Seattle + Mt. Rainier 2015

By Lee Funke

Published 9/29/2015 • Updated 6/13/2020

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So, Seattle might actually be my new favorite city. For the longest time it’s been the Denver area, but Seattle jas officially stolen my heart. I absolutely love the vibe, the terrain, the city, the people, and the proximity to the mountains and ocean. It’s one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen.

So, why did I go to Seattle? Michelle needed a date for a wedding because her husband couldn’t go so naturally she chose her favorite (and only) sister, ME! She said 1 word- hiking, and no further convincing was needed. Honestly, I love traveling with my sister. We have so much fun together and can really take any situation and make it extremely fun and interesting. What I love about us a travel companions is that we’re not afraid to talk to random people. That’s the best part of traveling, anyways…meeting other travelers and LOCALS!

<<<< SEE >>>>

Pike Place Market: Talk about pure awesomeness. I am a huge sucker for all things farmer’s markets and Pike Place was no disappointment! This place is a like a fusion between a farmer’s market and a flea market. It’s also loaded with local food vendors. I wanted to eat ALL THE FOOD. If I lived or worked in downtown Seattle I would definitely make a weekly trip to this place to pick up some local seafood, a cheap bouquet of flowers, honey, and produce! This place was packed with people and there was live music everywhere. I feel like we could have spent hours wandering and checking out each and every vendor. Heart.

Green Lake: Looking for a quick and beautiful 5k in Seattle? GO TO GREEN LAKE! If you live in the Twin Cities, Green Lake is like our Lake Calhoun. There’s a walking/biking path around the entire lake and it’s very pedestrian-friendly. There’s amazing views, too! I want to say that it is 2.8 miles around the entire lake. I wish we had more time to explore the neighborhood because it was SUPER cute. So many awesome looking restaurants and shops.

<<<< HIKE >>>>

Little Si (4.7 mi): This is a great day hike for those traveling to Seattle. It’s located in the North Bend area outside of Seattle and really easy to get to. Round trip, the hike was about 4.7 miles there and back with a 1,300 ft. gain. I loved the terrain. The trees are so tall and different compared to the trees in Minneapolis. The lookout at the top was beautiful. We were literally in the clouds.

Mt. Rainier – Sunrise Visitor Center – Frozen Lake + Mt. Fremont Lookout (6.3 mi.): One of the things Michelle and I wanted to make sure we did was get out to Mt. Rainier, which is located 2 hours southeast of Seattle. We got up super early Saturday morning and hit the road at 7AM, coffee in hand. We watched the temperature go from 60ºF to 45ºF in a matter of minutes, but overall we really lucked out with the weather. It could have been raining and extremely overcast. Instead, we had blue skies for the most park with some patchy clouds. The air was brisk and just cold enough for a headband and gloves. Our destination was the Sunrise Visitor Center, which leads to a handful of trails. Lucky for us, Saturday was Free National Park Day, so we got into the park for free! WOOT.

We started our hike at the Sunrise Visitor Center and did a 6.3 mile out and back loop to the Mt. Fremont Lookout. On a clear day you can see Mt. Fremont at the lookout hut. We got little glimpses, but but by the end of our hike the clouds had rolled in. I’d say this was a moderate hike. The elevation gain wasn’t as much as Little Si, but it was longer. I also loved that we ran into some Mountain Goats. There were babies! Cayute! One day Shell and I shall summit Mt. Rainier and it will be AWESOME.

<<<< EAT >>>>

Daily Dozen Doughnuts: If you are looking for a quick snack at the Pike Place Market, this needs to be on your list! We picked up a half a dozen doughnut holes and it was top notch! I am a sucker for sprinkle doughnuts and these were delish. The maple bacon was a close second!

Lowell’s: Lowell’s was a delicious lunch spot at Pike Place Market and I highly recommend it! It has a great menu and awesome views of the water! I ordered the Chicken and Apple Salad and Michelle got the Salmon Filet Sandwich. I want to make a note that their fries are AMAZE BALLS.

Oak: Oak is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle, which is where our Air BnB was. This place was less than 2 blocks from us and we randomly stumbled upon it on our way to get coffee one morning. Ummmm if you are anything like me when it comes to food, you will LOVE this place! Local + sustainable = love. I got a giant bowl of Spicy Beef Chili, which was perfect after a long day of hiking.

Full Tilt Ice Cream: Ice cream is one of my favorite food groups and Full Tilt was no disappointment! They had a 10 different vegan flavors made with coconut milk, which i I thought was really cool. I stuck with dairy and got one of my favorite flavors- pistachio!

Victrola Coffee: So I have a slight obsession with coffee. The amount I drink actually might not be legal. Victrola Coffee was 2 blocks from our Air BnB and was SO CUTE. Great coffee and amazing lattes.

Stoneburner: On Sunday Michelle and I met 2 high school friends for brunch at Stoneburner in the Ballard neighborhood. Delish. Their menu was reasonably priced and I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. It’s located in a really cool area, too! Tons of fun shops and a farmer’s market! I ordered the Polenta Cake with Poached Eggs. That was very delightful, and so was our zucchini bread that we got as a starter.

<<<< Wedding >>>>

Well this was one of the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to! Bre and Bryan are friends of my Sister. Michelle and Bre met in law school at The University of Colorado and were bestest of friends. I was delighted to be my sister’s date! The wedding was in Issaqua, WA on a tree farm. Talk about beauty. It was a perfect fall night with blue skies AND we even got a glimpse of the lunar eclipse, which was really cool. I loved how simple this wedding was and I do have to say that the food was top notch. You can’t go wrong with all you can eat BBQ. I have to give credit to my sister for the dress I wore! She got it from a cute boutique in the Twin Cities called Primp.

I didn’t think we could pack so much stuff into one weekend, but I’m glad we did! The more I can experience in a city the better. My overall impressions of Seattle = heart emoji. Someone give me a reason to move there 🙂