Thanks to Klout and Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau I’ve just returned from a great 2 Days In Seattle. The two organizations teamed up to offer an awesome Klout Perk to the social media community in neighbouring cities to come and experience as much of Seattle as they could in two days. With so much to see and do around the West Coast metropolis, two days can be as action packed, fun-filled or leisurely as you desire.
The perk provided us with accommodation, some spending money and since Billy (@billyforce) drove they also provided the gas money. No set itinerary or obligation to write about the weekend was put forward but Desa at Klout (@desafernadez) and Ann at the Visitors’ Bureau (@SeattleMaven) were very helpful in setting up the weekend and suggesting activities.
Arriving in Seattle on a busy Friday rush hour, we easily found the Homewood Suites Seattle, located on Pike Street in the centre of downtown Seattle, adjacent to the Seattle Convention Center. The super friendly staff informed me I was “Guest of the Day” and greeted me with a goodie bag of treats and nibbles. With lots of space and full kitchen, great free wifi, complimentary hot breakfast every morning and evening reception (Mondays to Thursdays), our large 1 bedroom suite would be a perfect home from home for two days or any length of time.
After unpacking, we realized we’d forgotten a couple of items, one being a swimsuit since I’d not realized the hotel has an outdoor pool, so we ventured out to the new City Target at Pike Plaza just a few blocks from the hotel at 2nd & Pike. All the bargains and selection you’d expect from a Target but a smaller scale. Armed with our purchases, I realized we were around the corner from one of my favourite restaurants, anywhere, Wild Ginger, a great Asian restaurant specializing in Malaysian Satay. After our fill of tasty soups, dumplings and satay skewers we ventured onward for a bit more shopping before heading back to the hotel. Since Homewood Suites is on the edge of Capital Hill we thought we’d wander up to find somewhere fun to wrap up our first night with some dancing and drinks. R Place ticked all of the boxes, a bar, lounge, grill and nightclub spread across 3 floors we danced, drank and people watched until bedtime.
Saturday, we had to be up early to get some breakfast before embarking on our Explore Seattle Tour with Evergreen Escapes, our driver/guide Joslyn picked us up at 7:45 for our 3.5 hour tour. The fun and knowledgeable Joslyn gave us a great overview of the Emerald City and took us to places that are not usually on the list of most tourists, especially those of us who usually just swing into Seattle for some shopping and show or game. It was a great way to get a sample of the unique neighbourhoods & people that make up Seattle.
After an amazing pizza lunch at, the Joslyn recommended, Serious Pie followed by a wander through the legendary Pike Place Market it was time for a relaxing soak in the hotel’s hot tub. Rejuvenated, we headed down to catch the Monorail over to Seattle Center and Pacific Science Center. The current featured exhibit on until January 6, 2013 is Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs a great exhibit featuring antiquities from the Egyptian Museum including a great section on Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922. Spend some time wander all the exhibits at Pacific Science Center, there’s fun and interesting activities for the whole family.
Needing sustenance after a long day of seeing Seattle we searched (with some help from Yelp) for some dinner, although Tango, across the street was recommended for mojitos and tapas, we opted for Ristorante Machiavelli. Also located close to the hotel, it’s a great little Italian bar and restaurant tucked into a corner on Melrose and Pine. After a post-pasta dinner nap we went out to the very stylish Social, for more drinks and dancing. Sharing the space is Evo a tapas restaurant and bar which looked like a great place to start an evening before heading into Social to end it.
Sunday morning we were able to catch up on some sleep before going downstairs for breakfast then a quick and soothing hot tub. Packing up, we left the car at the hotel for a bit while we went to grab a quick bite. We’d passed Melrose Market the previous evening and thought it was worth a look again. A great little renovated space on Melrose Street filled with an array of food purveyors and shops. We sat in the open sunny windows, people watching and eating our sandwich and soup from Homegrown. Full and satisfied we got on the road again wrapping up our 2 Days In Seattle following the theme of exploring new things by taking the alternate route home. Rather than taking I-5 and whizzing past the cities on the freeway we opted to take Route 99 and pass through the northern suburbs of Seattle, passing through the diverse neighbourhoods like Shoreline, Lynnwood and Everett before stopping at the bustling Seattle Premium Outlets for a bit of shopping before heading to the border and the end to our 2 Days In Seattle.
Thanks for the mention and addition to your post!