West Coast Road Trip - Seattle

Pike Place Market

I am traveling with a teenager down the West Coast of the U.S. and learning a lot along the way.  I believe there is value in trapping my kid in the car with me so I can hear what's in his head because there is nowhere to go and nothing to do.  He does play on his phone and pops in his ear buds now and then but even that gets old and he will start just talking to me about how he views the world or his observations as he watches the world go by outside of his window.  I would not trade this time with him for anything in the world and I can honestly say this is one of the few times in my life that I am completely present.

Gum Wall

Day 1:  We started our trip in Seattle, WA and rented a car at the airport.  Renting a compact car to drive from Seattle to San Diego is the priciest part of the trip at a whopping $1,000.  This is the price after I called around and negotiated the price down and with a AAA discount.  I booked two days at an Airbnb near Seward Park, a neighborhood/park with a beautiful lake and cool little towns less than a mile away.  I got my coffee in the morning from a little place in Columbia City called Empire Espresso.  Very rich but not burnt coffee.  Just the way I like it with a splash of cream.

Prince's Motorcycle

We headed out to downtown Seattle to hit Pike Place Market that sits from a perch overlooking the Seattle waterfront.  I heard so much about this place and I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype.  The market was everything I expected and more.  The miles of flowers, food, funky little stores along with a view of the waterfront was awesome.  I wish I had checked this website before heading there but I did not and we ate at Lowell's.  The food was good and the view out of the top floor windows was great.  They also were quick which was important since I had not had breakfast and had been up since 4am central time for our 6:40 am flight.  We had fish tacos, fried calamari and fish and chips.  My son devoured the majority of the food as is his way these days.  He then downed a waffle cone full of ice cream and a block of fudge.  Ahh, to be young with a speedy metabolism.  Enjoy it, kid.  

My Son's Idol

After we gorged ourselves we headed down into the oddest ally ever with the gum wall.   You walk in and it's walls of chewed gum stuck on walls and it smells like juicy fruit.  Overall, I liked Seattle but this, no.  Sorry, but it was gross.  My son heard about this place and begged me to go so I indulged him but not without a sigh and and a noticeable eye roll.  He thought it was cool, so we will call it even for him indulging me when I drag him to art museums.

The Terminator

Next we went to what we agreed was an awesome highlight, The Museum of Pop Culture.  If you have a teenager and you, as the parent, are a former child of the 80's and 90's, this is a must.  They have exhibits dedicated to Jimmy Hendrix, Prince and of course, Pearl Jam.  If there was ever a museum that fed my soul, this one was it.  My son loved the horror film section of the museum and I had to wait for him outside after a brief walk around the exhibit.  Horror films gave me serious nightmares as a kid and they still don't grab me.

Robin Williams's Outfit from Mork & Mindy

Freddy's Outfit

Tower of Guitars

Alien

Poster from Singles

Nixon's Ride (Air Force One)

Day 2:  We headed out to the Boeing manufacturing campus for a tour of where they make the planes that carry us all over the world.  Their assembly line is not as speedy as a car manufacturing facility but quite a bit bigger.  No photos, cell phones, bags or anything else was allowed on the tour.

Fighter Jet Seat

After Boeing, we went to the Museum of Flight where my son got to sit in the seat of fighter jets (this one just never gets old).  We flew in a flight simulator and I let my son be the pilot which made me literally almost lose my lunch.  Be warned, that simulator will flip upside down as many times as you can within the span of a couple of minutes.  We got to walk aboard Nixon's Air Force One, a Concord jet and a 787 Dreamliner.  There were places where you could see the history of flight and their role in various wars throughout U.S. history.

We ended the day by heading out to Gas Works Park where the view of the Seattle skyline is perfect and the parking is easy.  This is a great place to get out, walk around, stretch your legs and take in the gorgeous views and waterway.