I managed to not cancel my planned days off this past week - these days coincided with some of spring break for the kids. The first day was busy with their annual checkups and then I had to run to a baby shower for a coworker. But Friday Ryan managed to take off work as well and we decided to go on a city "hike"/another light rail adventure.
We hopped on the light rail and headed for the Westlake stop. Both kids needed new shoes (M desperately so) and all the shoe stores that used to be near us are gone now since the mall is being redeveloped. M had apparently been suffering through shoes 2 sizes too small for the past several months (oops). They didn't have the shoes he liked in his kids size, but we were able to get the women's size that is equivalent (and pay $30 extra for them being women's instead of kids, sigh).
Then we headed off toward the waterfront. The kids were getting hungry, so stopped at Lowell's for lunch and got a table next to the window.
After lunch we did a touristy thing and rode the ferris wheel. M was very anxious about this given their dislike of heights. But with lots of reassurance we got him to get on and realize it wasn't all that bad - the cars are completely enclosed and you're certainly not moving very fast. Some lovely views of the Sound and downtown.
Then we walked along the waterfront to Olympic Sculpture Park. The kids ran around on the grass while Ryan and I just enjoyed sitting for a bit. M described this piece as "some sort of art" (to be fair, he wasn't viewing it from this angle when he said that):
You could apparently walk 8+ miles if you followed the entire waterfront path, but our feet were tired. We hiked back to Seattle Center, grabbed the monorail to Westlake, then the light rail back home. I cannot overstate how much I love having light rail so close to us. Even though we had good bus access to downtown previously, it never felt as easy as the light rail. Trips like this felt like they required more planning and were therefore less likely to happen. And, of course, some of the places we can get to with light rail (Capitol Hill, for instance) were significantly more difficult to get to via bus. In my casual scrolling of unaffordable houses for sale, even when I find one I love I always end up realizing that they don't have light rail in walking distance and I can't give that up.
2 comments:
My old stomping grounds!!! I'm pretty sure the sculpture park is really close to where I always worked each summer! And, of course, I always love seeing photos of the ferry boat! I'm so glad the light rail has worked so well for you!!!
I've never ridden on the ferris wheel, but I think my BIL got totally sick from the constant rocking motion when he rode it! I tend to get seasick, too, so I think I probably won't ever bother...
These are some wonderful photos. The weather looks gorgeous. I'm so glad you're able to go on these adventures together.
I'm not sure I'd like the Ferris wheel, but maybe if I had my "sea bands" on. I used to like rides like that as a kid.
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