.com/
Seattle Restaurant: Stone Way Cafe http://www.stonewaycafe.com/