Myself, husband, and 2 children ages 14 and 12 had a few days in the Seattle this summer en route to Vancouver for an Alaskan cruise and we made the most of it.

A highlight, of course, was the Pike Place Market, with all types of fresh fish, organic vegetables, fruit, flowers, and restaurants.  Be sure to catch a cup of java at the original Starbucks across from the market.  For breakfast we ate at Lowell’s which had a beautiful view of the Port of Seattle.  For lunch we tried the fresh grilled halibut sandwiches and clam chowder at the Market Grill, which is in the main arcade across from Pure Food Fish.  While visiting Pike Place Market you can also walk down to the waterfront and visit all the pier shops.  From here there are the ferries, water excursions and tours offered.  Don’t miss dinner at Elliot’s Oyster House.  Here they offer great local fare of Dungeness crab, wild northwest salmon, Alaskan halibut, fresh Pacific finfish, Northwest shellfish, and fresh oysters.

We stayed at the beautiful Seattle Grand Hyatt for two nights.  From the 24th floor we had ceiling to floor glass with incredible views of both Puget Sound and Lake Union.  The room and marble bathroom were exquisite.  We could walk downtown to all shopping and the monorail (which from here will take you directly to the Space Needle). 

One afternoon we headed out to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (aka Ballard Locks) to view the boats coming to/from Lake Washington and Puget Sound.  The salmon were just starting to return up the river and there is a ladder viewing area for observation.  The kids really liked the experience of viewing the fish up close.

On our third day we headed south to Mt. St. Helens.  This took us about 2 ½ hours driving time.  The first visitor center had a ranger talk at 12 noon.  This was really interesting to hear the actual events that lead up to and occurred during the eruption of the mountain.  At the top there is the Johnston Ridge Observatory and the main viewing platforms.  You will see several areas that timber companies have re-planted, but we still saw the devastation of land with lava fields and trees that fell like toothpicks. 

That evening we ventured down to the Lewis River Inn in Woodland.  A pleasant lodge-like hotel with clean and comfortable rooms.  We stayed in one of the rooms right on the river with a porch for viewing.  Continental breakfast was served in the morning and there are several restaurants within walking distance.

On our fourth day we drove further south, across the Columbia River into Oregon.  Here we visited Multnomah Falls, which can be reached via I-84, exit 31.  There is a 1.5 mile hike up the mountain to reach the top and it had 11 switchbacks, so the climb was quite steep.  A beautiful little adventure side trip along the river.  Leaving everyone was quite hungry and we needed to gas up for our trip back to Seattle.  We stopped at the Country Store in Corbett at exit 22.  Be sure to order the delicious deli sandwiches on homemade bread!

We arrived back in Seattle late in the afternoon.  Our accommodations were at the Best Western Executive Inn, just across the street from the Space Needle.  A convenient location, but a disappointment as far as the lodging accommodations.  Although clean, the hotel is in much need of updating.  The property does serve a nice hot buffet breakfast included in the rate.  We made our way over to the Space Needle and went right up to the top.  A great view of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, Lake Union, Lake Washington and Mt. Rainer.  The mountain is so picturesque, it looks like it is just a painting over the city.  We did not have a reservation for the restaurant, but we took our chances and walked down a floor to ask if they had availability.  Lucky for us they did and we dined in the revolving dining room.  There were several seaplanes landing in the nearby lakes and it was very interesting to watch the landing patterns from the Space Needle angle.

The next morning we caught the Quick Shuttle right outside the hotel lobby to Vancouver.  Look for the highlights of the cruise in my next blog!