I’m all about making the most of holiday weekends – it’s the absolute best way to squeeze travel into your schedule when you work full-time and maximize those precious PTO days! We headed up to Seattle for 4th of July weekend; I had only been once before for a very quick work trip so it was nice to have a few days to explore the city with B. It’s always such a treat to clear your schedule and go on a little weekend getaway and Seattle was the perfect option since the flight is only 2 hours from SF.

Some of our favorites from the weekend:

To Stay:
We stayed at the Palladian Hotel and LOVED it. From the decor to the location and amazing service, it was one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. The hotel is really centrally located and very close to Pike Place Market which made it easy to get around the city and we were able to walk to a ton of great restaurants. Although we didn’t bring Callie along on this trip, I love that the hotel is pet friendly!

To Eat & Drink:
Seattle is definitely a food city and we spent basically the entire weekend eating and drinking our way through the different neighborhoods. Some of our favorite spots:

• Lola: Best eggs benedict of my life. We had an amazing brunch at Lola and split the eggs benedict and the gravlax and both dishes were SO good. Making a reservation on Open Table is recommended!
• Storyville Coffee: Skip the Starbucks! SF has turned me into a bit of a coffee snob and Storyville’s coffee was excellent – the Pike Place location was a welcome bit of quiet amongst the busyness of the market.
• Rachel’s Ginger Beer: If you’re a Moscow Mule fan, RGB is a MUST. There are a ton of different ginger beer flavors and all have a serious ginger kick.
• Fremont Brewing Co.: Our last day in Seattle was a bit rainy so we hopped in an Uber to Fremont and grabbed beers at Fremont Brewing Co. – really fun environment with lots of kids and dogs running around!
• Le Panier: Almond croissants that are worth the line (and let’s be real, the calories) – cute little french bakery with tasty baguette sandwiches as well.
• Molly Moon’s Ice Cream: Molly Moon’s is basically heaven. From their adorable branding and Boston Terrier logo to their amazing ice cream (and huge portions), I was smitten. Don’t miss the Scout Mint + Stumptown Coffee flavors!
• Ba Bar: Yummy Vietnamese food and an atmosphere that’s perfect for a date night. The Pho and Vermicelli bowl were both really tasty and they have $6 cocktails on Sundays & Mondays.
• Serious Pie: Stop for lunch and split a pizza (we had the fennel sausage pie) + be sure to get a rootbeer float!
• Dahlia Bakery: The cutest little bakery with amazing breakfast sandwiches – the coconut pie also looked amazing but we didn’t get to try it.
• Top Pot Donuts: You know I love me some donuts so we had to stop at Top Pot immediately after dropping our suitcases off at the hotel. The Barvarian Cream Bismark was tasty!

To Do:
Definitely pack a pair of sneakers and get ready for some hills! When we weren’t stuffing our faces we were roaming the city on foot to walk off some of those calories ;) We really loved the Capital Hill & Fremont neighborhoods – some of our favorite things we did over the weekend:

• Gas Works Park: Really amazing views of the skyline and the water! Bring a blanket and pack a picnic and hang out in the grass for awhile.
• Chihuly Garden & Glass: One of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to – the pieces are very well laid out and the glassworks are incredible. Go early to avoid the crowds and take your time wandering through the garden or sitting in the glass house (it’s stunning!)
• Cinerama: Huge old movie theatre with big comfy reserved seats! They only have one screen and show one movie at a time so options are limited but worth popping in for a matinee or on a rainy day.
• Pike Place Market: As much as Pike Place is a tourist trap, it’s still pretty awesome. Go as early as possible in the day (or mid-week) to beat some of the crowds and actually have space to check out all of the vendors. The produce and flowers we saw were insane – it reminded me of the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market!
• Station 7: We stumbled upon Station 7 and it was the cutest little boutique ever – I wanted to move in! Really great collection of homewares, art and jewelry from local Seattle makers.
• Volunteer Park Conservatory: As a plant addict I was obsessed with the conservatory within Volunteer Park – it was really peaceful and quiet and the plants were all absolutely gorgeous (especially the cactus room!)

Have you ever been to Seattle? What are some of your favorite things to do there?