I’ve fallen behind blogging about all our travels recently, but I really didn’t want to miss out on blogging about our experiences in the state of Washington so, better late than never! We stayed in two different locations in the state of Washington: Spokane and Seattle.
Spokane, WA
My favorite of the two locations for a few reasons:
- Less traffic
- More nature
- Great biking downtown
Spokane is gorgeous. We stayed at North Spokane RV Campground for 2 weeks @ $921.31. This was a beautiful campground – all very new. They have an enclosed dog park to allow for some off-leash play, a pool, playground…etc. It’s not located in a terribly walkable area, but you can walk across the street to eat at Franks Diner, which I totally recommend. This diner is inside an old refurbished railcar built back in 1906, so it’s pretty special to dine in. The food is darn good too!
While in Spokane we also got to spend some much needed time with loved ones. We visited my (step) sister Domini, her husband, and their 6 boys. The last time I saw Domini in person was back in 2011 and even then it was a really short meeting over dinner. Scarlett and I got to see their house, eat pizza and catch up. Most of the boys I hadn’t met yet so it was a treat seeing them all. On another day we had Domini and crew come over to our RV park to hang out. The kids went swimming and we hung around outside shooting the breeze. It’s so nice to spend time with family. After she left we both realized we neglected to take any pictures though…DOH!
Downtown Spokane is clean and pedestrian/bike friendly. We spent most of our time biking the trails around Riverfront Park and taking in all the beauty. Lots of water and bridges!
Seattle, WA
Seattle was also a great place to visit, but traffic congestion and homelessness are the biggest reasons why I enjoyed Spokane so much more. It also didn’t help that the campground we stayed in was so depressing! We stayed at the Trailers Inn RV Park of Bellevue for 3 weeks @ $1092.76 and it was literally a parking lot. I’m not lying! The most insulting part about it all is how the campground rules sheet specifically says to not “park on the grass”. Talk about salt in the wound…there was no grass!! There was a patch of grass just outside the campground that was referred to as the “dog run” – even though it was not fenced in. There wasn’t much in the way of walking options, and all the sound of traffic was really loud. The photo below is not mine (we hated that place so much that we apparently didn’t take any) but it will give you a good idea of what a space looks like.
That said, I really dig the history of Seattle. Did you know that almost the entire city of Seattle was burned to the ground in summer of 1889? Apparently 1889 had a crazy hot summer because Spokane caught on fire as well! Scarlett and I learned all about the political corruption that led to the fact that Seattle streets were mostly made up of wood shavings, which was waste from a nearby lumber mill, and how everything in Seattle – even the side walks – were made of wood. Seattle was also prone to terrible flooding so when the entire city burned down, they rebuilt it 20 feet above the original city! Scarlett and I learned all of this when we did the Catacombs Tour. Yes, you can actually tour the “basement” of Seattle!
So, how did Seattle come up with the money to rebuild the entire city on stilts? During this tour we learned about a fascinating woman from the early days of Seattle: Madam Lou. Our tour guide dove into the history of how this cunning woman ran the most prestigious brothel in Seattle and managed to do it with dignity. She educated her girls, taught them to read, write, balance books, buy into the stock market, property ownership, and even instructed them on politics and reading newspapers so they can be better companions. After a few years of service, women who worked for Madam Lou would retire with enough knowledge and savings to be completely independent. It was the taxes on these women and Madam Lou’s establishment that helped to fund the rebuilding of Seattle. What an inspiring story! Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find anything online to back up a lot of it, so I’m not sure how much of it is true, but then again, I didn’t spend hours of searching either.
After the tour we hung out at the Merchant’s Cafe & Saloon – the oldest, and most haunted, bar in Seattle. I struck up a conversation with the bartender about this creepy little doll sitting on top of the safe (picture below — don’t worry, I asked permission 😉 ) and he gave me a binder full of women handwritten accounts of paranormal activity experienced by the staff over the years. That’s when we found out that one of our favorite shows, Dead Files, actually filmed an episode there! Oh and did I mention all the climbing? Seattle is filled with stairs!
Seattle has been on my bucket list since my teenage years. I moved out on my own when I was 16 and shortly after saw the movie Singles. I fell in love with the idea of Seattle! So while we were in the area we visited the apartment complex where most of the movie took place. Strolling the neighborhood we stumbled on some of the best tacos ever! If you’re ever in Seattle, we definitely recommend Rocket Taco! While you’re there, I also recommend trying the Cucumber Mule…oh so refreshing!
We also toured the Pike Market which is MASSIVE BTW. I loved walking around the various shops and markets, and while I found the wall of gum in Post Alley interesting – Scarlett was ready to puke! That whole area was fun to walk but if I’m honest, my favorite thing about it all was the Wings over Washington ride. I tried to get Scarlett on the giant ferris wheel, but she wasn’t interested. I’m sure I could’ve pushed more and she would’ve caved, but when I saw the sign for this virtual flying ride all thoughts about the ferris wheel vanished. I was not disappointed. The ride is short, but oh so much fun! It’s one of those rides where you have the giant semi-circular screens and seats the move so you feel like you are flying! If I had all the time in the world I would’ve ridden that ride over and over again!
And finally, I was honored to meet up with Angella, a fellow Feminati member (Women Developers Group), for some drinks on the 64th floor of the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle… in the Dropbox office! Talk about some amazing views!! Thank you Angella! <3
Have you ever heard of Thousand Trails? I’ve been learning about it, and the benefits of having a membership.
We have! We didn’t go with it because your spaces are not guaranteed (they are all first come, first serve), and the amount of time you are allowed to stay is often very limited. So we didn’t feel like it would work well for us since we’re full time and don’t want to have to worry about those restrictions.