Pre-Covid 2020 shutdown, we would go to Seattle to visit family at least 3 times a year. After several booked and cancelled trips to the city last year, we finally made it! Seattle had had plenty of rain prior to our visit and even some snow. Since it rains about 152 days per year, I had to research indoor activities ahead of time. Seattle without pandemic protocols in place is a haven for creative indoor entertainment, especially for kids. Our daughters love the Seattle Aquarium, the Seattle Children’s Museum, Museum of Pop Culture, the indoor play gyms and all of the kids’ musicals and theater events. BUT, when we visited February 2021, most of our usual favorites were “temporarily closed.” We didn’t go to Pike’s Market this time because of Covid precautions. It’s open, but when we drove by, the marketplace looked pretty crowded.
Seattle’s culinary scene usually leaves us wishing we had extended our stay to try more new restaurants…This trip, my aunt was our chef most meals. Restaurants were still seating mainly outdoors or strictly take-out. We did take-out from Momiji our last night there. We’d eaten there January 2020 and loved it. Take out was also excellent.
We stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house in Madison Park, per usual. Beautiful neighborhood, beautiful house. Typically, we visit in winter to ski and a couple times in summer to enjoy surfing behind their boat in the lake.
This trip, we spend Friday skiing local with the kids, my aunt and my uncle in Steven’s Pass. It’s about an hour ½ drive from Seattle and on the Epic pass system. Check out www.stevenspass.com. There are 1,125 acres of skiable terrain and lots of blue runs for the kids to ski. It gets crowded on the weekends, but Friday’s wait times were under 5 minutes. We didn’t do ski lessons. My uncle is such an expert skier, he was our kids’ “coach.”
Other local Seattle mountains we’ve skied in the past are Alpental and Crystal Mountain. Similar reviews to Steven’s Pass. Easy to get to and not crowded if you go during the week. Fun family skiing!
On Saturday, knowing it was going to rain most of the day, we decided to book The Bouldering Project. It’s an AWESOME rock climbing gymwith two locations. We went to the one in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. www.seattleboulderingproject.com. They sell memberships, but guests can purchase passes ahead of time during Covid. You can pre-book main floor climbing, lower floor, upper walls and fitness and yoga classes. The kids’ climbing sections are on the lower floor so that’s what I reserved. It’s a big warehouse-looking building with ample parking. Everything was provided including shoes and you can stay for an hour ½. The girls loved it. Rock climbing is tough! There are different levels, marked by different colors. Even the easiest was hard for this non-climber. The floors are cushioned like a gymnastics’ floor so falling is not an issue. No ropes: free solo. On our way out, we stopped to watch some of the “real” climbers hanging from hand holds on the main floor. It was so impressive. The girls were mesmerized. Great family fun and a good workout too.
We flew home on Sunday at 3:15PM, but had time to stop by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture to check out dinosaur bones and artifacts. www.burkemuseum.org. All of the hands-on exhibits for kids were closed, but the girls still enjoyed the visit. They don’t allow on-site ticketing, so this too must be pre-booked during Covid.
Our final destination before the airport was Dick’s Burgers for lunch on Holman Rd NW near the 5 freeway. My uncle insisted we try it…and I can’t believe we’d missed this place on our past visits! Certainly not healthy, but definitely good. Simple menu. Amazing ice cream shakes. Delicious soggy fries. We flew out of an almost-empty Seattle airport satiated…and grateful for calories burned at The Bouldering Project the day before!
We Don’t Sit Still 