I’m continuing my travel reviews from our USA holiday last summer. After spending time exploring the tourist sites in Seattle town centre, we headed east
About 30 miles east from downtown Seattle is Snoqualmie Falls. Famous as the backdrop for the Twin Peaks TV series, the waterfall has had different characters when dad and I visited
Today, I would like to share one of dad’s favourite restaurants in Seattle. One of the genres of food, which is so much better in the USA is Japanese food and especially the sushi dad is saddened by the fact that the UK can’t match the quality of fish, especially as it’s an island
Close to the Japanese Gardens at the eastern end of East Madison Street is Nishino. Dad and I return every year to eat their grand omakase menu
Today, I’m continuing my reviews from our holiday in Seattle last summer. Like any large city, the city centre feels busy even though Seattle has amazing views of nature even from the middle of town
However, at times, it’s nice to be able to escape the hurly burly and one of dad’s favourite quiet spots is at the eastern end of East Madison Street. If you’re driving east, turn left onto Lake Washington Boulevard East, where the Washington Park arboretum can be found. As you drive north, the Japanese Gardens will be on your left. There is free parking
After a fun day wandering around Pike Place Market in Seattle, dad, ‘future mom’ and I met one of dad’s friends for dinner. She recommended an Italian restaurant in the downtown area called Barolo
In the UK, our average experience of Italian food is quite generic. Dad and I tend to find pasta dishes filling but never rising above high mediocrity. Dad often feels that he shouldn’t be paying for pasta in a restaurant as he can cook it better at home
In contrast, America is replete with Italian restaurants with higher aspirations. From fine dining places like Cafe Juanita in Kirkland through to family restaurants going back generations, dad and I have found many interesting Italian places to eat on holiday in the USA Continue reading
Today, I’m continuing my series of travel reviews from our holiday to the USA last summer. After visiting the Space Needle at Seattle Center, dad, ‘future mom’ and I took the short monorail ride to Westlake Center in the downtown area. It’s fun to think that this was the world’s first monorail, built all the way back in 1962
As it was ‘future mom’s first visit to Seattle, we took her to one of Seattle’s other iconic tourist destinations, Pike Place Market. Perhaps a bit like Borough Market in London, locals may sneer at the touristy air about the place but there’s lots of great local produce available for both locals and visitors though I appreciate there may be a slight tourist mark up
Some cities are famous for their skyline and thanks to the Space Needle, Seattle has a silhouette which will be familiar to fans of sitcom Frasier, which charted the trials of life of straight-laced psychiatrist Frasier Crane and his family
As it was ‘future mom’s first visit to Seattle, dad and I started our tour of the city with its most iconic sight. We wandered over from our Airbnb apartment in Belltown, a pleasant stroll through this quaint neighbourhood, stopping off for a quick pastry and drink at La Parisienne
I’m continuing my travel reviews from my trip to the USA last summer. On our first day in Seattle, dad, ‘future mom’ and I headed over to Seattle Centre
Although dad and I had been to Seattle before, this was ‘future mom’s first trip to the city. So, we showed her the tourist sites. Seattle Centre was where the city hosted the 1962 World Fair. At that time, pioneering technologies like the monorail made its world debut and the iconic Space Needle still dominates the skyline Continue reading
Dad grew up through the home computer revolution of the 80s and through the birth and growth of the internet. However, he’s not really an early adopter with even his parents beating him to be first to get an email address and a mobile phone
Dad was therefore late to the Airbnb world. He had heard about it but hadn’t used it before last summer’s trip. He decided to try it out when central Seattle prices turned out to be rather prohibitive
Basically, Airbnb allows users to rent out their private dwellings to other users. Airbnb carefully screen all users for safety purposes, using IDs like passports and driving licenses to confirm that the user is a real person. So, you will need some time up sign up. Once your ID had been verified, you can hire out your property or rent a property on the site from other Airbnb members
The Airbnb website is a joy to use. It’s quick and responsive with maps scrolling and updating quickly and smoothly Continue reading
Affectionately known as SEATAC by locals, the airport is located about 10 miles south of downtown Seattle
Dad and I love watching the landing as the plane flies over the complex series of islands and waterways which surround the area. It’s always verdant and green, a lovely reminder of the wonderful nature that surrounds the city
Unlike London’s Heathrow Airport, there’s a sense of space around SEATAC due to its development outside of the city limits. The main terminal building has 4 concourses with 2 satellite terminals, all connected by a rail shuttle system if you don’t fancy walking
Continuing my reviews of my trip to the USA last summer with dad and ‘future mom’, we flew from New York to Seattle with JetBlue
If dad and I had to live in the USA, we would choose the Bay Area. There are many reasons but one of the top ones is the proximity to water. We’ve always felt an affinity to water and the Bay and Pacific Ocean lend a calming air to the city
In many ways, Seattle reminds us of San Francisco because it’s right by the water. In fact, in some ways, it’s prettier because it’s greener due to the rainfall, whereas northern California can become very brown in the summer. On the flipside, the weather in Seattle is meant to resemble rainy London with harsher winters
Teddy Rambles 