Weekend in Seattle

The most memorable moment was visiting the San Juan Islands and seeing a bald eagle in its nest. It was hard to spot, but we saw one.

Quick Tips:

I recommend going in summer as it rains so much up there that you have better odds of it not raining in the summer time.

Also, take an umbrella or raincoat with you just to be safe as well as warm clothes as the temperature can vary a large amount from day to day.

Best Way To Get Around:

The only way to get to the Islands is by ferry, but once on the islands you will need an automobile.

The rooms were very nice. The room we had had a queen size bed and private bath. We stayed in the room called NAPOLI.

The room features an exquisitely carved four-poster rice queen bed (this bed is so high they provided a stepstool to climb in); a cozy sitting area with two very comfortable easy chairs; and a private bath with large shower and separate antique soaking tub for two.

The owners provide you with a drink of your choice on arrival. However, they do not have an afternoon tea.

The nice thing about it is that it is very central to almost all of the Seattle area. We were 30 minutes to Mt. Rainier. We were 20 minutes to downtown Seattle and the ferries.

The owners do have a cat so please be aware of this if you have allergies.

The house was built in 1925. The owners have vast knowledge of the history and will tell you the store if you want to ask.

For brunch on Sunday, we went to the Space Needle and ate at its revolving restaurant at the top. It does a full rotation in one hour. While it rotates on clear days, you can see Mt. Rainier, across Puget Sound, as well as the rest of the scenery.

The food they serve mixes normal brunch food and adds seafood to it as well. I had Eggs Benedict, but instead of ham, I had crab on it.

Also, while we were waiting to be seated, you can go upstairs to the observation deck to admire the view as well.

You can eat here for other meals as well during the rest of the week.

Mt. Rainier is an inactive volcano. It is part of the Cascades which contains numerous volcanoes including Mt. St. Helens.

It is a short drive from Seattle/Tacoma to the mountain, but one can spend many hours there hiking through the woods, looking at waterfalls, and admiring the scenery.

There is an overpriced cafeteria available or you can bring a picnic lunch.

On the drive there, you pass through many small towns that are cute that I would love to go back and explore.

It does not cost you anything to go there so it is a nice cheap way to entertain a family for a day.

Pike Place is a neat experience. I first learned about this neat shopping area in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle."

We watched people purchasing seafood and fresh fruit for several minutes.

Many people sell craft items on the side walk and inside the building as well.

We never spent any money here, but watched the people for hours.

It is an hour long ferry ride to the islands, but it is worth it. We drove around the main island (there are three islands that you can visit via the ferry) and admired the scenery. We saw fields of rabbits, a fox, even a bald eagle. However, we did not see any orca whales off the coast.

If you want to spend time on the island plan to go early. We went later in the day and caught the next to the last ferry to the island. We only got to spend 2 hours on the island so it was not as fulfilling to me as it could have been.