My husband asked me if I wanted to go away for my birthday. Who am I to pass up a trip? I share a birthday with a friend of mine from grade school so I emailed her asking if she would be around that weekend. She and her husband live in Denver and I thought we could fly out there for a long weekend. Instead, she said “We are going to Seattle. Come to Seattle!” So, we went to Seattle!

We’ve wanted to travel there for some time and this was the perfect opportunity. When we were in Italy we met a couple who told us the best time to visit Seattle was in August or September. They were correct. We had the perfect weather. High 70’s without a cloud in the sky!

With those blue skies came high hotel prices. Ouch! Our friends picked the Sheraton Seattle.

I only have one pet peeve about this hotel. In this day in age, you can’t offer your hotel guests free wi-fi? Nothing irritates me more! However, the hotel really is in the heart of downtown Seattle and a short distance from Pike’s Place. The rooms are clean and comfortable.The food at the hotel is quite expensive so go off-site and enjoy the local fare. We would not choose to stay here again given the price of the additional amenities. But if that doesn’t bother you and you need a hotel based on location then you can’t go wrong.

After we checked in, we hit Pike’s Place Market.

As you can see, Pike’s Place Market is quite the tourist spot. But when you are in town you have to stop by!

If you want a drink from the first Starbucks, be prepared to wait in line! The original Starbucks is across the street fro the Market.After a couple of beverages – more specifically Mac Jack’s African Amber – we hit the Space Needle.

It costs around $22 for adults to get to the top. Warning, if you want to try to eat at the restaurant, it books up fast so be sure to make reservations before leaving for your trip!

The views are quite spectacular – particularly Mt. Rainier in the backdrop.

It’s a definite must when you are in Seattle. We ended up turning in early as we were all up very early.

On our next day, my husband and I took a ferry to Port Orchard, WA to visit my favorite author’s, Debbie Macomber’s, hometown.