Our itinerary
Day 1
Wednesday afternoon we headed to LAX & were actually super early for once. However we didn’t entirely plan it that way but we had already scheduled an Uber when we got the notification that our flight was delayed 30 minutes. We figured better to just arrive at the original time just in case because you know the Stegalls & our airport fiascos lol.
Once we got through security, (shameless plug for TSA pre-check but seriously the best $80 we’ve ever spent) we grabbed a drink at Rock & Brews & both did some work before boarding. We bought these plane tickets back in June when Southwest had their 50th anniversary sale but unfortunately they do not do direct flights to Seattle. Nonetheless we were still grateful to get to go & at such a cheap price. After our hour and a half flight to Sacramento we hopped up & walked around the plane before taking our seats again for the 2nd flight. The flight from Sacramento to Seattle was another hour and a half flight, give or take, and we were SO excited to be in the rainy city.
We landed around 7:20pm & headed straight for our hotel. After checking in at the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle & setting our stuff down, we walked to our dinner reservation at Umi Sake House. Luckily everything in this city is pretty walkable + easy to navigate, even at night. On our walk over we were just giddy because it was cold + rainy. Yes, yes we know that sounds crazy, but it really doesn’t rain in CA so this was such a fun change of pace for us. For starters they brought out a bowl of edamame for us to share & it was salted to perfection. To drink I got the Lychee lemonade & Alec got a Sapporo. To eat we ordered a tempura roll, seafood gyoza, & chicken karaage. Everything was so delicious & exactly what we needed to start our trip off strong. Once we paid our tab, we walked back to our hotel to rest up for our long weekend getaway!
Day 2
Thursday morning we grabbed some complementary coffee from our hotel lobby before heading to our brunch reservation. A week before our trip we actually decided to not get a rental car & we are so glad we didn’t. Everything was so close to our hotel (around a 10-20 minute walk max) and parking would have been difficult + expensive anyway. After getting ready for the day, we walked over to Cafe Campagne. We started with mimosas of course, because can you really go to a place called Cafe Champagne & not have champagne?! To eat Alec got the Croque Madame & I got the Quiche Lorraine. Both were super tasty & we loved the very French vibe of the whole place.
After we finished eating we walked over to Pike Place Market which was literally right next door. For a Thursday morning it was too busy but still plenty of people + vendors out. There were so many cool & unique vendors + stores but two of our favorites were the Pike’s Place Magic Shop & Golden Age Collectibles. After we walked all around the market, we went over to the infamous Gum Wall which is basically the alley at the lower level of Pike’s Place Market. We learned that the reason people started putting gum on the walls was because back in the day tons of people would put used gum on the underside of chairs + tables & restaurants were getting sick of it. So they made a no gum inside policy & the people of Seattle did not like that, so to rebel they started sticking it on the walls. Over time all of the gum actually started causing structural damage to the walls so they had to remove it all. But shortly after it was all gone, people started the trend of sticking used gum back on the wall again. So nowadays, they basically clean the walls every 2-3 years because the city fully anticipates the people of Seattle + all of its visitors will never stop adding used gum to the wall.
Once we were done admiring all of the gum + taking our pics, we started walking down the rest of Post Alley. As we were walking out from the covered alleyway & noticed it was pouring rain, we stumbled across The Pike Pub & decided to stop in to wait out the rain a bit + grab a drink. Alec ordered a Pike Space Needle & I got the house cider. Once our drinks came, we walked all around the brewery because it was almost like a museum about the history of beer all around the world. After we finished our drinks we were pretty tired from our day of adventuring, so we headed back to our hotel to chill + wait out the rain.
On our walk to dinner the night before, we passed a restaurant called Von’s 1000 Spirits & decided to try it out for Happy Hour. What really caught our attention was the giant sign outfront that read, “Housecrafted Sourdough Mac & 4 Cheeses.” So of course we had to try their original Mac & 4 Cheeses + add bacon, because who doesn't love bacon + mac & cheese?! To drink Alec ordered their Scratch Manhattan & I got their Champagne Mango Margarita. Seriously EVERYTHING was to die!
After we devoured our food & slowly sipped our drinks, we decided to walk off our food + drinks & explore the downtown area a little bit more.
Eventually we made our way down to the pier & rode the Seattle Great Wheel. Luckily there was no wait time so we basically paid & hopped right in a carriage. It was very rainy + cold but honestly the best time to ride the wheel in our opinion. We got to have a bird’s eye view of the downtown area all lit up while listening to the pitter patter of rain all around us. And since it wasn’t crowded at all, they let us go around 4 times before getting off.
Once we finished riding the wheel, we decided to hit up one more place before calling it a night. Another place that had caught our eye the night before was Conversation, which was located right inside of the Thompson Seattle. We decided to pop in to grab a drink + apps at the bar. The bartender was very friendly & informed us that the restaurant had only been open for about a month, so we were excited to help out a new local place + try some amazing stuff out for him. We got the Nitro Pisco & the Black Scarlet (which was from the secret menu) as well as the red beet hummus. We had the best time chatting, reminiscing on the day, & enjoying our food & drinks.
Day 3
Friday morning we got up & at ‘em pretty early because we were so excited for another day in sleepless Seattle. After getting ready, we walked over to our breakfast reservation at The Hart & the Hunter. This was seriously the cutest place ever, located inside the Palihotel Seattle. Both the restaurant and the hotel had the most immaculate vibes ever which was super onbrand for the theme & older style. We started with their house coffee, then Alec got the banana pancakes with a side of bacon while I had their chicken + waffles. Everything was so good + huge portion sizes, we totally could have shared one meal.
After breakfast, we walked over to the Space Needle which was about a 20 minute walk. Luckily it had stopped raining on Friday morning so the weather was nice & sunny + clear! Since we bought the Seattle City Pass we already had tickets + reservations. City Pass is an amazing website that takes all of the most popular events + sightseeing attractions in a city & gets you a discounted price for all of them combined. So all we had to do was enter our unique barcode online & pick a date + time, then when we showed up we walked right in. They open everyday at 10am so when we got there around 11am it wasn’t too crowded yet. By the time we hopped in line, we made it into the elevator & to the top around 11:20am. The elevator ride up is so cool because the doors are glass so you get to see the gorgeous views from the get go. Once you hop off the elevator you can either stay inside or go outside to the observatory deck. The deck has glass windows on the sides, for safety of course, but has no roof so be prepared to get a little wet if it’s raining the day you visit. After we grabbed some pics outside on the deck, we decided to go down 2 floors to the floor that rotates. This floor also has a really nice restaurant, The Loupe Lounge. It is definitely more on the expensive side but if you have the time + funds to do it, it came highly recommended to us! I couldn’t stay on this floor long because I started getting a little motion sick, but it was super cool to see the glass bottom floor & a 360 degree view of the city. Once we were finished on the rotating floor we decided to go back up to the highest floor & grab a drink + seat so we could continue enjoying the view. They have 2 different spots where you can grab drinks + snacks on this floor, so we grabbed 2 Seattle honey crisp ciders from the Atmos Bar with the best seat in the house. We ended up staying at the Space Needle longer than expected but we just couldn't get over the view.
After about an hour & a half we decided to hop back in line, head back down to the ground floor, & go to the Museum of Pop Culture. This museum is also a part of the Seattle City Pass so it was no additional cost however, they did have a seasonal Disney floor which was only $6 a person. If you know me at all you know we couldn't resist adding that cost to our visit & seeing the Heroes & Villains section. Luckily the MoPop and the Space Needle are both located in the same park area so it was a short walk over. During our visit they had these different exhibits; Contact High, Heroes & Villains, Nirvana, Fantasy, Pearl Jam, Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction, Scared to Death, Indie Game Revolution, Science Fiction + Fantasy Hall of Fame, Hendrix, & Guitar Gallery. Our favorite sections were the Disney Heroes & Villains (of course), the Indie Game Revolution, & the Fantasy. The museum was obviously very large & had so many different sections, we ended up staying for about 2 and a half hours.
Once we saw just about everything there was to see in the museum, we walked over to Spin. Alec’s parents had actually recommended this place to us from their visit to Seattle a couple of years ago. It is a restaurant/bar where you can play ping pong. It costs $39/hour, so we only did one hour worth, but tbh after our hour was up we were exhausted. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that I am terrible at any sport or hobby minus gymnastics lol. While we were playing pong we ordered some apps + drinks. We got the wings & fries to split, then Alec ordered a Jellyfish Pumpkin Cannonball Porter & I got their seasonal mule. Everything was super tasty & we had such a great time laughing, chasing ping pong balls, & dancing to the jams. After we paid our tab & took the infamous ping pong bathtub pic, we headed back to our hotel to rest & relax before heading to our dinner reservation.
Alec has been dying to go to a jazz club on one of our trips this year, however so many have been closed due to Covid. Luckily when we were booking this trip one of the most popular jazz clubs in Seattle, Vito’s, was opening back up so we obviously made reservations asap. Our reservations were for 7:30pm and online it said the performer would be on from 8-11pm. They didn’t end up coming on until about 8:45/9pm but our waitress was super sweet & let us take our time eating + drinking so we could also stay to enjoy the performance. We ended up getting a bottle of Prosecco (my fave) & sharing the bruschetta app + penne alla vodka for our meal. Then of course to end the night, we shared their vanilla gelato + espresso pour over which was to die for. It was such a relaxing + casual dinner with the best background music & wonderful atmosphere, it was seriously a night we will never forget!
Day 4
Saturday morning we took our time getting up & enjoyed some more of the hotel’s complimentary coffee. Our lunch reservation at El Camino wasn’t as close to our hotel as everything else was, so we grabbed a quick Uber & prepped for another wonderful day. When it comes to breakfast, Alec & I have 2 very different opinions about the matter. He LOVES breakfast food & could seriously eat it any time of the day. Me, however, breakfast is def not my fave & I really have to be in the mood to eat it. So what we ordered at “brunch” truly described each of us perfectly lol. Alec got the breakfast quesadilla & I got the enchiladas. Even though his was def breakfast & mine was def lunch, we both enjoyed our meals all the same. After we finished eating, we Ubered back to the downtown area & went to the Seattle Aquarium which is located on Pier 59. The aquarium is also a part of the Seattle City Pass so all we had to do was enter our unique barcode online & pick a date + time, then when we showed up we walked right in. Tbh this aquarium was one of the coldest aquariums we have ever been to. The day before Alec & I made the mistake of wearing lots of layers + coats when doing 2 indoor activities, so we decided today not to bring our coats so we wouldn’t have to carry them around while we walked indoors. As we quickly learned most of the aquarium was outdoors, right on the water & if you are inside, the windows + doors are open so the breeze is flowing! Nonetheless it was a super cool teaching + interactive aquarium & we learned a lot about the sea life in the area.
After the aquarium we had some time to kill, so we decided to hit up some of the local breweries in the area. Our first stop was Old Stove Brewing Co. We first saw it when we were down on the pier. It was massive & overlooked the water so we decided we had to try it out. The line to get in was kinda long but once we made it to the front, we noticed 2 seats open up at the bar so we snagged them as fast as we could. Alec ordered the brewers flight (his fave was Belgian blonde) & I got the harvest moon. Next we went to Seattle Beer Company. We both really loved this place because they had a ton of different game options to play while watching tons of sports, so truly the best of both worlds. We got to play tiny table corn hole & uno!
Once we finished our drinks there & had our fair share of healthy competition, I really kicked Alec’s butt in all the games, we walked over to Pike’s Place Bakery. We basically showed up as they were closing, so we quickly grabbed some sweet treats for later & headed to our dinner reservation. Radiator Whiskey is a hidden little gem, right outside of Pike’s Place Market overlooking the street. We def recommend eating here but be sure to make a reservation prior, it is super small & fills up quickly. Luckily we got the best window seat in the house & got to watch the most beautiful golden hour take place over the city while enjoying our last night in Seattle. To drink Alec got the smoked maple old fashioned & I got the buffalo in a China shop. To eat I got the smoked & fried chicken sandwich & Alec ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Everything was so amazing, we seriously talk about that meal almost everyday.
Day 5
Well the bad travel luck for the Stegalls continues lol. On Sunday we were supposed to get up early, grab donuts, (our family tradition) & head to the airport. However when we woke up Alec checked our flight (God bless he thinks ahead like that) & it had been canceled. Luckily they had put us on another flight but it wasn’t until much later in the evening. So we decided to make the most of the day, after getting a couple more hours of sleep!
Once we were finally ready to get up & get going for the day, we got dressed, packed our bags, dropped them off at the valet, & headed for the market to hunt down some donuts! We ended up grabbing a dozen from Daily Dozen, which had super great reviews online. Yes, yes we know, 12 donuts for only 2 people?! But they were basically donut holes, which Alec & I both love, so we couldn’t resist. After devouring our yummy donuts we decided to book our Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour. This was something we really wanted to do on our trip but couldn’t find the time to squeeze it in. Since the Lord blessed us with practically another full day in Seattle, we decided to seize the day & book the tour, which was another attraction on our Seattle City Pass. The tour was about an hour long & showed you all the main attractions of the city from the water while a crew member shared all sorts of facts + info on the intercom. It was so cool learning even more about the city & getting a diff view than we had all week. Plus it was a super clear day so we got lucky & could see Mt. Rainer from the water, which is very rare & only happens a couple of times per year! On the boat there are a couple of levels, some enclosed & some not. We highly recommend sitting on the top level for the views but be warned it is windy + cold. So be sure to bring a jacket, sunglasses, & a beanie! Also if you are anything like us, be sure to be on time or even early because the cruise leaves right on time & there is no going back. After our cruise we decided to walk over to Von’s 1000 Spirits to watch some football + grab some food before heading to the airport. We both loved it so much we just had to go back for seconds! Once we finished eating & watching the Seahawks crush the Jaguars, we paid our tab & walked back to our hotel to grab our bags and go.
Seattle was seriously one of the best trips we have been on to date! We loved getting to see all of the wonderful attractions, experience the cold + rain, & explore another new place together.
What to wear
Wednesday’s travel + dinner outfits-
Thursday’s day outfit-
A: grey sweatshirt + jeans & black sneakers
Thursday’s night outfit-
A: brown flannel + black jeans w/ puffy coat & boots
B: long sleeve knit dress w/ leather jacket (need to order dress)
Friday’s day outfit-
Friday’s night outfit-
A: black + green layered button up w/ black jeans & boots
B: Tweed dress + white mock top w/ tights & black combat boots
Saturday’s day outfit-
A: green hoodie & jeans w/ puffy coat & black sneakers
B: black sweater + jeans & black combat boots
Saturday’s night outfit-
A: rust tee + beige button up & black jeans w/ puffy coat & boots
B: leather romper + blazer & tights w/ black combat boots (need to order blazer)
Sunday’s travel + day outfit-
B: halloween graphic tee + white mock top + flannel shacket w/ black leather leggings & white sneakers
Where to stay
We stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle which was located in the best spot! We were only about a 10-20 minute walk to all of the major attractions in the downtown area + all of the employees were super helpful & friendly.
Some of the amenities included-
*there was a $15 charge per day that could be used on the snacks + drinks in the lobby.
*everyday from 5-6 pm they served wine for all the guests.
*complementary coffee everyday morning in the lobby.
*check in was at 3pm & check out was at noon.
*welcoming lobby with a fireplace & nice italian restaurant on site.
Other places
Where to eat
Coffee + Breakfast
Brunch/Lunch
Goldfinch Tavern (At Four Seasons)
Little Brother (temp closed)
Lola (temp closed)
Dinner
Frolick Kitchen + Cocktails (At Motif Seattle)
Speakeasies:
Dessert
What to do
Seattle City Pass- $99/person
What to save
If you are planning to travel to Seattle during the fall, you should expect to spend anywhere from $1,500-2,000 (travel & stay included). This price does not include a rental car but one really isn't needed unless you plan to go see + hike Mt. Rainer.
xo,
the stegalls
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