Time to dive into the whirlwind adventure that was our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest. Picture this: It’s mid-December, and I’ve just been handed the pink slip from my job. Talk about a holiday surprise! So, naturally, I’m in dire need of some cheering up (and that’s putting it mildly). So, what do you do when life hands you lemons? You go ice-skating with friends, of course! Over a lunch that was as cheap as chips, we hatched a plan for a summer group trip. Now, let me tell you, nothing gets my adrenaline pumping like planning a trip. Despite being jobless and as broke as can be, I was on a mission to plan an epic journey to the PNW.
Seattle was on our bucket list, but we didn’t want to spend our entire vacation there. So, we found an awesome Airbnb in Olympia, about a 90-minute drive from Seattle. We also rented a car through Alamo because we had a lot of ground to cover. When it came to planning our Seattle shenanigans, the CityPass was a godsend. For just over $100, we got timed entry to five different attractions. Plus, we nabbed tickets to the national parks we wanted to visit. BTW, If you’re thinking of checking out the Seahawks stadium, watch out for their limited tour schedules.
Our gang of five hails from Northwest Arkansas, but we found surprisingly cheap plane tickets from Kansas City—a 3.5-hour drive away. The flight from KC to SEA was a breeze, but with a 6:00 a.m. check-in time, it meant a very early wake-up call. Now, on the Tourettes side of things, I’d just been to a Taylor Swift concert the weekend before (swoon!), so I was still on a high. My tics were acting up quite a bit, probably the worst they’d been in over six months. Definitely chalk this up to overstimulation from the concert, but more on that later.
We touched down in Seattle early in the morning and headed straight for Olympia. After checking into our Airbnb, we grabbed a bite at Tugboat Annie’s and took a stroll around the pier. Tugboat Annie’s was the perfect place to grab a quick bite and get a taste of WA. Then, we drove around the Capitol, snapping pictures left, right, and center. Lucky for us, Mt. Rainier was visible all week, making every view picture-perfect.
Alright, buckle up, folks, because I’m about to take you on a crazy ride through the Emerald City!
Day 1: We had planned to take the Amtrak from Olympia to Seattle, but our friend convinced us to take the car instead. Big mistake! Traffic was insane, we barely moved a mile in an hour and a half. We quickly reversed course, booked Amtrak tickets, and zoomed to Seattle in less than an hour. (Definitely recommend Amtrak if you happen to stay in Olympia and need to head to SEA, it was about $25 a person) Our first stop? The iconic Space Needle! The views were out-of-this-world, and the Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum next door was just as breathtaking. Lunch at Mantra Thai was a delight, since we needed something quick and yummy. It was perfect! Then it was off to the Museum of Pop Culture, Ricky’s favorite part since he is a big pop culture fan.
Now, here’s where the Tourette Traveler tale gets interesting. My tics were acting up, earning me a chorus of “bless you’s” and a barrage of concerned looks. At one point, an employee asked rather loudly if I was okay. I explained that I have Tourettes and was fine, but the incident left me feeling self-conscious. Just when I was ready to throw in the towel and ask Ricky if we could head back home, a lovely mom and her two daughters approached me. One of the girls also had TS, and our conversation uplifted me more than words can express. They reminded me that even when it feels like no one understands, there are always people ready to offer kindness and support. It turns out, we made each other’s day. And that, my friends, is the power of empathy.
After soaking in all things pop culture at MoPOP, we set off for the pier. Up next? An Argosy Cruise, thanks to our CityPass. Now, I have to admit, I used to think these cruises were all cut from the same cloth. But boy, did Argosy prove me wrong! Our tour guide was an absolute riot, keeping us laughing the whole time. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, there we were, sipping drinks aboard the cruise, feasting our eyes on the majestic Mt. Rainier, and learning all sorts of fun facts about the town.
A CityPass perk worth mentioning: it gets you two tickets to the Space Needle—one for anytime you like, and another for the evening. We chose to go back at 7pm, right as the sun was setting, and let me tell you, it was like stepping into a postcard. Dinner took us to Red House in Renton, and, oh boy, was it worth the Uber ride! The cocktails were top-notch, the food hit the spot, and our server—turned out he was the owner—was one of the nicest guys we met on the trip.
Day 2: We decided to go local and hopped on public transportation from Olympia to Seattle. I grew up in public buses, so it was definitely a throwback for me and the whole trip to SEA was $3. Our first stop in town for day 2? The iconic Pike Place! We kicked off our visit with a scrumptious breakfast at Lowell’s, enjoying the view of the water from the third floor window. We then meandered through the market, picking up a beautiful hand-painted mandala from Paper Scissors Rock. Ricky snagged a super cool t-shirt featuring the Space Needle being scaled by a kraken. Oh, and the Gum Wall? Equal parts cool and yuck. Note to self: next time, pack gum! We forgot ours and had to pay $8 for a pack.
Later that afternoon, we hit the Seattle Art Museum, which wasn’t part of our CityPass package, but was absolutely worth every penny. From Rothkos to Diego Rivera, and a fantastic collection of BIPOC artists, it was incredible. They had a wing dedicated to the Native American Tribes of the PNW which was very educational and also cool to admire their art. We ended the day with a visit to the Amazon spheres and the Starbucks Roastery. They were featuring a menu with olive oil and wow they were incredible. We got the Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew, they use Partanna extra virgin olive oil and infuse cold foam and a dark, cold brew. It was probably one of the best Starbucks drinks I have ever had. Dinner was at Rocco’s, and while pizza might not sound like much, trust me, this was no ordinary pie. It was the perfect end to our Seattle adventure!
Our 3rd and 4th day were chock-full of national park adventures. A cool thing about purchasing park tickets online is that they’re per car – so we paid a $30 for the whole crew! Another perk is the flexibility – you can schedule a day, but they give you a grace period of 7 days just in case your plans need to shift. So if you book Mt. Rainier for the 20th, but can’t make it until the 23rd, no worries – your ticket is still good!
Day 3 was dedicated to Mount Rainier, and day 4 was all about Olympic National Park. We headed towards Mt. Rainier bright and early around 8am and arrived at around 10:30am-11:00am. We spent the day hiking, snapping photos, and taking deep breaths of awe, realizing this place was going to be etched into our memories forever. The hikes were short and sweet – less than an hour each – allowing us to squeeze every drop of fun out of our time there. Around 6pm, we made tracks back to Olympia, knowing that Olympic NP was going to be a bit tougher.
On day 4, we left Olympia at the crack of dawn (7am), entering the park around 11:00am. The earlier, the better! We kicked off our day at the beach, exploring the tidepools, which were simply marvelous. Although, as a Costa Rican native, I found it fundamentally strange to be beach-bound in a hoodie and hiking boots! I would definitely look at the low tides before heading that way so you can plan to do the tidepools in the early morning or afternoon depending on when low tide will be.
Post-beach, we delved deeper into the park, starting with the Hall of Mosses. The wait to get inside this part of the park was long (around 2 hours), but totally worth it. Definitely try to arrive to Olympic very early or have multiple days to see this park, there’s a lot of ground to cover. While driving through the park, we passed through Forks, WA (Twilight fans, you know what’s up!). We snapped photos with the cars from the movie and the “Welcome to Forks” sign. As the sun set around 9:00pm, we caught the sunrise at Hurricane Ridge – a view so sublime it was worth the late-night drive home and the late night hike. We have talked about going back to Washington already to spend more time here.
Day 5 took us to Portland, Oregon. The drive was a breeze, and we added another city to our travel list. Powell’s City of Books was a must-visit (although Ricky might disagree with doing this first thing in the morning since he had to lug around all my new books). Despite the scorching heat making doughnut-eating less than ideal, we enjoyed our Voodoo Doughnuts at Pioneer Courthouse Square. After the Square and donuts we headed towards the International Rose Test Garden. It was a fragrant slice of paradise straight out of a Disney movie. I really hope Heaven smells like the Rose Garden did. Our final stop, The Grotto, was a peaceful oasis amidst the concrete jungle, ending our trip to Portland on a high note.
Day 6 on our itinerary was supposed to see us hitting the road towards Cascades National Park. But, were we wiped out! So, we called an audible and swapped mountain vistas for a day of pure, unadulterated laziness at home. Our new itinerary? Lounging in the hot tub, summoning DoorDash like magic to our doorstep, and indulging in cat naps. And let me tell you, it was every bit the rest and relaxation we craved. The Cascades will just have to wait for our return – and guess what? No entry fee! (You’re welcome for that little nugget of knowledge.)
Day 7 was the grand finale of our Washington State escapades. With a 6pm flight from SEA to MCI looming, we were determined to squeeze every last drop of fun from our day. First up? The Seahawks stadium aka as the Lumen Field. We lucked out with a tour spot, despite the aftermath of the Eras Tour the previous night. Our tour guide was incredible, she was super sweet and upbeat. Next on the agenda was the Seattle Aquarium, which ticked off our 5th CityPass attraction. We’d braced ourselves for a kiddie fest, but it turned out to be wonders for all ages. A perfect curtain call before jetting off to the airport.
Now, let’s talk about my tics. They were pretty relentless throughout the trip, enough to warrant an increase in my nighttime meds. I think the concert the week before and our jam-packed schedule didn’t help matters. One of the most tiring aspects was having to explain to everyone who gave me “the look” or made a comment that I have Tourette Syndrome (TS). I’m not embarrassed by my TS, though I can feel self-conscious about it at times. Imagine something about yourself that you’ve accepted, but still makes you feel a tad uncomfortable. Now picture having to announce that to complete strangers over 65 times a day. Yeah, not exactly a walk in the park, right? Despite the challenges, this trip was a rollercoaster ride I wouldn’t trade for anything.
I am attaching the google doc for our PNW trip itinerary, I found this template over 5 years ago and I use it for EVERYTHING! It helps me keep all activities organized, it’s great to write notes (airbnb contact info or reservation number), and super easy to share and edit. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Also, ALL pictures and videos in this blog post were taken by my incredible friend/photgrapher Darrell Green who tagged along with us on this trip. Darrell was also an incredible travel buddy and was down to go to all the places and try all the things. He is a freelancer in the Northwest Arkansas area and always looking for cool new projects to get involved in. If you are in the area (or you want him to travel to you) for a project his contact info is darrellagreen@gmail.com
