Our last two nights in the USA are being spent in Seattle. That means we really only have one day to visit the city, but I’m not worried about that because I plan to come back one day and spend more time here someday. When planning the trip I thought I’d book us a hotel because we spent the last 12 nights in Oregon and Washington camping. Instead I found a bed and breakfast, and it easily ranks in the top 3 places we have stayed on the trip so far (in direct competition with the hobbit houses and the Earthship)!
There are so many things to like about the Chelsea Station Inn. It is in a quiet part of Seattle, and it is a 4-plex. We are occupying one of the ground floor units, which has a spacious living room, a dining room, a small kitchen, a bedroom, and 1.5 baths. In addition, we have laundry machines, access to barbecues and a beautiful patio, snacks and drinks (including grownup choices!), and hot breakfast delivered to the room each morning. We are very much at home here, and overwhelmed by the wonderful feeling that our hosts truly value our business. Too often it seems like hotels are looking for every possible cost savings measure, and one is made to feel like every request is an inconvenience. Not so here; the small conveniences and treats are absolutely delightful. We feel like pampered guests rather than nameless patrons. This place is exactly what we needed to finish off our 3 month visit to the USA.
Other than the fact that it is REALLY nice to sit on a comfortable couch and listen to some great music, we are especially pleased with the fact that we have a kitchen. We were able to make cheeseburger pizza (a family favourite) last night and enjoyed fish tacos on the patio this evening. The ability to make and enjoy your own food is a wonderful things. After a day walking around Seattle and enjoying some fabulous food at Pike Place Market it was so nice to know that we could relax as a family and take our time with dinner. Such a great way to end the day.
Today was Memorial Day. We visited the City Centre (near the Space Needle) and enjoyed checking out the performers and vendors that are part of the Folklife Festival. It reminded us of Kempenfest in Barrie and to tell the truth we felt very much at home. Seattle is probably the one city we have visited that feels most like being in Canada. It was really neat to see the space needle to check out the neat buildings and sculptures nearby. The kids enjoyed the playground, and we walked through the Olympic sculpture park on the way to the waterfront. We were glad to reach Pike Place Market before we got too hungry. We enjoyed a few great treats...cinnamon almonds, chicken dumplings, smoothies, cheese curds, and finally some delicious ice cream. (I had an ice cream cocktail myself...because why not?) It was a really short and sweet visit to Seattle, but we are determined to return. It’s a great city to walk around and there is so much more for us to see!
Tomorrow we will return to Canada after 93 days away. We are really excited about the last phase of the trip. It will be nice to start reducing the number of kilometers between us and home.
Pizza!
City Center
Space Needle
We loved this sign
End of our yummy visit to Pike Place Market
Fish tacos in the backyard of the inn after a great day
Breakfast on our last morning in the USA
Sounds like Seattle was just what you needed!
ReplyDeleteAs for the sign...it is amazing! "Scolding wives, panicked fathers. If you drop your baby, we have tiny wheelchairs!".