Over Memorial Day weekend, Cole and I flew out to Seattle to visit Amanda in her “new” hometown! I say “new” because she has actually been living in Seattle for over a year and a half, but we hadn’t had a chance to visit yet since we were living in London.

Thanks to the time change, we arrived early Friday evening with plenty of time left in the day. Amanda was gracious enough to pick us up at the airport and drop us off at our hotel to freshen up. We then headed up to her apartment for a little pre-dinner drink and meet Amanda’s boyfriend Jayce for the first time. After enjoying some delicious decanted wine ;), we headed out to get some of the best pizza I’ve ever had from Ballard Pizza!

The next day, Cole and I woke up super early thanks to the time difference from the east coast and headed out for a run out to Gas Works Park. We had visited this same park years ago during our first visit to Seattle and loved the views looking back over the city. We hung out enjoying watching some seaplanes land and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the day.

Amanda and Jayce picked us up and we attempted to get breakfast from Biscuit Bitch. The line was so long though we gave up and instead headed to Serious Pie, where Cole and I shared a tasty biscuit and a bowl of yogurt/granola. We then checked out the Amazon Go store and some of the Amazon campus. Afterwards, we headed to Pike Place Market and wandered around a bit before escaping the rain to grab a beer from Old Stove Brewery. We then made our way over to a different part of town to see the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. While it was incredibly crowded, it was still a great experience to see the operations and enjoy a delicious coffee. That evening, Cole and I grabbed a quick drink from the rooftop bar of M Bar before heading to dinner with Jayce and Amanda at this delicious restaurant in an up and coming neighborhood close in the industrial district of Seattle.

Fortunately, the weather on Sunday turned for the better and by midday, we were able to enjoy the beautiful Seattle summer. Cole and I were up early again so decided to try Biscuit Bitch. This time, we managed to beat most of the crowds and had another delicious breakfast. Afterwards, we met Amanda at La Marzocco Cafe for some of the best coffee ever (La Marzocco is the Italian espresso machines I discovered in Europe that made me have a whole new appreciation for coffee). They have a cafe in Seattle that you must check out if you’re ever in town. Amanda then drove us around the adorable Queen Anne neighborhood before we stopped at Kerry Park to admire the views.

We then headed to her place to enjoy a walk around the beautiful Green Park. After a leisurely stroll around the lake and laughing at Kona as he enjoyed his occasional swims, we grabbed a delicious Mexican snack at Pablo y Pablo.

We then explored a bit of Fremont before heading to the hotel to freshen up. That evening, Jayce was hosting us and some family/friends for a BBQ at his awesome boathouse on the water. The food, views, and company were all wonderful and it was the perfect end to our trip to Seattle!

We had a wonderful weekend with the best hosts! Amanda and Jayce planned everything perfectly and it was so nice to spend some time with them. I know we will be back in Seattle soon and look forward to checking out some other parts of the city and surrounding areas of beautiful Washington!