Just a 2+ hour flight from LAX, Seattle is a nice getaway for families and foodies alike. MomsLA was hosted by Staybridge Suites Downtown Seattle-Lake Union (which is a perfect hotel for traveling families) for a terrific tour of the food and fun activities in the Emerald City.
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Family travel is so much easier when you stay at a hotel with a kitchen and hot breakfast, don’t you think?
Designed with an extended stay in mind, each room at Staybridge Suites is furnished with a full kitchen: stove top, microwave, full-size refrigerator, full-size coffee maker, and dishwasher, and is stocked with all the items you’d need for cooking and dining. Which is all super handy, even if you’re only staying a short time.
Having a kitchen and the tools to make a meal in the room is a wonderful thing because some days you just are not up to taking the kids to a restaurant. Or maybe you’d prefer to eat in your room because it’s cheaper that way.
Speaking of which, you’re likely to save money on your trip just from the hot breakfast alone. We all know how expensive going out for breakfast can be. And since it’s included with the price of the room, you can actually make a budget for your trip – and stick to it.
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Seattle Fun
Not simply the home base of Amazon (and now a growing Google campus), Seattle is a great city to visit with kids in tow. It’s very walkable and easy to navigate, which means you won’t have to be in and out of the car all day long. Plus there’s something cool to see everywhere you look.
There are tons of activities your whole family can enjoy. Younger kids will enjoy places like the Seattle Aquarium or the giant Ferris Wheel nearby, while kids of any age (and adults) are sure to enjoy places like the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Chilhuly Garden and Glass, and the Space Needle, three places we visited on our recent tour.
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Space Needle
Built in 1962, the Space Needle is a wonderful observation tower for gazing all around Seattle. It has a snack bar serving its own IPA, and a rotating glass floor, which is not for the faint of heart or those with a fear of heights. Ahem.
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Right next door to the Space Needle is a museum dedicated to glass sculptures created by Dale Chihuly. The pieces are massive and show painstaking craftsmanship, and the galleries are fun to walk through.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
This museum is truly fun for all ages and has sections and exhibits for all sensibilities. If you’re a fan of Rock n Roll, there are exhibits on Prince, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam, not to mention a 2-story sculpture of “retired” guitars and other musical instruments. There’s also a sound lab where you can make music on dozens of instruments, which is fun no matter what kind of music you like.
Movie fans will love the horror, fantasy, and sci-fi exhibits of the Museum, with insider tidbits from famous directors and actors, and some amazing displays of costumes, props, and film clips.
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Seattle Food
Seattle’s food scene is amazing, and you won’t be surprised to learn there is a big emphasis on local seafood. But since it’s also a rainy place sometimes, there are all kinds of hearty food options, perfect for a chilly day, like famous chowder joints, Northern Italian restaurants, and soups and stews for days.
While on our tour of the City, we took part in a terrific culinary tour called Savor Seattle at the famous Pike Place Market. (Use our Groupon Affiliate link to save $$ when you purchase.) The 90-minute walking tour was led by a charmer named Yoseph, who gave us a sense of the history of the Market, as well as insights into the community spirit many of the vendors have created.
It was delightful, and we highly recommend it. The tour we took included 16 samples of food from vendors in the Pike Place Market, including Ellenos Greek Yogurt, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Chukar Cherries, Daily Dozen Donuts, Pike Place Chowder, Etta’s Seafood Restaurant, and Piroshky-Piroshky. We’re hungry just thinking about them all.
The tour also stopped in front of the iconic First-ever Starbucks Coffee Shop, at which many of us on the tour took time to worship (and shop for souvenirs).
Restaurants in Seattle
Seattle has so many terrific restaurants that we’d have to live there to try them all, but we gave it a great effort and dined at some of the best.
There was a dinner at Wild Ginger, which was as beautiful to look at as it was to eat, especially their roast duck, which was delicate and bursting with flavor. Another amazing meal was served at The Pink Door, where we dined within view of the waterfront and were treated to a floor show as well. The menu is Italian-American and the décor is whimsical and fun. Highlights included Mama’s Meatballs and agnolotti filled with oxtail.
We had lunch one day at the perfectly-named Damn the Weather, and the day-drinking and shrimp po-boys gave us all the sustenance needed to hike miles in search of one of the first-ever Amazon Go stores, which will no doubt be located in everyone’s town soon enough.
We had the special treat of meeting the winemaker behind Kerloo Cellars and getting to sample some wines right from the barrel, while he told us the story of his company. Some of us purchased a couple of bottles of their Grenache for serving with a special turkey meal. Ahem again.
And finally, we dined at Shaker + Spear, a terrific seafood restaurant within the Kimpton Palladian Hotel, where we tried their octopus, which is roasted to perfection, the arctic char, which is a terrific alternative to salmon, and the paella, which is amazing.
More Reasons to Love the Staybridge Suites Seattle Downtown-Lake Union
For travelers who’ll be at Staybridge Suites on a Monday – Wednesday, they serve a wind-down reception in the lobby. Beyond that, the hotel offers outdoor space, a BBQ grill for more cooking options, a very comfortable lobby and business center, and a nice cozy fireplace.
The hotel has complimentary laundry machines, a nice touch for families and extended stay travelers alike — especially since they could probably charge for their use and don’t.
Another nice touch, which is unique to this property, is that the Staybridge Suites Seattle Downtown-Lake Union is literally connected to an Even Hotel, another in the family of IHG brands.
The Even brand is dedicated to Wellness, and because of that, their workout facility is enormous, with treadmills, elliptical machines, rowing machines, free weights, a stretching room, and a state-of-the-art Mirror workout system.
Guests of Staybridge Suites Seattle Downtown/Lake Union are able to take advantage of the Even Hotel gym facilities as well, which is a very nice perk.
Finally, the hotels both offer filtered water alongside their ice stations, and that’s a great benefit for those of us who like to have water in our hotel rooms, but would prefer to not purchase bottled water. It’s another savings as well.
By the way, guests of the Even hotel are provided with fitness gear in each room for use during their stay, along with an in-house TV channel with workouts they can choose from.
Bonus: Bargain Travel Tip
Families on a budget should check out the Seattle CityPASS (affiliate link), which offers discount admission of up to 46% off 5 iconic spots of a possible 7: The Space Needle, the Seattle Aquarium, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) OR Woodland Park Zoo, and the Chihuly Garden and Glass OR Pacific Science Center.
The CityPASS is valid for 9 consecutive days, beginning with the first day’s use, which is a nice bit of flexibility that can help any traveling family.
Seattle: Food, Fun, and Family-Friendly
This trip to Seattle was terrific, and it really showcased some of the best things the Emerald City has to offer, for families or business travelers, both of whom should really check out Staybridge Suites as an option. We feel the amenities they offer, and the savings that can result, will work for anyone’s bottom line.
Disclosure: MomsLA was hosted by Staybridge Suites, an IHG Hotel, for this tour of Seattle and accompanying article. Travel, lodging, dining, and excursions were provided. This post contains an affiliate link for SavorSeattle via Groupon. Additional information about local activities was provided by CityPASS.com and VisitSeattle.org. MomsLA relies on income from affiliate partnerships. If you make a purchase via one of the links in this or other articles, you will not be charged any additional fees, but we will be paid a commission by the advertiser.
