Three of my godkids with the iconic Seattle Space Needle!
My love for Seattle runs deep. It brings me there about four times a year, has me cheering for it's beloved NFL Football team (Go Hawks!) and now posting about why it’s among the top cities on my favorites list.
My first trip to Seattle was a business trip about 13 years ago, and I’ve been visiting regularly since then. I should say that my family in Seattle is the number one reason I keep coming back because we have a blast together and because they’re always so gracious as to have me over. All. The. Time. (Shout out to my Seattle fam. Hi, guys!) Even though you may not be going to visit my cousins, I recommend a trip to Seattle and excitedly share the things I do there that have become my favorite.
Summer is the best time for a visit. I know Seattle gets a bad rep because of all the rain and grey skies. That’s not a myth, it rains a lot in Seattle. Some people love that. If you don’t, fear not. Just head over in the summertime and you will love the bright blue and sunny skies, and the fresh air. I usually go in August and early September. Best summers ever.
I mean, just look! What rain and gloom?!
Not a cloud in sight with the skyline in the distance!
Today's post is the first of a two-part photo tour about “Things I Love in Seattle.” I have to break it up into two posts because there’s just so many things I love! Most of these photos are mine, otherwise I’ll give credit to the source.
I’ll start by sharing Seattle's delicious food because if you couldn’t tell already, I’m all about the food. I picked these locations as places tourists will enjoy. Maybe I’ll do a different post someday about local eats in Seattle.
This was my personal feast order at The Crab Pot.
All suited up and ready to grub.
Crab Pot – wear a bib, grab a mallet, and pound it out on some serious crab. This is the kind of restaurant where they throw your feast on the table, mixed with sausage, corn, and potatoes and you just go at it! Great for large groups, it's always fun and filling!
When all the steamer baskets come out at DTF, you know it is going to be good.
One day, I'll remember to take a nice looking photo
before diving right into the food. #zeroselfcontrol
Pork Soup Dumplings. Photo by Arleh
Din Tai Fung – I've gone every time I visited Seattle over the last 2 years. I wish they would open in Las Vegas! This restaurant serves Taiwanese food - all sorts of dumplings, wontons, noodles and so much more. Our standard order which is sure to satisfy: garlic green beans, brown fried rice, spicy noodles, chicken dumplings, and my family always orders the Pork XiaoLongBao (soup dumpling) too. There's even a tutorial prior to biting into the soup dumplings for the first time, about the proper way to eat them! That alone intrigues you, right? Watch the video:
PS. If you read Crazy Rich Asians, the characters go to Din Tai Fung in Singapore when they're craving really good dumplings. I was excited that they ordered the same things we eat when we go!
Seafood Tower at Salty's. Photo: Nam via Yelp
Another photo credit to Yelp. Note the window seat right on the water.
Salty’s at Alki Beach – I’m a huge brunch fan and this is hands down the best weekend seafood brunch I’ve ever had, not just in Seattle, but anywhere. It’s a buffet and pricey at $54 - $60 per person but wow, the seafood is to die for! It’s located right on Alki Beach so the views are stunning. (Actually their website says, "BEST views of Seattle.") Had to borrow photos from Yelp because when I was there, I was too busy cracking open crab legs or my fingers were totally dipped in melted butter the entire time. As such, I could not adequately take a picture. #didntknowiwouldbebloggingsomeday
Oyster toast with the fam. We can get down with some oysters!
Grabbed this photo from Yelp, because YUM.
Elliot’s Oyster House – I have been known to eat 30 oysters in one sitting by myself. You heard that right. So believe me when I say that Elliot’s local grown oysters are delicious and super fresh. They tell you where they’re from (South Sound Kumamoto, for example) and what they taste like (“Mild brine, buttery, sweet middle with peppery undertones, melon and lettuce finish”). The best time to go is during their progressive happy hour which is from 3 - 6 pm. The freshly shucked oysters start at $1.50 each. Then every hour, the price per oyster goes up by 50 cents. Also, they serve this pink champagne sauce in addition to the usual cocktail sauce and horseradish. I'm Filipino and I love an oyster with some fish sauce (patis) and lemon, myself. (My mom sneaks fish sauce into seafood buffets in a special little purse, by the way. That's how we roll.) In lieu of fish sauce, if you're not particularly fond of sneaking sauces into restaurants, the champagne sauce is tasty.
Walk-up window and long lines. The people know what's up.
This is the way to do Shrimp Shack. Go for a whole bag.
Shrimp Shack - this is far outside of downtown Seattle, in Anacortes, WA. As we headed to Deception Pass State Park for some photos and playing on the beach, we stopped by this gem for the popular shrimp. Buy it by the bag, the shrimp are sweet and hard to put down. They've also got lots of other seafood of course, and also burgers and beers. So they say, anyway. We all chowed down on seafood like it was going out of style. Next time, I'll pack my own steamed rice and fish sauce and my shrimp meal will be complete! How's that for a tip? (I know, I know: fish sauce again. These mentions of fish sauce are not sponsored. Just my favorite.)
Next favorite thing to do in Seattle is to be on the water. I’m from the Las Vegas desert, so any chance I get to be on the water or looking at the water, I take! Seattle is great for this. Here’s some of the things we’ve loved to do on the water.
Take a ferry to explore nearby islands:
Head to Bainbridge Island. Also, if you don't have a picture
with crazy ferry hair, did you really even go somewhere?
We had a peaceful time on Bainbridge.
We found "balance" and "love" on Bainbridge Island too.
You can ferry over to the San Juan Islands too.
I love the trees and being surrounded by water.
Or take the ferry over to Bremerton. Again with the ferry hair.
When in Bremerton, the thing to do is the Bug Museum.
I am not kidding. All of us loved it, young and "older".
Go kayaking on Lake Union and enjoy the views from on the water. Pass by Gasworks Park (another Seattle icon) and also see the amazing houseboats. Once I come upon about a couple million dollars, I think I'll live on one of those houseboats in the summer. Then again, I get motion sick, but if not for that, I would. ;)
Sun, water, kayak, perfect weather. Yes, please.
We did tandem kayaks, so fun.
Ride the Ducks - you start in a truck for a tour on the Seattle streets, and before you know it, the truck is driving straight INTO Lake Union. It turns into a boat, guys! Equipped with funny, dancing, knowledgeable tour guides, you learn about Seattle history and the city's major landmarks on this unique vessel. We even got to see the "Sleepless in Seattle" house!
Sightseeing by sea on our truck-turned-boat.
Get the kids a quacker for the ride. They were a hit, clearly.
We enjoyed seeing the houseboats up close.
Not your typical tour guide.
Enjoy the views and the beach at Deception Pass State Park and on your way there, don't forget to do yourself a favor and stop by the Shrimp Shack!
Girls pic while enjoying the fresh air and being near the water.
Loved the views up here.
Visit breathtaking Snoqualmie Falls, and put your feet in it's refreshing cool water. The kids loved this! We didn't bring swimwear because we thought we were just going hiking and walking on the trails. Rookies. We could not resist but to throw our shoes off, roll up our pants, and get in the water! (Some of our kids may have lost their pants altogether, but we won't name names, lest their friends see this when they get older.)
Snoqualmie Falls gets much bigger and wider but that
particular summer, they hadn't had much rain. We loved it nonetheless.
Playing in the water reminded me of being
in our river back home in the Philippines. So much fun!
So today we covered food and things to do on the water. The second half of the Seattle photo tour will cover the popular Pike Place Market. Also, what's a Seattle post without talking about the world famous Seahawks? I'll talk tailgating, and just how loud it is in the stadium (yes, we are the loudest stadium in the NFL). Stay tuned for more on where I leave my footprints all over Seattle.
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