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Seattle, WA: Day One
It's been awhile since I've explored a place I have never been to before. A place that I have little to no expectations or previous images of how it's going to be. When my stepmom provided a means of Southwest transportation and essentially a low-cost ticket to anywhere with a deadline of June 16th, I chose Seattle. Because, why not?
I spent three full days there, arriving at 9am on Thursday, June 4th, and leaving 10:30am on Sunday, June 7th.
My lasting image of Seattle is green and blue. Those are the colors I primarily saw from above, and below. I expected the green — actually even more green than I saw — but I didn't expect all the blue.
This trip I really tried to not plan too much, but leave some time to discover. However — because I'm me and love to plan— I ended up doing a lot of research beforehand to have in case there were specific places, tours, or events I'd be disappointed if I didn't see or take advantage of. So basically, each of my three days there ended up being jam-packed. In the best way possible.
The first day in Seattle was a combination of planning and wandering.
First day itinerary:
- "Free" Walking Tour @ 11am (I say "free" because they ask to contribute whatever you feel at the end of the tour, and they did such a great job that I contributed/paid as much I would on a regular tour, but technically you could contribute nothing).
- Pike St. Press where I picked up a couple of cards, including the one above
- Taxi Dogs for lunch at the Victor Steinbrueck Park
- Pike Place Market
- Gum Wall in Post Alley where my friend and I made a sticky mark
- Columbia Tower — 40th floor Starbucks and a {free} view
- Seattle Art Museum [SAM] — {free because of First Thursday}
- The first Starbucks store at 1st & Pike
- Watched the sunset back at Victor Steinbrueck Park
- Went to sleep! (Especially after only getting four hours the previous three nights)
READ ON FOR ALL THE PICTURES & DETAILS...
Palos Verdes: Terranea Resort
Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes is what I think of as a real getaway without really getting away.
READ ON TO FIND OUT WHY...
Malibu: Solstice Canyon
I just got back from Seattle, WA Sunday and while I'm putting together a more comprehensive view of everything I enjoyed, this week I'm sharing some recent fun excursions in Los Angeles.
We wanted to hike in Malibu, so my friends and I reviewed some options and decided on Solstice Canyon. It's about an hour — on a good day — from the South Bay. The day we chose was a nice balance of sunshine and clouds, so it wasn't too hot.
We chose Solstice Canyon because of the remains of two buildings — which seemed historic and exciting in some way — and the potential sight of a waterfall. With the drought, we weren't expecting much. But we got a lot.
READ ON TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE KIND-OF EXISTENT WATERFALL...
Las Vegas: Neon & Mob Museums
When I'm in Vegas, I don't drink, gamble, or usually go out to show off my moves at a club. So what the heck do I do?
Surprisingly for some, Las Vegas is actually more than just for partying. For example, there's places like the Neon Museum.
FIND OUT WHY THIS IS A MUST-SEE PLACE...
Brighton, UT in brief
Aside from wanting to see the ice castles, I just really wanted to experience winter. Or at least what winter should feel like. So while all my Utah friends were super happy it wasn't snowing, and there wasn't really snow on the ground, I was personally super disappointed. I wanted snow. I wanted to make snow angels, have a snowball fight, freeze a little bit, and make a snowman. I always want to build a snowman.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR MINUTE IN BRIGHTON
Salt Lake City, UT: Four of my favorite places
I've been to Utah about four times in the past four years. For different reasons and different lengths of time... so far in the fall and winter. I'm not a local, but I usually stay with people who have grown up in or around Salt Lake City.
The four places I've chosen as my favorites were chosen because they're the ones I consistently visit every time I'm there, and they're still just as fun/interesting/beautiful to me as the first time I explored them.
READ ON TO SEE MY FAVORITES...
In Provo, it started with Waffles
I'm taking a trip this weekend and I realized I never shared some of my trips from earlier this year. So I guess this is like a "take-me-back-Tuesday," and tomorrow's "way-back-Wednesday," etc., because these trips were way worthwhile.
It was the end of January when I journeyed to Utah with my friend Krystal. Why go to Utah since it's snowy and usually freezing cold?
We had the intention of seeing the ice castles in Midway.
Aside from snow sports (which we didn't get to do) this is probably the only other exciting thing that seems to happen in Utah winter. The ice castles are only open for a small window of the year, but it's also dependent on the weather.
Spoiler alert: we did not get to see the ice castles because it wasn't cold enough, so they only opened for one weekend – the weekend before we came – and never reopened. That was a huge bummer. But all was not lost!
FIND OUT WHAT WE ENDED UP DOING INSTEAD...