Seattle Trip Report

Quick report on our recent trip to Seattle Restaurants Umi Sake House Lola Palace Kitchen The Walrus and the Carpenter Attractions Boeing Factory Tour Chittenden Locks (aka Balllard Locks) Pikes Place Market Transport Hertz Rental Car -VW Jetta Alaska Airlines-First Impressions

Pikes Place Market – Seattle

Pikes Place Market, an essential tourist stop when in Seattle. Like the French Market in New Orleans, this is an actual functioning farmer’s market….. ….where  you can buy the “oh my God”, softball sized peach from this guy….. ……or fresh seafood from a variety of vendors. But most people come to the market and crowd …

Lola – Seattle

We were looking to fuel up on brunch places before hitting Pikes Place Market in Seattle, and Lola’s seems to be highly rated on Yelp.  Located in the Hotel Andra, off the right of the lobby, the restaurant was bustling when we got there and had to wait about 30 minutes before our table was …

The Walrus and the Carpenter – Ballard, Seattle, Washington

The Walrus and the Carpenter located in Ballard neighborhood, is an oyster bar/restaurant, in the same vein as Hogg Island Oyster Company and Anchor Oyster Bar in San Francisco. We followed the directions from Google maps to their address and could not see or find any sign of the restaurant.  In fact, Theresa had to call …

Umi Sake House – Belltown, Seattle

We had just flown into Seattle, and after settling into our hotel, researched on Yelp and found Umi Sake House located in the Belltown district. The restaurant is divided into several distinct sections, with the entryway/atrium/hallway close to the hostess stand have a few tables, the bar area in the middle of the restaurant space …

Palace Kitchen – Seattle

Part of the local Seattle chef Tom Douglas cluster of restaurants, Palace Kitchen is located in downtown Seattle, offering “rustic”, grilled fare.  After extensive Yelp research, it seems the roasted chicken was a fan favorite, and we saw numerous references to the hamburger. We added mussels as an appetizer as well. Our server was super …

Boeing Plant Tour, Everett Washington

The Boeing company offers tours of its Everett factory to the general public. Our friend Albert suggested it half jokingly to us before our trip, and I jumped at the chance when Theresa proposed it as an activity we could do.  The factory is about 25 miles north of downtown Seattle. Jets engine on display …

Chittenden Locks, aka Ballard Locks, Seattle, Washington

Rounding out our Seattle trip, we decided to go see the Chittenden Locks, known locally as the Ballard Locks after the neighborhood to the north.  The locks assist in keeping water levels in Lake Washington up while also keeping salt water from Puget Sound out.  Set of lock gates, with pedestrian walkway on top  There …

VW Jetta Wagon – Seattle Trip

Got a VW Jetta Wagon on our recent trip to Seattle via Hertz. Had enough seat time to get a good feel for the car. The ride was typical German, which is to say it had a solid feel to it. Did not really get a chance to do a lot of highway speed driving, but …

First Experience/Impressions of Alaska Airlines

Traveled on Alaska Airlines for the first time on our trip to Seattle. Things I think are great about Alaska and that other carriers should implement: 1) They actually actively enforce the 1 carry-on and 1 personal item rule, with the gate agent visually checking to make sure your bag fits, making any violators check any …