I love a good weekend getaway.
One of my favourite things to do throughout the year is to sporadically make my own long weekends, by taking off a Friday or Monday spur of the moment. Sure it’s not a long two week vacation, but for me it’s the best feeling to take a random extra day off.
For me, they always turn into the kind of days where I feel like I have been so dang productive that I deserve a gold star. Sometimes I take those days to catch up on blogging or go for a much needed solo hike or clean my place from top to bottom or just lay like broccoli on a beach somewhere…
And then sometimes I get a little more fun and plan a little two night getaway. Usually just somewhere close – but still far enough away – from home to feel like I went somewhere new.
Seattle is only a few hours from Vancouver so it always makes for the perfect quick long weekend getaway.
So this time round Jeremy and I packed up the car and drove down to Seattle for some long weekend fun.
The plan was… well we didn’t really have a plan…
All we knew was in Seattle there are about a million delicious places to eat, and so many fun sights to see – and we were going to squeeze in as many as we possibly could…
Basically I plan my trips around food because I mean… is there any other way to do it?
Oh and we knew where we were staying. So we had at least one thing figured out.
We booked two nights at The Palihotel Seattle – which I just have to say is without a doubt, the coolest hotel I have ever stayed in.
From the minute we pulled up to the hotel we were completely obsessed with the building. Everything from the restored brick building, to the marquee sign, to the retro striped awnings to the signature turquoise green trim…
The vintage vibes in this hotel were so strong, and we were all about it. The lobby was full of vintage furniture that I couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The hotel restaurant and bar was not your typical hotel dining experience. It was stunning – it was the kind of restaurant you would seek out for a rad plate of food and plenty of good vibes.
Not to mention we were greeted by the kindest hotel staff, who let us check in way early (best ever) and sent fresh local cherries up to our room… I mean honestly what more could you ask for?
And speaking of our hotel room… Let’s just say it was nothing short of next level.
The furniture, the art work, the bathroom tile, the overall vibe… this hotel room was about as boutique as they come.
Also – the bar fridge was a SMEG… and I’m not ashamed to admit that, that may have been the most exciting part about the whole experience for me. I mean if a hotel has a SMEG mini bar fridge… you pretty much know it’s gonna be cool. Amiright?
It took all of thirty seconds for us to both look at each other and utter something along the lines of “Ummm, Can I just live here please?”
We made ourselves at home pretty quick, and then headed out to explore the neighbourhood – which was incredible.
Not only were literally steps away from the waterfront ferris wheel, Pike Place Market and Post Alley – but our hotel was also directly across the street from the number one foodie stop on my Seattle list… Shugs Soda Fountain
I mean boozy floats, brownie sundaes, affogato, ice cream cones – all just steps away…
Needless to say life felt complete.
We found a restaurant in Post Alley to grab a couple margaritas and share a plate of nachos and we were lucky enough to snag a spot on the patio with cobblestone under our feet and stands of twinkly string lights above our heads.
The evening sun was peeking between the buildings and we could feel the faint ocean breeze as we chatted and slowly sipped on our drinks.
I’m not sure it gets any better than that…
The sun was setting by the time we got up and wandered around Pike Place Market and it was such a beautiful sight.
Even the famous gum wall looked weirdly cool in the evening light…
We got a late night ice cream at Shugs Soda Fountain (obvs) before heading back to our hotel for the night.
The next morning we headed to the Seattle library – again one of the coolest libraries I have ever seen.
The glass ceilings, the neon green escalator, the red rooms… the whole library was a work of art.
I don’t know about you, but I could wander through rows of library books for hours. My favourite is when I find a really old print of a book – so old that when you open it up it has that old book smell… you know the smell I’m talking about?
I will open them up just to take a deep breath in of that smell. It always reminds me of when I was little and would check out books from the library with my mum. Libraries hold a lot of nostalgia for me.
After the library it was time to meet up for brunch with a couple of friends who popped down for the day …
We went to Oddfellows Cafe – which was absolutely incredible. Definitely a must if you are in the market for an amazing Seattle brunch spot.
I had the french toast and I will be the first to tell you that inhaled it in all of about 60 seconds.
Conclusion of our weekend getaway…
We didn’t have nearly enough time (or big enough stomachs) to fit in all the food we wanted to. We had a list of about 20 food spots to check out, and only made it to a handful. Here were a few others we managed to check out and loved!
The London Plane
Pioneer Square
Anchorhead Coffee
The Fat Hen
Beechers Cheese
So the moral of this story is… if you like food, and good vibes… Seattle is your place. Just make sure you allow enough time for all the food you are surely going to want (need) to eat.
Hopefully this inspires you to make your own long weekend soon. You deserve it.
Happy weekend getaway-ing lovelies!
KP xoxo
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