It was my first time exploring the Pacific Northwest — loved it! I planned it last minute after realizing I'd mostly traveled to basically beaches this year (no complaints, haha) — so wanted to try something different to bring in another year of life.

One of my other close friends (also named Nancy) joined, and since she'd been before, she was really helpful in planning... and making sure we actually got there.

FUNNY STORY: I had a bit too much fun the night before celebrating my actual birthday, that I ended up missing ALL of my alarms, AND all of Nance's calls/knocks at the door. We were 100% going to miss our flight! Thankfully, Nance thought to throw pennies at my bedroom window… 🤷🏻‍♀️lol. This woke me up, and we made it just in time! 🙌🏻

Anyway, she also suggested the Mediterranean Inn for our stay which was absolutely PERFECT. It's close to everything! The hotel also offers free umbrella and bike rentals, AND it has a rooftop with great views of the city.

SIGHTSEEING

We decided to start off our day walking and ended up stumbling upon almost everything we wanted to do and see throughout our stay. Honestly we had so fun exploring, we didn't even realize we had walked 9 miles until we were pretty much done. (Thanks, S Health!) Although after noticing this, we did get an Uber back to our hotel, haha. It was only like $5 which was great. But still was really awesome we were to explore so much by just walking!

We really could not have asked for a better weekend to go, too. Although it rained a bit our first day, it wasn't enough to stop us from walking everywhere. And our second day was completely clear skies! 🙌 Perfect day for the Washington Ferry ride we planned and visiting the Space Needle. (BTW they sell beer on the ferry! ...and the Space Needle 😉)

We also made our way back to Pike Place Market in hopes the Piroshky Piroshky Bakery line was shorter (it wasn't) and check out more lil' shops. 

BARS & FOOD

Seeing as how it was my birthday, we did explore a number of bars in Seattle. Aside from checking out the Pike Brewing Company, we also stopped by Elysian Bar, Cha Cha Lounge, John John’s Game Room, and Rumba. Rumba was our dinner/drinks spot, were we enjoyed some wings and a Mai Tai (delicious and strong). The only thing we didn't care for was their empanadas. My best friend had recommended Unicorn Bar, a carnival themed bar in Capitol Hill, so we also made a stop there. Their menu was mostly sugary, vodka drinks, so I no longer accept tips from that friend. — JK! We just ordered off-menu; the decor and arcade games were pretty cool, so worth checking out.

Of course we had to try a speakeasy as well, so we found Knee High Stocking Co., which is located at an unmarked corner space. Try 'Spring Forward, Fall Back' if you're ever there. It was my favorite! [on right]

To top off such a dope trip, our flight the next day was in the afternoon so we got more time to enjoy the city before heading out. Mediterranean Inn was really cool about letting us keep our luggage there, even after checking out, to keep exploring the city. 🙃 We ended up at the Mecca Cafe & Bar, a diner just a short walk from the hotel, where we had a legit feast and some of the best coffee I've had in my life. (And free refills 🙌) Check it out, y'all.

(Side note: another good place I recommend is Belltown Pub. Their mac 'n cheese balls were so bomb 😋)

Seattle was one of the most fun, carefree trips I've had yet. Next up: Portland! 🤞