A Pleasant Stopover in Seattle

When we booked this Boise-Seattle-Dallas Fort Worth-Ft. Lauderdale flight we made sure we had a nice long layover in Seattle. We like Seattle a lot. Travel there several times a year, even. So any opportunity we have to have a flight take us through Seattle, we try and get a generous stopover.

Our plan could have taken us to Pike Place Market to have delicious salmon croquettes at Lowell's, or to Ellenos to get some Greek Yogurt. If the Seattle Mariners had a home game (they didn't) we would have had enough time to get in several innings of a baseball game. We had enough of a layover we could have done at least one (even maybe two) of the things I have on my 5 things to do in Seattle list.

But we went with the simple, relaxing, non-rushed route instead.

We walked through the airport past all the Terminal C baggage claim carousels. And past the Terminal B baggage carousels and past the terminal A baggage carousels. All the way until we got to the door to the outside. From there we walked towards the scheduled shuttle service stops and the city bus stops.

We walked past all those buses and followed the sidewalk out from the airport area...

towards International Boulevard...

to where the entrance/exit of the airport and International Boulevard met. Our destination, 13 Coins restaurant, is just across the street.

It looks like it was a long walk, but it wasn't. I'm guessing from the outside door of the airport terminal to the restaurant was half a mile or so.

It was at 13 Coins where hubby had the most tasty spinach salad. Yeah, he kind of went overboard on the pepper.

And I had an even more delicious meat bites starter.

Prices were comparable to what we would have paid at the airport but so, so, so much better tasting than airport food!

After eating and walking back to the airport, we stopped at the section right inside the door. They have seating there, seating that includes rocking chairs. Hubby loves rocking chairs so we spent a good chunk of time with him rocking and me sitting with my feet up.

Definitely a nice way to spend 5 hours at the Seattle Tacoma Airport!

Here's the 13 Coins menu for future reference. Apologies for the blurriness. Not sure what happened there.

 

Minimalist Monday

It's time for another 15!

Another 15 items are leaving me. Actually, I gained two new items first. I finally purchased a computer monitor (no more squinting on the laptop) and a used pair of snorkel fins (for something fun coming up soon). So that means I have to get rid of 17 items this week instead of just 15.

It's just things that don't matter. Why the heck do we keep this stuff longer than we need to?

A Sale on a Sailing - We're Heading to the Caribbean!

We were finishing up our 15th cruise to Alaska a couple months ago when hubby received an email from Princess Cruises.

$199 per person for a week-long cruise to Alaska? We really thought long and hard about taking advantage of the offer. There were many sailings to choose from - we could have stayed on the same ship for about six weeks. Living on a ship in Alaska in the summer? Heck yes, count us in. We decided to head home from that 15th Alaskan cruise, get some things done around the house, then head back up.

But it didn't work out as planned. My husband's father got sick right after we got back home and passed away a few days later. Alaska would be a no-go and we decided it would be best to stay close to home.

Then once the funeral passed hubby got another email from Princess Cruises.

$149 week-long cruises to the Caribbean? It was hubby's call. He decided he was ready to leave reality behind and head back out. The Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten are calling our names. This coming week, that is. We have other ports calling our names the next week.

I guess an evening flight from Boise to Seattle and a red-eye flight from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale (technically Boise to Seattle to Dallas to Ft. Lauderdale) is calling our names, too. Thank you, Alaska Airlines for having 12,500 frequent flier mile flights to get us to Florida, even if it takes us some time to get there.

Florida, here we come!

5 Things to do in Seattle

It's Wanderlust Wednesday! Today we're talking about what to do in Seattle, Washington.

While you can certainly drive a car while you're in Seattle, we always prefer to use the Link Light Rail, along with a little bit of walking. My 5 Things to do in Seattle uses the Light Rail (and Monorail) to get to each location.

1. Take the Link Light Rail from the airport to downtown. Get off at the Westlake stop. Walk to Pike Place Market. Fruit, vegetables, flowers, flying fish. Get there early - it gets crowded on summer days.

While you're there, head into Lowell's restaurant for the most delicious smoked salmon-potato croquettes with fresh herb sauce.

2. Head across the street to Ellenos for very tasty Greek yogurt. I've never had any yogurt like this before. Marionberry Pie Greek Yogurt? Yes, please. Lemon cheesecake Greek Yogurt? Yes, please. (Sorry, I can't find the pic of the mixture. It sure is pretty and tasty.) We love this place so much it is a must-do on every visit.

Get a half and half (half marionberry/half lemon) and head down to eat at the park just north of the market. Victor Steinbrueck Park is a good place to people watch. Tourists, drug dealers, prostitutes, police, homeless people, and cross dressers all intermingle to make for an interesting - and eye opening - experience. 

3. From the park you can also see the Seattle Great Wheel, one of the biggest Ferris wheels in the United States. Hangs out over the water, even. You can either take the steps outside the Market or use the parking garage elevator get down there.

 You get high up there.

 4. Head back towards Westlake to take a ride on the Seattle Center Monorail. It'll take you to the Space Needle. Purchase a ticket to ride to the top and take a look at Seattle from the observation deck. The area around the Space Needle has lots of other activities to partake in. You can even buy combo tickets.

5. Take the monorail back to Westlake. From there take the Link Light Rail southbound, getting off at the Stadium stop. Walk over to Safeco Field and take in a Seattle Mariners professional baseball game. The roof is retractable so you'll be able to watch baseball rain or shine.

Don't forget to try some ballpark food. How about a cheesesteak and some garlic fries?

You can find a video version of this post here:

How to Sew a Fabric Tortilla Warmer - Tutorial Tuesday

It's Tutorial Tuesday and I have a tortilla warmer project for you.

For this project you will need:

• A plate or some other object 
• main cotton fabric
• lining cotton fabric
• cotton batting. However, if you plan on placing the warmer itself in the microwave please use Wrap-N-Zap batting.
• Pins or Clover Wonder Clips
• Iron
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Now available in my Etsy shop as a digital download with the written directions, step-by-step photos, printable templates for two different sizes of warmers, and link to the tutorial video. Click to find out more!

Looking for something else? Check out some of my other kitchen sewing and crafting projects!

Otherwise, you can find the step by step how to tutorial for the homemade fabric tortilla warmer sewing project here: