A Long Layover in Seattle

On Saturday afternoon we were on our way to China. The first stop was Seattle. When we started looking at flights for this trip one of the less expensive options included spending a night in Seattle. At first glance, we were quick to dismiss the idea. On second thought we warmed up to this idea. We have often talked about visiting Seattle, but it has never been at the top of our list. Ultimately we decided to make this part of our trip. 

We would have about 24 total hours in Seattle. We were very excited, while neither of us had visited Seattle we heard great things about it. On top of everything else, Alison had never been to the state of Washington before. This was the 42^ndstate Alison has visited. Since she has already visited so many states our travels do not often cross another one off the list.

We arrived in Seattle on Saturday night and drove right to our hotel. Right off the bat, we liked Seattle. The airport was nice and the drive to our hotel was pleasant. We drove past Safeco field (it is an interesting-looking ballpark, which we are excited to visit at some point). We also had beautiful views of Mount Rainier. It would appear to be floating as the bottom of the mountain blended into the blue sky. It was stunning. We stayed at the Hotel Bellevue. We made our reservation through Hotwire and got a great deal. We did not realize how good of a deal it was until we checked in. The Hotel Bellevue is a boutique luxury hotel. It was probably one of the nicer hotels we have ever stayed in. Among other things our room had a fireplace and a sure sign of luxury – a phone on the wall next to the toilet (the other very luxurious hotel we stayed in had the same thing). We would definitely stay at this hotel again, which is saying something. We normally stay at hotels based on price and location. We have stayed at plenty of very nice hotels, but most of the time we would not go out of our way to stay there again. We were so impressed with this hotel that it would be our top choice when we return to Seattle.

The people we met in Seattle were exceedingly nice. It was consistent and very enjoyable. The individual who valet parked our car, our server at dinner, and our drivers from the rental car facility to the airport were all so friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. It really made an impression and reflected well on Seattle. 

 After we checked into our hotel we drove over to Alki beach. We had dinner reservations at Salty’s on Alki beach. We had time before dinner so we walked along the waterfront. It wasn’t really a beach per se with sand and more of a shoreline with beautiful views of the Seattle skyline. We strolled along the sound soaking in the views of Seattle and the sunny weather. As we walked we watched seals playing in the water. It could not have been a more enjoyable evening. 

It was a little windy

We finished our walk and went back to claim our reservation at Salty’s. We initially made a reservation at the Metropolitan Grill, which is highly recommended, but I had a couple of friends who told me Salty’s might be a better choice. We did some research, and while the Metropolitan grill had some delicious-looking options, Salty’s had better seafood options. Alison loves good seafood. Salty’s did not disappoint. It was a very eclectic restaurant, with beautiful views of the Seattle skyline. We started our meal with one of the most unique sushi rolls I have ever eaten. I don’t even know all of what was in it, but it was extremely flavorful. The variety of flavors combined in a very unique way. We followed the appetizer with the halibut main course. We both got the chef's special of halibut with crab folded into fried rice and mixed veggies. For dessert, Alison enjoyed a vanilla crème Brule and I had a white chocolate mousse cake. It was a truly exceptional meal. We took another walk after dinner to watch the sunset and the lights came on across the sound.

The next morning we woke up, turned on our fireplace, opened up our balcony, and did some yoga. Alison and I have been working out most mornings for a while now and we started recently started a yoga program. We figured this would be a good way to be active while we are on this trip without getting too tired to run hard every day. After yoga, we got breakfast at our hotel. 

Our first stop this morning was the Washington Park Arboretum. When we arrived we weren’t sure if this was a worthwhile stop, but we quickly realized it was a special place. It was kind of like Seattle’s version of the central park but more wooded. The flowers were stunningly beautiful. We walked through the gardens and talked about our plans for the future. It is hard to know what the future holds, but we have big plans!

I really liked the message of this little placard. This was a truly delightful place to visit!

After we had our fill of the natural beauty we headed into downtown Seattle. We wanted to see Pike Place Market. It is such an iconic spot. It was pretty cool. The flower, fish, and produce vendors were very interesting. There were so many flowers for sale – especially because it was mother’s day! The tulips were particularly beautiful. We also made sure to find the ally where the walls are covered with gum. I did my part and added a piece of gum. Alison read about this amazing mac and cheese at Beecher’s Cheese. We had to give it a try. We got a mac and cheese and a grilled cheese sandwich to share. Both were delicious. They were rich and flavorful. 

After our lunch, we walked across Seattle to visit these glass gardens Alison read about. It turned out they were right next to the space needle. We got over there and ultimately decided not to see them. We did not have much time and the tickets were more expensive than I would have expected. Instead, we wandered back down by the waterfront and slowly made our way back toward our car. 

We got to the car and we headed back to the airport. We got on a plane and headed to China. Seattle was an amazing place. I am sure we will plan another trip there shortly. Now that our long layover was over we were ready to begin our adventure in China.  

As far as international flights go the flight to China was really good. This year Alison is Platinum Medallion, which means we get economy comfort seats on Delta for free! Those extra few inches make the long flight much more enjoyable. We left Seattle around 5pm on Sunday and arrived in Beijing around 7pm on Monday. It was a 12-hour flight. We crossed the International Date Line – resulting in the time difference. 

The flight itself was uneventful. We each watched a couple of movies. Uncharacteristically for me, I slept for nearly 8 hours during the flight. It was nice because I felt like the flight was not very long at all and when we touched down I felt alert and ready to go. Getting through customs was a breeze. Since our first international trip was to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel – everything else is pretty tame in comparison. We got through with no issues and found the tour company waiting for us (something we don’t take for granted after our experience in Jordan). 

We drove directly to the Novotel Peace Hotel. As far as hotels go it is pretty nice and spacious. We did a little bit of yoga before bed and then tried to get some sleep.