Seattle Washington: What To Do And Where To Stay
Recently Charise and I went to Washington and hiked in Olympic and Rainier National Parks. We bookended those excursions with two days in Seattle and a stay at the fabulous Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle . Keep reading for details on the hotel and a few places you should check out.
The light in our room was amazing.
If you’re arriving in Seattle by plane, the cheapest way to get downtown is the Light Rail. It’s only 3 dollars and takes about 40 min. We took the Light Rail when we first arrived, and the Hotel Vintage is only 2 blocks away from one of the train stops. The hotel is conveniently located downtown, just a few blocks away from the famous Pikes Place Market.
Seattle, from the ferry.
“The hotel is conveniently located downtown, just a few blocks away from the famous Pikes Place Market.”
Sadly, we only had one full day in Seattle at the end of the hiking portion of our trip. We had been roughing it for several days, so the city was a nice change of pace. Once we checked in, we walked to Pikes Place Market. The market is full of stalls, vendors and some fishmongers who curiously throw fish back and forth.
“The market is full of stalls, vendors and some fishmongers who curiously throw fish back and forth.”
We strolled the market, got a few snacks and watched some tilapia get thrown around. We stopped at Rachel’s Ginger Beer and Beechers for Mac and cheese. The very first Starbucks is located right next to the market as well. The line to get in was crazy though, so we passed on that. All in all, as touristy as it is, it was fun to check out. We definitely recommend that you at least spend an hour there and in the surrounding area eating and shopping.
Beechers mac and cheese
The crazy long line at the first Starbucks.
After the market, we headed to Volunteer Park and looked at the flowers in the conservatory. Then we went to Marination Station for tacos. We checked out the Ballard neighborhood and went back to the Hotel Vintage for a rest. Our room was well appointed and much larger than we expected. We loved the style of the rooms, and the decor was excellent throughout the entire hotel. It was a great place to hang-out and take a rest during the day.
The conservatory in Volunteer Park
The tacos were so good we forgot to take a before pic.
After a quick nap, we headed to Din Tai Fung, for soup dumplings and noodles. I’ve always wanted to try them, and they were delicious. They’re Asian dumplings filled with broth. They make them by building a stock, letting it cool and then scooping the congealed soup into the dumplings. As they steam, the collagen melts and turns back into the soup. So good! After dinner, we shopped for a bit and then turned in for the night.
Soup dumpling were so good.
Our returning flight was at lunchtime, so we had breakfast delivered to the room by the in-house restaurant Tulio. I have a weird fear of running out of food, so we over ordered. We had eggs, waffles, oatmeal, and bagels. Plus coffee and juice. It was a calming way to spend the morning before we had to deal with the bustle of the airport.
In-room breakfast from Tulio
“It was a calming way to spend the morning before we had to deal with the bustle of the airport.”
Charise went back to original Starbucks during her early morning run. Crowds were non-existent. She picked up a great coffee mug from the shop.
Conclusion
Our 12-day trip mostly consisted of hiking Olympic and Rainier National Parks. This didn’t leave a ton of time for Seattle or our hotel. Seattle has a lot to offer, and we only scratched the surface. In the short time we had there, we fell in love with the Hotel Vintage. The Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle was comfortable and relaxing. It was a great way to cap off our trip.
The staff at the hotel was so helpful to us the whole stay. We left our iPads in a van earlier in our trip and had the company drop them back at our hotel. The front desk held on to them safely for us until we returned. They also assisted with some packages we had to ship. Everyone there was so friendly. We hope to come back soon to explore Seattle more. The Hotel Vintage will definitely be where we stay.
Our room at the Hotel Vintage