Road Trip: Seattle
This is Part 1 of a series of writeup and reviews I'm writing from a recent 3-week road and cruise trip to Seattle, Alaska, Canada, Yellowstone and San Francisco which I took with my husband and parents-in-law. I wrote this as a recommended guide to some of the most popular destinations in these excellent cities and places that we have had the honor and privilege to experience.
SEATTLE
We flew into Seattle Tacoma International Airport from San Francisco and checked in at the Sheraton in downtown Seattle (we lucked out and got a very good rate). Once we checked out the view from our room, decided we loved it and settled our bags, we headed out to look for a place for lunch.
Picture credit: Sheraton downtown Seattle. Yes, our room looked exactly like this - it was superb!
For delicious and value for money meal, go to Ludi’s located on 2nd Ave and Pike St, a short 0.5 mile walk from the Sheraton. Ludi’s is a mix of Filipino, Hawaiian and American diner. The Loco Moco (beef patty with scrambled egg and gravy over rice) is absolutely delicious and value for money.
Picture credit: Google. Ludi’s in downtown Seattle has 4 out of 5 stars on Yelp, and 269 reviews, which is a good sign for a great place to dine in!
After lunch, we took a short walk to the Pike Place Public Market for some fish-throwing entertainment, excellent Irish music buskers, vibrant flowers on sale, rustic arts and craft, and Starbucks first and original store at Pike Place.
Fish-throwing musical-like entertainment at Pike's Public Market
Irish street buskers entertaining the crowd
Fresh flowers on sale during Mother’s Day
The line outside the first Starbucks store is understandably long, and many people are trying to have selfies and wefies taken outside the store. A smart street busker positioned himself outside the store, playing his guitar and belting out familiar tunes, because he knows foot traffic is heavy there. We didn’t get in line to get a cuppa from the store as we reckoned it tasted the same as any other Starbucks store, if not a little rusty from beans dating back to 1912. Alright, I’m kidding. It might taste out of this world, I’d never know.
Long line of people outside Starbucks’ first and original store, opened in 1912
Being coffee lovers ourselves, we gotta take this shot and give the First Starbucks Store a thumbs up!
Next we walked to a nearby park which overlooks the Seattle Port. People are lounging on the green grass and enjoying the sun, which is rare in typically rainy and grey Seattle. Even my mom in law who usually guards her silky smooth and white complexion, was enjoying the sunshine.
Being in the city of online giant, Amazon, we had to check out its flagship Amazon Go store, where no wallet, cash or credit card is needed - all you need is the Amazon Go app on your smartphone to check in to the store, pick up your items, and walk out without making payment - you see, payment is processed on your Amazon Go app which is tied to your credit card. The store is currently in beta mode, and opened to Amazon staff only, from Mondays to Fridays. We were there on a Saturday, and bummed that we didn’t get to see the store in action. Nonetheless, my husband asked for a goofy pose outside the store.
And... let's GO!
It was kinda quiet in the financial district of Seattle where Amazon’s office was, so we found a mall and had coffee and cookies before heading back to the Sheraton. What an excellent way to celebrate Mother’s Day in Seattle before we board the Norwegian Cruise to Alaska tomorrow!
Loving on mom this Mother’s Day, and all day everyday
Pictures: Unless otherwise stated, all photos are taken by and belong to Angie